Most books I read on planting pototoes say they need earthing up -
however as I only have limited space I want to plant the rows closer
together which means I can no longer earth them up. To counter this I am
considering planting the seed pototoes deeper. This seems to make sense
to me (but I'm not a vastly experianced gardner!). Could anyone please
comment on this as a reasonable sensible technique - or do spuds really
have to be earthed up.

Thanks

PT

In article , Paul Taylor
writes
Most books I read on planting pototoes say they need earthing up -
however as I only have limited space I want to plant the rows closer
together which means I can no longer earth them up. To counter this I am
considering planting the seed pototoes deeper. This seems to make sense
to me (but I'm not a vastly experianced gardner!). Could anyone please
comment on this as a reasonable sensible technique - or do spuds really
have to be earthed up.

You could grow potatoes without earthing them up, but they would produce
much less crop as a result. Planting them deeper does not help because
potato tubers form up just below the surface of the ground. When the
first tubers after sowing have developed, the plants are earthed up and
further new tubers form above them. This can be continued several times
and new tubers will begin each time. This is the surest way of
increasing your total crop.

Planting the seed too closely can also restrict the crop from each
plant. You would finish up with about the same total weight of crop from
the area as with wider spacing, but with increased risk of diseases
brought about by intensive growing.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.

You must keepthe light out to stop the potatoes going green and then being
deadly poisonous. Black polythene in between will do


"Paul Taylor" wrote in message
news
Most books I read on planting pototoes say they need earthing up -
however as I only have limited space I want to plant the rows closer
together which means I can no longer earth them up. To counter this I am
considering planting the seed pototoes deeper. This seems to make sense
to me (but I'm not a vastly experianced gardner!). Could anyone please
comment on this as a reasonable sensible technique - or do spuds really
have to be earthed up.

Thanks

PT

In article , Paul Taylor
writes
Most books I read on planting pototoes say they need earthing up -
however as I only have limited space I want to plant the rows closer
together which means I can no longer earth them up. To counter this I am
considering planting the seed pototoes deeper. This seems to make sense
to me (but I'm not a vastly experianced gardner!). Could anyone please
comment on this as a reasonable sensible technique - or do spuds really
have to be earthed up.

The idea seems to be that the potatoes make their tubers near the
surface. You then earth them up which encourages them to make more above
the original layer, and stops the top ones being exposed to the light
and going green.

therefore, a better bet would be to plant at the normal depth, but try
to spread a layer of compost over the whole bed (avoiding the plants!)
at the time when you'd normally earth up - a bit fiddly.

Or you could just not bother to earth up - you'll still get a reasonable
crop.

Or you could plant fewer at the normal spacing.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/garden/

You must keepthe light out to stop the potatoes going green and then being
deadly poisonous. Black polythene in between will do


"Paul Taylor" wrote in message
news
Most books I read on planting pototoes say they need earthing up -
however as I only have limited space I want to plant the rows closer
together which means I can no longer earth them up. To counter this I am
considering planting the seed pototoes deeper. This seems to make sense
to me (but I'm not a vastly experianced gardner!). Could anyone please
comment on this as a reasonable sensible technique - or do spuds really
have to be earthed up.

Thanks

PT

Paul Taylor wrote:

Most books I read on planting pototoes say they need earthing up -

Not always true. Earlies, and varieties like Pink Fir Apple, don't much
like being earthed up, and you don't increase the crop that way. You
certainly should earth up most other maincrop spuds. If you don't earth
up, use a black polythene mulch (a couple of layers) to avoid getting
light on tubers close to the surface.

however as I only have limited space I want to plant the rows closer
together which means I can no longer earth them up.

Unfortunately, this won't increase the crop from maincrops. You'll just
get smaller spuds. Again, rules differ for Fir Apples and waxy earlies:
these you can cram into a smaller space and still get a decent crop, but
read on....

To counter this I am
considering planting the seed pototoes deeper. This seems to make sense
to me (but I'm not a vastly experianced gardner!). Could anyone please
comment on this as a reasonable sensible technique - or do spuds really
have to be earthed up.

You can do this, but I suspect you'll have to start earlier in the year.
I've found that deep-lying spuds I've accidentally failed to lift have
set haulms even earlier than conventionally-planted seeds, presumably
because they've had a head start by being there overwinter, so I imagine
that you could deep-plant seed spuds earlier and get a similar effect.


