Covering potatoes in fixed beds?

[kippers garden]

As you may have read on one of my other posts, I am going to try the 'no dig' method using 'fixed' beds (not raised beds as I can't afford the wood).

I am planning my beds for next spring but one thing is puzzling me......

How do you grow potatoes without earthing them up?  I have read that you put 2 inch of straw on top of the potatoes as they emerge and keep topping this up as they grow....but where do i buy enough straw for my potatoes and won't this be expensive?

Would any of you 'no dig' gardeners possibly be able to shed some light on this for me?..and advise me of what you do instead of earthing up.

Thanks for your replies

[kippers garden]

[plainleaf2]

you are aware that dried grass clippings can be used as an alternative to straw.

[manicscousers]

last year, we covered ours with leaves, we can buy a bale of hay from the local stables for 2.80...one year, we mounded up with our compost or well rotted manure... Bob flowerdew puts newspaper 'collars' on his and covers with grass cuttings, we also plant ours with a bulb planter, means no digging a trench  :)

[cambourne7]

On my beds i tried a couple of different things but when growing spuds including building the innitial beds over newly planted spuds and topping the soil up. No such thing as no dig i found although i had heavy clay soil i had to dig the spuds out as they can go down quite far into the soil and usualy i missed one which left volunteers to grow the following year.

What i found did work was creating a structure like a compost bin inside a raised bed and growing the spuds there. It was just a matter of digging in the soil from the surrounding bed into the box structure as the potatoes grew. When it came to harvesting it was a matter of taking the side down scooping out the soil and separating the spuds and removing the structure. I did this last year and it was great should have done it this year but suspect that it would not have stopped the parish council torching my beds.

This was my inspiration

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php/topic,24492.0.html

[small]

I don't dig.  I put my (earlies only) potatoes in with a trowel so they are just about covered, and as soon as they show through I put a spadeful of homemade compost on.  I do this every couple of days, till the mounded row is about 18 inch high.  Once the crop is cleared, I'm halfway to a good bed for next year.  It may not be a conventional method, but there is a lot to be said for finding what works for you.

[asbean]

We grow potatoes in our raised (no dig) beds.  My son (Taters the potato grower) rakes two parallel quite deep trenches, puts the seed potatoes into the trenches, covers them, and the rest of the earth is used to earth them up as required. Easy peasey  :) :) :) :)

[shaun01]

how are you going to harvest them ? :D with a no dig system 

[asbean]

lift 'em with a fork?

[small]

Grown my way, by earthing up with home compost, they lift very easily with a small border fork and a good shake. I firkle for leftovers with my hands, rarely have any volunteers.

[Digeroo]

Someone showed me some black plastic bags in which they grow potatoes, seems then you can grow them more of less on top of the soil.  Since the potatoes end up in the bag there will be no volunteers.

You can buy them or make your own.