no dig potato bed

[sarah]

I had planned to dig over a new bed for spuds this year; I only have a small garden plot since giving up my allotment, but time and weather have beaten me and it is time to sow the seed spuds that are ready and chitted.  They are going a bit wrinkly if truth be told. 
I have marked out the area but will not be able to dig it over any time soon so am thinking about laying them on the unturned ground and then layering straw and manure and shredded cardboard on top.
Has anyone got any advice, have you done it this way before? The ground hasnt been turned before and is quite compacted.  Perhaps I have nothing to lose by trying it.

[sarah]

[grannyjanny]

I'd give it a try Sarah. The potatoes will loosen the soil when you dig them up & the manure will work it's way into the ground. Personally I would just use the manure but I'm not very experienced ;D.

[artichoke]

I asked if there was anything a friend in the Western Highlands would like me to do before he left for London the next day, and found myself digging his potato crop. He had done more or less as you plan to do - laid potatoes on the ground, mulched, then covered in black plastic. I had to drag back the plastic and do minimal digging to get up the potatoes.

He had been gardening there for years so the ground was in good heart, but the potatoes were definitely laid on the surface.

[Buster54]

What some do on our site is use a bulb planter to form a hole drop a potato in then cover,then earth up as required

[lincsyokel2]

What some do on our site is use a bulb planter to form a hole drop a potato in then cover,then earth up as required

I use a bulb planter. But i also cut a channel with the ridging tool and the rotavator,  use the bulb planter to plant at the bottom of the channel then earth them up..............the only snag i can see for laying them on top is that you dont have much cover if theres a snap frost a week later.

[sarah]

frost is a good point.  i live on the south coast so i think we should (ha ha) be OK now.  i think i am going to try it as i have no other options at present. i have in the past tried to do them in old compost bags but am never very successful with that method.  i have plenty of manure and compost and will use straw and shredded cardboard aswell.

[javahart]

Sarah,

I'll be doing something similar with my maincrop as one of the beds was very low so 've topped it up with about 12" of manure and dug it in a bit.  My plan was to simply drop them into holes and cover up. 

Let the spuds do the 'digging'