The one thing that you're guaranteed to find if you plant spuds too
close together, regardless of variety, is that you'll multiply the pest
problem massively. Slugs in particular will be a major hassle, and
blight and other diseases can jump far more easily plant to plant if
they're close enough to touch, or share spores etc. There's no point in
trying to increase your crop by say 30% if you lose the lot to blight or
slugs.


All in all, I'd suggest planting at the conventional distances, earthing
up the ones that like it, and just accepting you'll get a smaller total
crop. If you're really strapped for room, grow earlies instead, and put
in a rotation (perhaps a legume, for nitrogenation, or a root crop like
radish or carrot for speed and succession) after they're finished.


Jon
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On Fri, 22 Nov 2002 21:23:13 +0000, Jon Green
wrote:

snip


All in all, I'd suggest planting at the conventional distances, earthing
up the ones that like it, and just accepting you'll get a smaller total
crop. If you're really strapped for room, grow earlies instead, and put
in a rotation (perhaps a legume, for nitrogenation, or a root crop like
radish or carrot for speed and succession) after they're finished.


Further to this excellent advice, I've grown Foremost and Charlotte
using the "bung 'em in the ground and let 'em et on wiv it" method,
and had decent crops of medium sized spuds. I found the Charlotte
remarkably resistant to slugs in my heavy soil - though if left in the
ground too long they go rather floury ( though you can get around this
by microwaving them instead of boiling! ).

Regards,



--
Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations
http://www.shwoodwind.co.uk
Emails to: showard{who is at}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk

There have been some good suggestions about potatoes, but no-one has suggested
that you grow in containers, or tires, or anything similar. Containers with
suitable drainage holes can be 1/4 filled (approx) with compost and the seed
potatoes planted in this. As the potatoes grow, earthing up can be carried out
gradually until the plants have reached well over the top of the container.
Tires can be stacked one on top of another gradually over an extended period
until the desired height is achieved. At harvest time the containers can be
emptied and the potatoes easily harvested (at least more easily and efficiently
than digging up out of the garden).

I've assumed a certain amount of common sense will be used when choosing a
container, and also with regard to using an appropriate soil/compost, having
suitable drainage, choosing an appropriate potato variety to grow, etc.

There are a few distinct advantages with this system. Several containers can
be used and crops kept seperate to avoid cross contamination of pests and
diseases. The containers can be protected to keep out some pests such as slugs
and snails by attaching copper strips around the containers. The containers
can be started off in a greenhouse if desired, or be moved inside in case of
severe frost. The compost can be used for general garden use after the crop
has been harvested so the next years crop will not suffer from any
pests/diseases being carried over. (Next year you use new/fresh compost/soil.)
Containers often heat up more quickly than the soil in the surrounding area.
Stacked tires warm up particularly well when exposed to sunlight.

I hope this is of some use.

Dave.

Yes tires are a great idea, unless your in an area that gets a lot of rain.
Then the potatoes rot and the plant dies. Might better use a roll of fence
wire about a meter across, lay three potato starts on the ground and cover
them with dirt. Then add dirt as the plant grows. I have heard that
someone has grown up to 14 kg of potatoes in one container. This way Paul
could maximise his crop from his small area. Good luck. Dwayne

"DaveDay34" wrote in message
...
There have been some good suggestions about potatoes, but no-one has
suggested
that you grow in containers, or tires, or anything similar. Containers
with
suitable drainage holes can be 1/4 filled (approx) with compost and the
seed
potatoes planted in this. As the potatoes grow, earthing up can be
carried out
gradually until the plants have reached well over the top of the
container.
Tires can be stacked one on top of another gradually over an extended
period
until the desired height is achieved. At harvest time the containers can
be
emptied and the potatoes easily harvested (at least more easily and
efficiently
than digging up out of the garden).

I've assumed a certain amount of common sense will be used when choosing a
container, and also with regard to using an appropriate soil/compost,
having
suitable drainage, choosing an appropriate potato variety to grow, etc.

There are a few distinct advantages with this system. Several containers
can
be used and crops kept seperate to avoid cross contamination of pests and
diseases. The containers can be protected to keep out some pests such as
slugs
and snails by attaching copper strips around the containers. The
containers
can be started off in a greenhouse if desired, or be moved inside in case
of
severe frost. The compost can be used for general garden use after the
crop
has been harvested so the next years crop will not suffer from any
pests/diseases being carried over. (Next year you use new/fresh
compost/soil.)
Containers often heat up more quickly than the soil in the surrounding
area.
Stacked tires warm up particularly well when exposed to sunlight.

