Hi dj, do it now. There's a frost due tonight and if it gets to the young leaves, they will likely turn black and die. Earthing-up by covering all of the leaves you can see with more soil/compost will protect them from the frost and in a few days they will grow through the new earth. If frost is forecast again after that, earth them up again. Doing this will also increase your crop as the plants will send out new tuber-forming roots from the buried part of the main stems every time you earth-up.
A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
Whether there's a frost will depend where you are, of course. Leicestershire, quite possibubbly; here in Liverpool, very unlikely (I reckon we've probably seen the last of it here for this spring, he said recklessly). But even if there's no frost, they should be earthed up by covering about half the growth when it's about 8" high, for the reason Bob gave.
I put well rotted horse muck in the bottom of the trench then a bit of soil over it so the seed tatties aren't in direct contact but only because my granddad used to.
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Hi dj, do it now. There's a frost due tonight and if it gets to the young leaves, they will likely turn black and die. Earthing-up by covering all of the leaves you can see with more soil/compost will protect them from the frost and in a few days they will grow through the new earth. If frost is forecast again after that, earth them up again. Doing this will also increase your crop as the plants will send out new tuber-forming roots from the buried part of the main stems every time you earth-up.
Thanks for the tip Bob - going out to do it now!
Whether there's a frost will depend where you are, of course. Leicestershire, quite possibubbly; here in Liverpool, very unlikely (I reckon we've probably seen the last of it here for this spring, he said recklessly). But even if there's no frost, they should be earthed up by covering about half the growth when it's about 8" high, for the reason Bob gave.
Steve, this property is at the Worcestershire/West Midlands border. ive earthed these shoots up now already ..
Put my potato's in today. It looks like a burial plot.
another Q. what does everyone do about feeding? i didnt put any granular feed in the container when planting them, and havent fed them since.
I put well rotted horse muck in the bottom of the trench then a bit of soil over it so the seed tatties aren't in direct contact but only because my granddad used to.