This is how they were:
(http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o246/cosmoanddibs/100_1799.jpg)
This is what I did today:
(http://i122.photobucket.com/albums/o246/cosmoanddibs/100_1806.jpg)
How's that? It looks a bit messy, and I would have preferred ridges, but I just did circular mounds around each plant. Is that ok?
How many more times should I need to do it?
Thanks.
Seems like a lot of work. What is wrong with ridges,they would be easier and simpler to do.What ever floats your boat though. ;D
I've done mounds too, I thought it would be quicker as it was less digging. It seems to work quite well, but I think I'll try doing ridges next year. I like the look of a beautiful straight trench and ridge, although I seem to be incapable of actually creating a straight line anywhere!
The main problem that I'm finding with mounds is that I can't get enough earth from around each "molehill" to cover the plants. I think I'm going to get a couple of bags of farmyard manure from B&Q and cover them with that - I think that would probably do the job and feed the plants at the same time! :-)
If you have "clean" (herbicide free) lawn cuttings they are good for earthing up, they form a water retaining/light excluding mat... :)
Do you have to cover the whole plant???
Mounds will be fine but they will take double the effort and time when earthing up.
Quote from: chippy queen on May 12, 2009, 22:36:45
Do you have to cover the whole plant???
No. Earth up just as high as the pictures show,
(or to the base of the leaves). You can gain more height with ridges. Earthing up keeps the tubers covered as the plant grows. If any are exposed to sunlight they turn the potato green. Green spuds are poisonous and cannot be eaten so you end up with wasted crop.
But I cant see any of the plants in the second picture. Have they all been covered with soil????
Quote from: saddad on May 12, 2009, 22:08:50
[If you have "clean" (herbicide free) lawn cuttings they are good for earthing up, they form a water retaining/light excluding mat... :)]
Thats a good tip Saddad,
will it also help to suppress the weeds as well?
They look ok but as people have said mounds are more effort. I have done both in the past - mounds and ridges and I prefer ridges as they are easier to make and I am always surprised at how far the potatoes spread between the plants and mounds don't always cover them.
Thats an interesting way but is seems like a lot of wasted space?
OK I am a bit of a traditionalist and I do it this way;
(http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd27/tgalmanac/May%202009/P1090697.jpg)
My beds are roughly 5ft wide and their are 5 potatoes per row, whereas in your bed you have 5 potatoes in about twice that width, hence my comment a lot of wasted space.
İ am interested in the lawn clippings. Can you please Saddad explain an bit more where they put them. What about comfrey can you use that as well;?
Pile them on top. Mine are smothered with about six inches of cuttings. Comfrey will do fine, or anything organic
we've used old leaves, we have loads from autumn ;D
Quote from: manicscousers on May 13, 2009, 19:25:20
we've used old leaves, we have loads from autumn ;D
do you mean you have simply piled a load of leaves on top of your rows?did you wiegh them down with anything?
I will give the clippings a go, When they cut the paths they put the clipping in any compost bins which are convenient so I have loads of clippings,
Quote from: elvis2003 on May 13, 2009, 19:28:57
do you mean you have simply piled a load of leaves on top of your rows?did you wiegh them down with anything?
yes, they're quite moist as they have been in the 'dalek' and in black bin bags ;D
plus, they don't seem to go anywhere, just have to pull the tree seedlings out
thanks manics,we have tons of leaves saved too,been after a use for them as it wont be long before they start falling again,the year is rushing by so fast! ::)
rach
x
we even put a newspaper 'collar' around the plant as per Bob Flowerdew and cover it with the leaves, can't get grass cuttings this year, the bowling green's using weed 'n' feed, don't fancy that on me spuds ;D
Just strew the grass cuttings over the top of your mounded soil... a good matted layer can stop the blight spores reaching the tubers too if you are really lucky... Digeroo... :)
The danger with using either leaves or grass cuttings as mulch on potatoes is that in a moist summer they can encourage slug infestations.
The solution to finding enough soil to earth up is to plant in trenches with the soil banked up each side. I plant with the top of the seed potato a full 6 inches below normal level, with no more than an inch of good compost on top, then fleece. As the stems grow, merely pulling back the sides of the trench provides 6 inches of earthing up, and another 6 inches can easily be pulled up from between the rows, giving a full foot of earthing up.
I pile dead leaves everywhere when I can't get grass cuttings. They don't provide the same nutrient value, but they encourage worms, add humus and suppress weeds so they're worthwhile. They blow about a bit, but once they've been rained on a few times they settle firmly.
tattys are a good way of getting the soil to loosen up, not only that the work that goes into a good tatty bed also improves soil structure
how i do mine is dig out a trench at least 9" to 12" deep . putt me tattys in an just cover with about 4" ontop . and as they come up i back fill from the mounds into the trenches but i leave a good 4 to 6 inches of growth above the back fill
im on level groung now and need to start mounding up above ground
;D
Hi guys,
Thanks for all the replies- interesting stuff!
I did aim to do ridges/rows, but I left the soil after digging for a week, only to find on my return that it had 'capped' and turned to concrete clumps. :( Therefore, as I tried to earth up as I planted the seeds, it was almost impossible.
So, I just did 'molehills' with loam and leaf mold.
I will definitely do ridges and rows next year. I'm very much the amateur, sop this is my first error, and I've learnt from it.
Looking at the pictures, do you think I need to earth up any more, or are they high enough?
Hi CAD we all learn from our errors this is my fourth full season and I'm still learning as I go along, but as TG says you would have got a lot more in rows, this is only my personal idea but I would stick a few more in the gaps if you have any overs. I wouldn't think you need to earth up much more just throw wet leaves or grass cuttings on top as they come along. ;D ;D ;D