Ignorance is Embarassingly Bliss :-)

Just spent the whole day, planting my seed potatoes
I burried them all :-)

Now checking on here, I find tomorrow I have to go and dig them all up again
and plant them with the chits showing through

I told you I was new

Jack McHammocklashing

 

Don't worry Jack, they'll find their way up thru the soil. You'll be earthing them up as they come up anyway.

 

Since when? I've grown many crops of spuds over the years, and helped my dad with them before I was big enough to grow my own, and I've never heard that one. I always bury them completely. At least a couple of inches under the soil, a bit deeper when planting early as spuds are a bit tender so you don't really want the top growth out when there's still a good chance of frost.

Seedies, which are just small spuds, are quite special from the plant's perspective. They are a massive energy reserve to keep the plant alive. There's more than enough energy in there to get a shoot or two up through several inches of soil and into the sunlight.

If you leave the shoots sticking out you're just going to make loads more work for yourself. Firstly, you'll have to be prepared to race out and cover them up for the night if a good frost is forecast. Then if the weather stays as dry as it has been you're going to have to water a lot more, because of course the top inch of soil dries out faster than soil further down, so planting slightly deeper ensures more easy access to water. I guess you'll have to do more earthing up too, not just to get a decent crop but also to keep the top growth from simply flopping over under its own weight because its not anchored down enough.

I'd leave them as they are

 

Mine are well buried at least 4" down and as soon as they show will get another 3-4" on top.
Good point about water as well clueless1

 

Wow thanks guys
I was knackered today, I put them in the ground with the top chit two inches below, the level then covered them with soil
I came in the house for a cuppa, and pleased with myself, and just opened up the GC to check I had done it right
OMG, It says plant with the tip above the surface, when three sets of leaves cover to tip leaf, until eventually you are at the ground level then, bank up intitially

I almost cried, that in the morning I had to go out and try to retrieve each spud, lift it, then plant it again,
I did wonder how farmers planted acres of spuds, did someone run behind making sure the spuds had dropped out chitted side up ? :-)
Now I can crack a celibratory bottle of malt, and relax

Kristen saw me right with plenty of seeds, which I put in the propogator today too
Would not take anything from me, just the what goes around comes around view on life
I did have a bit of a laugh my 16 square mtr patch, then I viewed his blog :-)
His green house alone is twice the size of my patch let alone his other acres

I thanked him for spending precious time with a little gardener like I
My wheel barrow is a river retrival Sainsburys basket, his is a JCB dumper truck

Good man

Thanks guy's that I can go to bed tonight and not think of digging up spuds

Jack McH

 

Who wrote that? Was it me? if it was then I need a good kicking Don't think thats the sort of thing i'd write though, i'm more lob it in and look after it.