Potatoes ... earthing up

[Millie1]

Virgin-veggie gardener! Can someone please explain when I do this and when I stop doing it! My pototoes came through the soil a few days ago - lovely green leaves. Do I cover them now and keep covering once they get to a certain height, or what. Can the experts shed some light please! TIA

Earth them up and again in a couple of weeks when they show through again.

If you don't then the tubers get exposed to light and turn green (inedible)

You don't want any light on your spuds!

Right...

If there's a chance of a frost cover all the leaves with earth - this protects them and they will soon grow back.

Otherwise, let them get 4-6 inches tall & then almost cover with earth (leave just a few leaves showing at the top), then do it again when they've got that big again.

Most people earth up twice, some do three times and my 81 year old allotment neighbour does a big earthing up just once (waits till they are quite big & then completely covers them) and he always seems to have an excellent crop.

So, it's probably not too critical really. Some varieties of potato are supposed to need it more than others - not sure which though.

Good luck!

I was all ready to earth mine up for the first time this weekend and the bloody frost got them! All the leaves are soggy and black.. Shall I just earth them up anyway, or are they buggered now? It's only a few leaves on the top, after all. Complete veggie newbie feeling panicky!!!

See other thread here

They should com back if the frost did not penetrate the ground and kill the tuber.

Thank you! All is not lost I hope! I put fleece over everthing that wsn't already under cover but the spuds were in those big deep gro-sacks and I forgot about them. Having said that, as the bag was creating a tall cocoon around them I'm really surprised they were not better protected.

Thanks everyone. I covered them on Saturday and already a couple of leaves coming through - maybe I didn't put enough soil on top? Might put a bit more over today and then see what happens.

one of the great advantages of being last in the UK to plant my potatoes is that I'll have missed the frost....

glad I found this thread, my first ever crop of potatoes have just peeked above the soil. I'll earth them up tomorrow

meglet, it's so warm there can't be any frost risk, so I would let them grow a bit more before earthing them up. I think it does them good to photosythesise a bit.

ah, I was thinking the light was the bad thing as well as the frost. They are only teeny (approx 1" high) so I'll give them a bit longer .

Definately no frost risk around here now until the Autumn.