Raised bed plant spacing question

[andy armitage]

Hi all we are trying to plan how many potatoes etc we can plant in a 4ft by 12ft raised bed do we go with what it says on the bag or do we plant a little closer it says 1st earlies need to be 12inches apart in rows width wise and 24inches apart in length any ideas?

[andy armitage]

I just worked out that with their spacing instructions we can get 15 1st early plants and 8 second early and main crop does this sound right?

[Flummery]

You can usually go closer than the instructions for plants in a raised bed.

[andy armitage]

thanks flummery how much closer as we have no idea

[Flummery]

I put 1st earlies in about 12" apart and 15" between the rows. I think if you stagger the rows you could get them a bit closer but I like me rows neat!

[veggieginger]

Please excuse if this sounds daft.
How do you "earth-up" if you're using raised beds ?

[Snadger]

I plant three rows of maincrop along one of my 4 foot wide beds and four rows of earlies along another!

6" in from edge and 1 foot between rows for earlies and 9" in from edge and 1'3" between rows for maincrop!

Stagger the stations and I usually dibble them in through the 6" of mulch I have on the surface. No need to earth up and very few 'green' spuds!

[andy armitage]

Thanks snadger as always I knew you would turn up and put us right thanks a lot

[Flummery]

You can top-dress instead of earthing up. I often use the soil from my greenhouse border because I'm earthing up spuds when I'm changing the border soil. Some people mulch generously. Grass cuttings are ok - if you have any grass!

[Snadger]

You can top-dress instead of earthing up. I often use the soil from my greenhouse border because I'm earthing up spuds when I'm changing the border soil. Some people mulch generously. Grass cuttings are ok - if you have any grass!

I imagine you grow tomatoes in the greenhouse Flum? Does using the bedsoil as a topdressing on a similar type of crop ie another member of the Solanum family not pose a problem? Or am I being pedantic?

[Flummery]

I do grow some toms Snadger, but also salad crops, aubs, peppers, cukes etc. In theory you could spread disease - but if I ever had any, I wouldn't use the soil on the garden. Maybe I've been lucky, but I've always got away with it. I once grew early spuds in the greenhouse border soil then followed with toms. Purists would have me shot!