Allotments 4 All

I have quite a specific question. When earthing up do you cover the green growth or keep the green growth visible above ground? Last year I just left them to grow which didn't harm them but want to see what the crop is like this year by earthing up.

thanks

Cover the green growth, this will protect from frost at this time of year, and later will prevent the tubers from going green by being exposed to light.

I thought you had to leave 2 inches of shoots showing when you earth them up.

I gradually earth mine up not long after they appear, then keep earthing them up till the mound is about 1" high.

I earth my spuds up when I plant them gives me 4/5 weeks safe from the frost before they appear, and then I am free to get on with the rest of the work on the lottie. what a nightmare not to be able to get to your lottie to earth up and find you have had a frost during the night.

I've earthed up all mine today. Apparently it's going to be minus 1 tomorrow morning in Nottingham  ::)

I've also earthed up things that probably don't NEED earthing up (Jerusalem artichokes?)

All my seedlings are tucked up in fleece as well. Taking no chances!

QuoteI plant them gives me 4/5 weeks safe from the frost before they appear,

I agree Paul providing they come out of the top of the ridge ...........mine never do :'(

So now I wait till the row has fully emerged!

Quote from: keef on April 23, 2007, 13:25:16
I gradually earth mine up not long after they appear, then keep earthing them up till the mound is about 1" high.

Did you mean 1" or 1' ?

1'

My first earlies are going like mad - I've run out of soil as I've earthed them up at least 8 times since they first emerged.  They are currently 8" above the mound so fingers crossed for tonight... I will have to get soil from another plot i think to get them covered.

bob flowerdew reckons put a newspaper 'collar' round them with some grass clippings on to hold it down, it helps stop the tubers going green  :)

No sign of mine yet, so I havent got to worry :-\

cj :)

I have shoots & leaves approx 2-3" above the soil, when "earthing up" do I cover the whole growth or leave some of the top leaves showing??

Quote from: milkybardave on April 23, 2007, 20:58:53
I have shoots & leaves approx 2-3" above the soil, when "earthing up" do I cover the whole growth or leave some of the top leaves showing??

Does'nt really matter too much, just cover as much as i can to begin with as this helps protect against sudden frosts. It does'nt harm them at all.

Hallo Milkybardave (love that name !)  I will leave the very top two leaves and the new shoots  showing on my early pots ,and be ready to cover with fleece if it should turn bad . Rohaise   ;)

Half my first earlies are 6-7 inches high. Others are poking through. I earth the ground 8 inches or so when I planted them 6 weeks ago and ain't earthed up since. Though they will get done this weekend as some has crumpled down a little. Kestrel are just beginning to show but nothing from maincrop yet but it is a little early so I ain't worried. Hopefully I will get to cut the grass to mulch - to save me weeding in the near future.........

Quote from: keef on April 23, 2007, 21:32:01

Does'nt really matter too much, just cover as much as i can to begin with as this helps protect against sudden frosts. It does'nt harm them at all.

Keef,

They are plants, they need sunlight on their leaves to create the enrgy to grow. Without this they draw on the reserves in the tuber, which does harm them.

Unfortunately, frost harms them even more, so the compromise is to let up to 4" of leaf show before earthing up such that the top of the leaves is just showing and use fleece if there is a threat of frost - fleece will give protection against ~ 4 degrees of frost.

If the forecast is for a harder frost or you don't have any fleece then JUST cover with soil.

Phil

Being a recent convert to the big straw mulch (as practised by Supersprout) I'm hoping that mulching with straw will have the same effect as earthing up. How I wish she was here to ask :(

watch out for the straw sprouting green shoots, maggie, I asked ss about it, she said, just put more mulch on..I've used it around the new fruit trees and it's been ok so far  :)

I went down Sunday after work - and there was no sign of them.......

Checked today and.....

Yippee - they're alive!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh I love this gardening lark!

Louise

PS: covered them a bit and will earth up properly fri/sat.