Potato soil

icecreamdogpark

Sorry bear with am newbie here :j .We (Me,my children and childminded children:rotfl:) have just dug up our desiree potato and had a whale of a time !! I am going to put the green stalks in the composter but what should i do with the soil the pots grew in it was brand new compost ! can it be reused? Thanks

Mojisola

As long as you don't plant up potatoes or related plants like tomatoes or peppers, you can reuse it. Remember any fertilizer that came in it will have been used up so you will need to provide some plant food.

When did you plant your potatoes? It's very early to be harvesting main crop potatoes.

icecreamdogpark

March i think,but wanted to dig up now for the learning opportunity for the children and the lower leaves were dying back ,but that said none grew as big as the orginal seed (which i take it we don`t eat?)potato`s,also i didn`t know about earthing up so was my first time,Thanks

Genuisscuffy

If they were earlies they should be ready soon - I always reuse the soil around the garden as a mulch its never caused me any problems.

Mojisola

icecreamdogpark wrote: »

March i think,but wanted to dig up now for the learning opportunity for the children and the lower leaves were dying back ,but that said none grew as big as the orginal seed (which i take it we don`t eat?)potato`s,also i didn`t know about earthing up so was my first time,Thanks

They would have grown bigger given a bit longer but that doesn't spoil the lesson. Did the kids enjoy eating their own potatoes?

It's great that they're learning about food. So many don't know where their food comes from or what really fresh food tastes like.

savemoney

I reuse compost it either goes back in posts mixed with fresh or in composter

icecreamdogpark

Mojisola wrote: »

They would have grown bigger given a bit longer but that doesn't spoil the lesson. Did the kids enjoy eating their own potatoes?

It's great that they're learning about food. So many don't know where their food comes from or what really fresh food tastes like.

Thanks everyone ! I grew them in a green recycling box and can`t tell you how excited the children were they had a fabulous time digging them up one child lined them up in the garden another one counted them another washed them and i steamed some that they ate buttered with lunch and they took the rest home ! thank you for your replies.I am going to use the soil for hanging baskets and add fed to them. :j