Topic: Growing potatoes in bags

[MervF]

Due to our new site not being ready yet, I have been growing potatoes in bags at home this year.   Someone told me they top up the bags with lawn mowings after the initial sowing.   I am a bit worried this will attract slugs and snails.   Has anyone else tried using lawn mowings?

[Malcolm Brown]

I have had good success with growing early potatoes in green bags.  I put a few inches of compost in the bag, then fertiliser - I use Grow Sure Planting Magic - then a few more inches, then the potatoes and cover with a few inches.  Finally as the plants come through and grow I gradually earth-up until the bag is full.  They need plenty of water because there is a much greater water loss from a bag than growing in the ground.

[cestrian]

I use lawn mowings as a mulch for my french beans. it stops too much moisture evaporating and adds nitrogen as it rots down. Not noticed any more slugs when doing this, infact I don't think they like going across it when it has gone brown and dried out. i have beer traps everywhere though.

As Malcolm says plenty of water is important for good crop of spuds.

[Tee Gee]

adds nitrogen as it rots down.

Are you sure?

As I understand it the rotting process uses up any available nitrogen, but as it is around legumes which produce nitrogen in the noduals on the root system it might appear as if the grass  cuttings are producing nitrogen.

I might be wrong, has anybody else got a view on this?

[johhnyco15]

adds nitrogen as it rots down.

Are you sure?

As I understand it the rotting process uses up any available nitrogen, but as it is around legumes which produce nitrogen in the noduals on the root system it might appear as if the grass  cuttings are producing nitrogen.

I might be wrong, has anybody else got a view on this?

as normal i agree with tg

[Tee Gee]

as normal i agree with tg

You don't have to! 

[johhnyco15]

as normal i agree with tg

You don't have to! 

indeed but sense is sense no matter where you live or how you garden