Another Potato Question

[mew]

Oh no not another stupid question from MEW I hear you all cry – I know, I know, im really sorry but you guys are just so helpful and good to me I cant help but keep asking questions…..

Heres the thing…..

I have a some potatoes in a raise beds and the rest in tyres as I quickly realised they take up lots of valuable space.

The ones in the raised bed I earthed up with all the soil I could find (once this weekend just gone and the previous time the weekend before that) – they seem to be growing at an alarming rate and as soon as ive earthed them up (albeit with about 7-8 inches still poking through after cus I keep running out of soil and have to find/buy more) they’ve shot through the roof again. I was just wondering how tall do they go before I can stop earthing them up as Im just concerned 1 – its going to cost me a fortune in soil, 2 the soil will fall away because the mounds are just getting too tall (at the moment id said they’re about 9-10 inches high from the top of the soil bed line)

Thanks in wonderment…..
MEW

[catalyst]

i think the taller you get them to grow, the more spuds they'll produce. personally i am a lazy gardener, and only earth-up a little, accepting whatever nature gives me :)
and, i am very wary of using old tyres - all those pollutants in my spuds, no thank you.

[littlebluefish]

Oh no not another stupid question from MEW I hear you all cry – I know, I know, im really sorry but you guys are just so helpful and good to me I cant help but keep asking questions…..

If it helps, I was reading about earthing them this morning and had visions of digging them all up and reburying them. Took me a good hour to gather the truth.

[Cornelian]

If it helps, I was reading about earthing them this morning and had visions of digging them all up and reburying them.

Or of tying little conductor wires to their tops and burying the other ends in the earth so that they will survive lightening strikes (and perhaps create mounds of hot chippies in the soil).

I've only ever grown potatoes in cages ... with earthing up in rows wouldn't you just hoe up the earth from between the rows? I'm sure that's what I've seen those tv gardeners do on those pretty tv programmes.

[littlebluefish]

Or of tying little conductor wires to their tops and burying the other ends in the earth so that they will survive lightening strikes

We found a bath in the woodpile earthed twice and tied to the ground! This new place is all a little ...er... eccentric.

[ohareward]

Hi Mew. If your mounds are 10 - 12 ins high that should be ok. When you plant spuds again in your raised beds next season, if you dig a shallow trench (4 ins) and space the rows about 2 feet apart, there should be enough soil between the rows to earth up to cover. The further apart the rows the more soil there is to do the job. Conversely, the closer the rows there is less soil.
Don't ever think that people will get sick of your questions. That is the whole purpose of this forum. Keep asking away.

Robin

[mew]

thanks guys - tips duly noted for next year!!

[Thomzo]

Hi Mew
I am experimenting this year using last year's leaves to earth up the spuds in my bags. When I've put them in the ground I just earth up until the mound collapses. Then give up and eat the potatoes. You will still get a crop just maybe not as large.

Zoe