I hope this is of some use.

Dave.

Kay Easton pushed briefly to the front of
the queue on Fri, 22 Nov 2002 19:24:41 +0000, and nailed this to the
shed door:

^ In article , Paul Taylor
^ writes

^ Most books I read on planting pototoes say they need earthing up -
^ however as I only have limited space I want to plant the rows closer
^ together which means I can no longer earth them up. To counter this I am
^ considering planting the seed pototoes deeper. This seems to make sense
^ to me (but I'm not a vastly experianced gardner!). Could anyone please
^ comment on this as a reasonable sensible technique - or do spuds really
^ have to be earthed up.

^ The idea seems to be that the potatoes make their tubers near the
^ surface. You then earth them up which encourages them to make more above
^ the original layer, and stops the top ones being exposed to the light
^ and going green.
^
^ therefore, a better bet would be to plant at the normal depth, but try
^ to spread a layer of compost over the whole bed (avoiding the plants!)
^ at the time when you'd normally earth up - a bit fiddly.

That's what I did last year, when I was still relatively tight for
growing room on my allotment (I am hoping to give the other half the
same TLC this winter that the other half got last winter). It seemed
to work very well. I had much less bother from slugs as well - could
just be coincidence, but I wonder if the compost being a relatively
free-draining layer compared to the soil discourages them from taking
up residence in it?

^ Or you could just not bother to earth up - you'll still get a reasonable
^ crop.

Also true. I used the compost partly because I am still not too sure
at what stage in the growing season earthing up should be done - so I
always leave it too late and then panic! But previously I have not
bothered and still done OK.

As regards growing in tire stacks, earthing up as the tires get put
on, I tried it once or twice after seeing a program on TV where they
appeared to end up with the whole thing close-packed with spuds - and
I can only say my experience was so disappointing that I would take a
lot of convincing to try it again. Evidently I did something wrong but
I don't know what.

One more thing on the subject of potatoes - I am keen to solicit
speculation on the following observation. We are keeping our potato
crop in a cupboard under the stairs, in proper hessian potato sacks,
and are working our way slowly through them. Hadn't used any for a
while, then opened up the Arran Victory sack a couple of days ago, and
found that virtually every tuber was sporting a couple of shoots up to
6 or 7 inches long. Curiously, the 2nd earlies (whose variety escapes
me at the moment) are all still slumbering peacefully. At the moment,
my least implausible theory is that it is cool enough for the 2nd
earlies, but the Arran Victory tubers are genetically acclimatized to
cooler Scottish conditions, and would perhaps prefer to be kept in the
shed ...

Andy

--
sparge at globalnet point co point uk

Look after the sins of write-commission,
and the sins of read-omission will take care of themselves.

(DaveDay34) wrote:

There have been some good suggestions about potatoes, but no-one has suggested
that you grow in containers, or tires, or anything similar.

I've done this with a number of varieties, using old 80L compost bags;
initially rolled down, then unrolled and composted up as the haulms
grow.

Results have been mixed. Fir Apple, Ratte and earlies don't respond
particularly well, as they don't really benefit from that treatment
anyway. (Grow earlies in large flowerpots instead; you can even treat
them as unorthodox houseplants over Christmas if you want really early
earlies!)

I've had good crops from maincrops, particularly lates, but they've
often been massacred by slugs and and snails that slip down between the
bag and the compost. Other than that, pest and disease issues have been
almost nonexistent. I never did find a solution to the gastropod
problem, as they get so deep into the bag that they're difficult to
hand-pick out.

For a couple of years, I did have significant scab problems, and also
chlorosis, both of which I had to correct with a lot of seaweed solution
(I'm growing organically). This was caused because I'd been using
organic mushroom compost, which was very limey: I should have known
better. I had much more success with experiments using home-made
compost, provided the compost didn't get overwet.

If you go for this method, do make sure you punch drainage holes in the
bottom of the bags, and also a few further up! There's little more
dispiriting than losing your "keeper" and early haulms to waterlogging
after heavy rain or overenthusiastic watering. Remember that holes can
clog and seal up, so check the bottoms of the bags for pooled water by
hand every now and again, and punch more holes as needed.

Oh, and make sure you remember to water profusely and regularly during
dry, hot spells. If you overwater, the drainage holes take care of the
excess; if you don't water enough, that's it for the spuds.


Jon
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