On Nov 27, 2:53*pm, "David Hare-Scott" wrote:
Higgs Boson wrote:
Have cut up some red potato eyes to plant. *Looked it up on-line.
They say to mound up +- 6" of mulch after burying the eyes. *I never
understood why one has to do this, rather than just let the new
potatoes grow underground.

You can plant below the surface and mound as the shoots grow or plant them
in a hole (or trench) and fill the hole as the shoots grow. *The purpose is
to get the 'seed' tuber down deeper. *The reason to get it deeper is that
the new tubers will grow at the level of the old one so if you leave it too
shallow the tubers may come to the surface or the plants will fall over.
But if you just plant very deep the shoot may not make it to the surface
(especially if you reduce the food that it has by not planting whole
tubers).

***Interesting. The Web site I consulted:

http://www.gardengatemagazine.com/ex...toplanting.php

suggested NOT giving the "eye" too much food, so it won't be lazy
about growing, having plenty of goodies available underground.
I left some potato, but not a whole tuber.

A third method is to use a layered raised bed such as a stack of tyres. *You
plant the tubers in the top layer and when they shoot add another tyre and
refill with soil. *This has the additional advantage that you don't need to
dig your taters but just dismantle the stack.

So you plant very deep but allow the shoots to see the sun using one of
these methods and then backfill. *You end up with the tubers down deep and
the shoots above ground which is what you want.

***Using tires has been discouraged here because of toxic problems
from the tires. Anything to this?

I prefer the hole (trench) method as it is easier to fill them in than
maintain the mound.

Also, the mulch we get from the City every few months is very finely
ground. *Picture shows more of a straw-like mulch. *???

Sorry I have missed the point.

***The point about the finely-ground compost is that it doesn't
resemble the picture on the Web site, which had what I described as a
"straw-like" mulch, from which I inferred that the mulch should be
more loose. ??.

Would appreciate an explanation in the next few, as the pieces set out
to callous/harden should get planted soon.

***Thanks, David; that was enormously helpful. I will choose the
trench/hole method, but not cover the potato eyes too deeply, if I
understand your recommendation, and as the shoots appear, back-fill.

HB





YWIMC

David