conflicting earthing up advice

[SaraJH]

This is a very useful thread for me, until the weekend I didn't even know what chitting was!

I am a total beginner and am currently constructing my veg plot in the garden. I'm planning to grow potatoes in 12 and 16 litre bags, I think that I will try with not earthing up and see how I get on. I'm just after enough to harvest each week to supply myself and my husband for the week!

[dilettante]

Mr Sam the Allotment Man did a little trial of earthing up vs not (or rather sticking the spud under a mound straight away) and there wasn't any difference. Not that that's any sort of proper trial, but it's interesting. I'm fairly sure they don't earth up commercially, but I may well be wrong. I'm vaguely recalling something I saw on TV

[Potstubsdustbins]

Farmers do it slightly differently. After preparing the ground the potato planting machine cuts a groove about 6" deep to drop the seed in, the same machine then forms a 'hill' above ground level giving just over a foot of cover.

[KevinM67]

I've never done any trials on what produces the bigger load, however I earth up because:

When I plant my spuds in March/April there is still a risk of frost.

It minimises the risk of the few spuds that grow to the top being exposed to sunlight.

It enables me to get rid of some of the weeds that grow.

And lastly, it helps tilling the heavy clay soil I have.

[ancee]

Just took mine out of the shed and they've decided to chit without my permission! So I will leave these chits on which have been 'in the dark chitted', and will see what chits come 'up in the light'.
To chit or not to chit - that's the question.
This year I'm chitting

[Sarico]

#19 Like a dog with a bone me.

Re T&Ms post 17.5lbs of spuds from an 8ltr bag don't get disappointed folks if you don't achieve these kind of results. Even I don't get that much weight from my 30ltr pots and from my 12ltr buckets I get a couple of good boiling's.

That in mind I had to do some checking.....what am I doing wrong well not that much really.

Picture one shows a 1ltr measuring jug filled to overflowing with some of my seed potatoes and as can be seen the weight is just over one pound. A litre capacity is a litre capacity the volume does not change neither does a pound in weight. So unless the potatoes were made of lead I would have to say someone has been pulling the Horticultural Directors leg.

Picture two is an unopened 2 kilo bag of spuds just to prove to me that SWMBO's scales are accurate.

I was thinking the same thing potty. Not even a flower bucket full of concrete is 17.5 lb in weight.

[vixylix]

apologies in advance for a potentially stupid question...

I don't understand how earthing up protects from frost? Surely with earthing up you're adding layers gradually so initially they wouldnt be very deep and would be more at risk from frost - whereas with the lasagna method they'd be planted much deeper so would be better protected?

What am I missing?

[Potstubsdustbins]

Depends on the depth of the frost, protection is provided by covering all of the plant with a layer of compost, thus keeping a mild frost off of the greenery.

The haulm will then grow back through the compost and Bobs your aunty.

[brownfingers]

I grow spuds in raised beds, 6 plants per bed, and have always earthed up. This year, I'm going to try planting deeper and not earthing up after reading this post. Would a depth of 8" be adequate, or give 'em a bit more?

[jackarmy]

So yesterday i set up three pots in the greenhouse wrapped in bubblewrap just in case of a frost.
All in morrison type flower buckets, one to be earhed up as normal, one set at the same depth and topped up to the rim and the last one done a la t&m,bucket filled up and spud pushed down about a fingers lenth, so lets see how it goes.

spud was swift btw , all roughly same size and three chits on each.

First sprouts up today

[Muddy_Boots]

I was once told a few years ago to plant mine a spit deep by an old boy, and as I can spit 6 feet I buried 'em that deep. I'm still waiting for 'em to come up!!!

[AkionTotocha]

If you think that the seed potato only has to provide enough energy to get the sprouts (chits?) to the surface of the soil and produce a few leaves, that's a lot of energy in the seed for not a lot of energy used (thinking that you can power a clock with a potato)

Once the leaves are produced they should power the plant using sunlight thus the seed potato is redundant or mostly redundant?

And if potatoes are produced above the seed vs below then surely you should bury them as deep as possible?

I guess the depth relies on how big the seed potatoes are, earlies and salad potatoes are smaller so have less energy so need to be planted higher in the soil than main crop which are bigger.

Earlier someone (forgive me) planted main crop in a 4ft manhole, how much deeper is reasonable? 5ft? 6ft? I guess the balance is (how much energy in the seed VS how long 1 chit takes to grow VS last frost date)

Like if a potato has 5w energy and 1 foot of growth takes one watt of energy and takes a week to grow, you could plant the potato 4 foot deep 4 weeks before the last frost date (to allow some contingency) but I've no idea about those numbers

But no, I don't think it's worth earthing up, if the leaves appear then I think it's too late to cover them because exposure to light might make the seed think 'well my job is done' and when it's covered up it stresses the seed out thus stunting growth. Maybe just bury them and be done with it.