A potato earthing up question

[louisa]

Sorry if this is a bit of a newbie question but I am a newbie after all... :)

My potato plants are doing well this year and they're at the stage when I would usually earth them up - but I don't have any spare earth! My garden is tiny - and very full - and the compost heap isn't quite ready for using in large quantities yet so I would have to buy some compost or use something else to do the job instead - but it made me wonder, how important is it to earth up?

And if it is important, any suggestions about what else I could use instead of earth? If it's just to keep the sun out, will black bags do?

[glenniedragon]

They will in the short term..you can use that thicker weed supressing fabric and slice through little slit and plant your tatties through that-just an idea for next year.

Kind thoughts
Deb

[albert onglebod]

Its to keep out the sun and let the potato plant us its shoots as roots (grows the tubers at the end).
People use black plastic when they are doing th no dig approach so that must be okay. How about newspaper or grass cuttings ?

[Wombat]

Or hay or straw!

Hilling up means a bigger crop because the potatoes grow above the level of where the original one was planted. Also stops the spuds going green and producing solanine a poisonous alkaloid.

Nev

[Millymollymandy]

I have earthed mine up, but then on top of that I have put straw (last year) or grass clippings (this year) to add to it. I prefer the grass clippings because the straw seems to make me itch!

[Andy Hamilton]

Sorry if this is a bit of a newbie question but I am a newbie after all... :)

Ask newbie questions as much as you like, we all still do

[Cheezy]

Good Ol Bob Flowerdew's tip of the week on GQT last Sunday was to "earth up" using old wet newspapers, again to exclude the light so they don't go green,but also to lock in the moisture so you don't have to water as much. They will also breakdown and can be incorporated into the soil.

[Shirley]

ooh I like that tip - that's a great way to use up the newspapers too!

[Hillbilly]

Is that safe? or Green? Shouldn't we be refusing to buy newspapers? "Use and generation of potentially hazardous materials is part of daily printing operations. Each year over two billion pounds of ink, mostly petroleum-based, are used by the industry. Distinct environmental concerns are associated with specific printing applications, equipment and chemicals utilized by printing operations. All processes share a common trait; they generate some level of hazardous waste. In addition to ink components, the majority of toxic chemicals, mostly petroleum-based, are used in press cleaning and blanket washes. Readily available and affordable, these chemicals remove ink and evaporate quickly for minimal press downtime and greater efficiency and profitability. However, they present serious environmental risks. Petroleum-based cleaners contain more than 60% VOCs, which contribute to the creation of smog. Also, these substances are comprised of a complex blend of hydrocarbons derived from crude oil that contain hazardous attributes, which make them flammable, toxic, corrosive and/or explosive.

Enviromental contaminants include

Ink waste contains chemicals such as chromium, barium and lead and may be contaminated with cleaning solvents such as trichloroethylene, methylene and chloride
Wastes from cleaning printing equipment include spent organic solvents such as trichloroethylene, methylene chloride, carbon tetrachloride, acetone and methanol
Wastes from developing negatives and prints include photochemical solutions from fixers, rinse water and alkaline or acid process baths
Plate processing wastes include acid plate etching chemicals for metallic generated lithographic plates, and perchloroethylene and butynol for flexographic photopolymer plates
Other wastes include unused inks, solvents and chemicals such as acetone, benzene, dibutyl and ethyl acetate
Petroleum- and water-based inks
Adhesives
Fountain solutions
Photochemicals, developers and fixers
Acid and alkaline etching solutions
Acetone, carbon disulfide, ethanol and methanol
Methyl isobutyl ketone, xylene and benzene
Cyclohexane, isopropyl alcohol and methyl ethyl ketone (MEK)
Toluene and toluene diisocyante
Tetrachloroethene (PCE)
1,1,1-Trichlorethane (TCA)
1,1,2-trichloroethane
Chlorobenzene
Trichloroethene (TCE)
Methylene chloride
Trifluoroethane
Chromium, lead and barium (from waste ink)
Silver (from photochemical imaging)
Sodium thiosulfate

and you want that on your tatties?

[Cheezy]

and you want that on your tatties?

Yeah, puts hairs on yer chest!.

I wouldn't recommend using magazines (which most of the ingredients above are concerned with.) mainly because they will take an age to break down. Most of the volatile solvents used in print that make up a lot of your list are ...well volatile ie not there is any significant amount.

Black ink tends to be carbon black. Its cheap.

I dont buy any news papers, and yet seem to have a small stash which we recycle every other week.(free local ones)

Do you dive a car? and then breath the air cos would you want to inhale what comes out of cars, as well as supporting the petrolium industry.That then gets into the atmosphere and is washed out by the rain into yer tatties.
What about all those coal/oil fired powerstations lets stop using them everywhere around the world, they burn the raw material that most of the organics you mentioned come from, which are then released into the atmosphere to get washed down into the soil. Eventually hopfully one day, but currently not practical.

If you live in the North around granite hills, your more than likely still got heavy ceasium contamination from Chernobyl, now thats not good in yer tatties, nor your sheep. Which I found out recently all still have to be checked before going to market for radiation!.

I guess I'm trying to put a bit of prospective on the whole thing.We are exposed to a lot of contaminents of our own making.


Do we have to ban books as well?

[Millymollymandy]

Well fish and chips always tasted best out of newspaper, and we're all still alive and kicking!

[hedgewizard]

Since I am growing in raised beds this year I decided to scrape the soil up into ridges and then plant in the trenches between them, so that "earthing up" just meant pulling the ridges down over the haulms (root mass). I'm supposed to be doing that tomorrow so I'll let you know how I get on.