Earthing Up New potatoes with manure?

Lotus-eater

smithyjules wrote: »

Sambucus - I'll try that thanks!One of the older fellas said it's be easier to dig after some good rain...shows how daft I am I thought the soil would be heavier then so harder to dig!Oh well you live and learn.

You're not daft, some soil is heavier to dig after rain. What you have to do is learn your soil, yours will have a moisture level where it is good to dig, too much... the Somme like mud, too little...... as you've found, concrete.
Neither are good times for the soil structure to dig, or your back.

Your soil sounds very much like mine, it needs lots of manure, or other humus like materials, absolutely pile it on for a couple of years and you should be able to dig in virtually any weather after that. In fact, root crops and weeds aside, you shouldn't really need to dig at all.

smithyjules

Sambucus_Nigra wrote: »

For your cardboard patch - potatoes grow under it and you can lift the cardboard and harvest potatoes whilst leaving the plant to continue to grow. Squashes will cover a large space so put pumpkins, squashes, courgettes in and they will grow like billy-o for you.

Me again!Had a crisis last week so nothing done again huff!Just looked at your advice again Sambucus, can I ask another question? so I dig a small hole pop in the chitted spud then put muck on top and then cardboard?? Do I cut a hole before hand?how do I earth up the potatoes as they grown, lift up the cardboard and shovel the muck underneath?Honestly I bet this is the simplest thing in the world but I can't quite get my head around it lol!:o

valk_scot

smithyjules wrote: »

how do I earth up the potatoes as they grown, lift up the cardboard and shovel the muck underneath?Honestly I bet this is the simplest thing in the world but I can't quite get my head around it lol!:o

The cardboard is instead of earthing up, as it excludes the light by itself. The potatoes grow under the cardboard in the dark. The one thing cardboard doesn't do as well as earthing up is to protect the top shoots from frost so if a frost is predicted it's worth putting a layer of fleece on the potato tops that night.

katholicos

valk_scot wrote: »

The cardboard is instead of earthing up, as it excludes the light by itself. The potatoes grow under the cardboard in the dark. The one thing cardboard doesn't do as well as earthing up is to protect the top shoots from frost so if a frost is predicted it's worth putting a layer of fleece on the potato tops that night.

Thanks for this tip.

Thanks to the warm weather I have so far earthed up 8 potato growing sacks with bought-in compost and it's costing me a small fortune. I've just been looking over at my Sarpo potatoes that are currently chitting away and wondering what on earth i could possibly earth them up with when it is time to do so.

I don't have any lawn/grass at all so can't use that for earthing up and I don't have access to well rotted manure or straw on the cheap, so I'm going to give the cardboard a go. Does it need shredding/cutting up first or would a whole piece of cardboard be used for each Potato grow sack?

TIA.

smithyjules

valk_scot wrote: »

The cardboard is instead of earthing up, as it excludes the light by itself. The potatoes grow under the cardboard in the dark. The one thing cardboard doesn't do as well as earthing up is to protect the top shoots from frost so if a frost is predicted it's worth putting a layer of fleece on the potato tops that night.

Thanks Valk_scot, I knew it would something simple like that!:o

JodyBPM

I have first earlies in at the allotment, which will need earthing up soon. Could I earth up with not completely rotted straw and chicken manure? I have an abundance of this as we have chickens in the garden, but its yet to degrade to a compost like texture - you can still see the straw in it etc. The oldest stuff would be about 18 months old, so not fresh enough to burn the leaves.

Do you think this would be alright? I'm guessing I could then dig it into the bed after I have harvested, which would make the bed nice and rich for next year!

alleycat`

JodyBPM wrote: »

I have first earlies in at the allotment, which will need earthing up soon. Could I earth up with not completely rotted straw and chicken manure? I have an abundance of this as we have chickens in the garden, but its yet to degrade to a compost like texture - you can still see the straw in it etc. The oldest stuff would be about 18 months old, so not fresh enough to burn the leaves.

Do you think this would be alright? I'm guessing I could then dig it into the bed after I have harvested, which would make the bed nice and rich for next year!

Mine are earthed up with partially rotted manure, soil and quite a bit of straw.
I, however, am a lazy boy so i earthed up when i planted and am now just letting them get on with it.

The pots are now just starting to come through (just in time for a bit of frost i expect!).
Oddly my "second earlies" came through quicker than my 1st earlies.

My plan is pretty much as yours dig it all in at the end and then i'll probably shove a green manure on top of that as well.