Our potatoes have come up and are about an inch long maybe 2 should i now cover them up with earth.Will the leaves rot?
Hi Slippy
Go ahead and earth them up. They'll come back through in no time!
Quote from: Flowertot on May 14, 2006, 08:10:01
Go ahead and earth them up
I don't cover them completely, but leave a little posy of green showing at the top of the ridge when they're earthed up :)
"Earthing up
Potatoes can be 'earthed up' as they grow, bringing soil up around the shoots. This helps control weeds, prevents the tubers turning green and gives some protection against tuber blight. Do it first when plants are around 15cm (6in) tall, leaving a couple of inches of foliage showing. Earth up again just before the foliage meets across the rows. On a closer spacing, earthing up will not be possible, but the plants will shade themselves anyway.
Alternatively, the plants can be mulched with a thick layer of hay, straw, leaf-mould or grass mowings. This will have the added benefit of conserving moisture."
Would love to use straw as spud mulch this year, but haven't figured how to stop it blowing away! ???