Potatoes - compost from containers

Hi all

Just a quick question, can the spent compost from potatoes in containers go straight onto beds as a mulch?

Thanks!

 

Yes I don't see why not.

 

No problem but how about reusing for potatoes next year. Couple handfulls of feed and away you go again. Cheap spuds.

 

Unfortunately spuds can carry a number of different pests and diseases, virus, eelworms, blackleg, to name just a few. It's really not a good idea to grow them in the same soil more than one year in a row. You could grow a different crop or leave the soil in a heap for a season or two before re-use. Crop rotation is about much more than replenishing nutrients.

 

That was my understanding too @Allotment Boy . I don't grow them as we don't eat very many, but I'd also be a bit wary of using it on any site where veg is being grown, if it's a veg plot, in case you forget and do spuds in the site where you've put it.
I expect it would be ok in an ornamental bed, but I don't know if it would affect other plants in the potato family?

 

Yes - it would be important to ensure that it wasn't going where it would be a problem @JWK, so proper labelling or marking of beds/borders would be useful if the site was newer, or if the gardener was new to growing edibles.

 

Thanks guys!

It was for an ornamental bed, not for veg so hopefully it’ll be ok. Picked out one potato while spreading so hopefully I’ll not get any rogue plants.

Then again, maybe I’d end up with a better crop if I did!!