Topic: Mounding up potatoes

[bluecar]

Hello all.

We have mixed views on our site - some plant their seed potatoes and then mound up over the top of them immediately (and no more) where as others plant and, as the haulms show through, mound up a couple of times. Which do you think is best or doesn't it really matter?

Look forward to your replies.

Regards

Bluecar

[johhnyco15]

this is a tricky one ive done it both ways and i dont think it really matters as long as they are earthed uphowever this year im breaking with tradition and planting all my potatoes in tubs

[ancellsfarmer]

Guess it might depend on soil type and how well it was "worked". The most important aspect I find is giving the rows sufficient seperation to allow the cultivation after you have walked up and down planting. This is to provide sufficient soil to draw up, and leaving at a slope that will stay up, and not wash strait away down in an "april" shower.This raised soil should be your rich top soil with all the nutrients, not subsoil that is relatively barren.It helps to plant in really strait rows and be careful in not to over draw along the sides. Personally, I would also like to be able to draw up (and let down) to prevent those frosts likely in April/May scorching the soft,new ,emerging shoots and leaves. Fleece may not be so easy to hold in place.
Those who plant and ridge initially, run a substantial risk of letting the new potatoes break the surface and go green where exposed to sunlight.

[Tee Gee]

Those who plant and ridge initially, run a substantial risk of letting the new potatoes break the surface and go green where exposed to sunlight.

Agreed the haulms want to get out into the light asap so they invariably come out of the side of the ridging plus they are usually quite short meaning less tubers and a greater chance of the tubers becoming exposed, and turning green

A benefit of doing it later is once the stem is buried new tuber bearing roots grow from higher up the covered stem meaning the yield is better.

Plus the fact the haulms come through the top of the ridging and there is less chance of rainwater washing soil off the ridges as the haulms create an umbrella effect.

Another thing is there are usually less weeds when you earth up later as the earthing up kills off many of the emerging annual weeds and the haulms exclude the light thus reducing the risk of more germinating.
 

Edit: plus the fact I only need to earth up once whereas ridging earlier quite often means they need doing more than once to cover exposed tubers and I find this can do quite a lot of damage to the fully developed haulms which get in the way and get broken

[squeezyjohn]

You've got to give the potatoes a chance!  They only have so much energy stored in the parent potato and can only push up so far.  If they get some light on the leaves early then you give them a chance to photosynthesise and make some more energy to carry on pushing.  Because of that I would go for only earthing up once they've got a decent plant above soil.

I made the mistake of getting really over-enthusiastic in my first year of growing potatoes and earthed up a massive ridge as soon as the leaves came through ... those potatoes never saw the light of day again!  I completely mulched them to death ... something I now only apply to weeds!

[ACE]

Today I am getting a few trailer loads of well rotted sheep manure. The idea this year is to cover the spuds with it for about 4 inches deep, then I will not have to mound up. I will then have a very nice bed when they are dug and all the manure is turned in. This manure is at least 5 years old so it will be very friable. Hopefully the nutrients will leach down to the spuds and the claggy soil will lighten up a bit after harvesting the crop.

[penedesenca]

For years I dug a trench and planted. Then mounded up through the season. Last year I planted (with a bulb planter)  through card and a manure mulch. There was no noticeable difference in the results 

[Digeroo]

I tend to plant my potatoes down the bottom of trenches and then pull the ridge material over the potatoes.  Actually some of the ridge material flows back over the potatoes naturally.

Many on our site put theirs on the top of the ridges to start, and then pile it even higher when they earth up.   I found they were ravaged by the wind and the soil keeps washing off.  Came to the conclusion this method is best where there is a drainage problem and you need to raise the potatoes up.  But that does not apply for me the wind is more of an issue.  I have also taken to earthing up with a good layer of straw.  I put manure between the rows to ensure it does not touch the plants in case of any residual nasties.   

[Silverleaf]

I grow mine at really tight spacing in a raised bed, so there isn't really room to earth up much. I usually dig a hole for each one and cover then up, then pile on compost/manure later as best I can.

[steve76]

I always plant mine and then mould them up, never do it again and they always seem ok from it!
But some interesting ideas have been give here so im going to do a test of mould some up later when showing..

[ancellsfarmer]

this is a tricky one ive done it both ways and i dont think it really matters as long as they are earthed uphowever this year im breaking with tradition and planting all my potatoes in tubs

Will you top up the buckets to maximise the depth of soil?, or even build up mounds above the rim ?

[johhnyco15]

this is a tricky one ive done it both ways and i dont think it really matters as long as they are earthed uphowever this year im breaking with tradition and planting all my potatoes in tubs

Will you top up the buckets to maximise the depth of soil?, or even build up mounds above the rim ?

yes the plan is to top up the tubs as they grow up to 3" from the rim so they get a good watering and i aint got to pay out for all that compost in one go lol

[bluecar]

Hello all.

Thanks for your replies.

A mixed set of views but the mound up as you go along are predominant. So that's how I'll approach it, but I will do one row fully mounded up. If I remember I'll let you know the outcome of each.

Regards

Bluecar

[Silverleaf]

Hello all.

Thanks for your replies.

A mixed set of views but the mound up as you go along are predominant. So that's how I'll approach it, but I will do one row fully mounded up. If I remember I'll let you know the outcome of each.

Regards

Bluecar

An experiment! That's the way to find out. I'll be interested to hear how it goes.

[johhnyco15]

Hello all.

Thanks for your replies.

A mixed set of views but the mound up as you go along are predominant. So that's how I'll approach it, but I will do one row fully mounded up. If I remember I'll let you know the outcome of each.

Regards

Bluecar

thats the way blue every soil is different so try and find the method that works for you then tweek it alittle to suit your own needs and circumstances myself in fed up of volenteer pots left in by mistake and popping up in rows of other crops so decided to grow in buckets this year if it good ill do it every year and hopefully ill have in a couple of seasons nice neat rows of crops without a spud or two in the middle lol

[Crystalmoon]

Hi Bluecar at my old allotment the soil was heavy clay so I plated my spuds using a bulb planter, popping Comfrey leaves in each hole under the spud. I simply covered them over with the soil the bulb planter had removed. Then I 'earthed' up but not using earth at all, I used grass cuttings. This has always worked really well for me. I have a new plot now & no longer have a huge garden at home to obtain the grass cuttings from so I may well have to try a new method this year. My new plot is very heavy clay that apparently sets like concrete in sunny weather so I may plant with the bulb planter & earth up with a mixture of grass cuttings I can scrounge from friends & well rotted manure. I am only growing Charlottes this year while I experiment with the soil on my new plot. I have grown Charlottes many times before so it should help me to work out the best approach to growing spuds on my new plot. xjane   

[picman]

If you plant and mould up straight away the tops will come out of the sides , so  plant in trench or with a planter , mark the rows , mould up after tops begin to show at least once, helps if a May / June frost. keeps down weeds , you will get bigger harvest. ( I always said 'mould' up potatoes ? )

[laurieuk]

I always plant my potatoes using  a spade to make a small hole in which to put the potato in but leave the surface flat, this gives me plenty of soil to mound up  as the growth starts to show. When I used to make a mound when I planted I found a lot of the new growth came out of the side rather than the top.

[Buster54]

this is a tricky one ive done it both ways and i dont think it really matters as long as they are earthed uphowever this year im breaking with tradition and planting all my potatoes in tubs

I did tubs last year did really well very little marks,watered just about every day when they got goinf

[picman]

I see some are planting in tubs, Fine... however the white tubs will let in light, :(  tubers will go green,  get some black paint quick... then the tubs will warm up too much :(  could bury them in the ground.