Potato Growing 2024

Going to plant the rest of my rocket first earlies this weekend, no frost forecast and I'll cloche them for a bit.

 

I used lawn clippings last year outside and it worked well. Certainly easier than using a spade and earthing up and I suspect better for the soil. There were more slugs but they didn't seem too interested in the potatoes thankfully.

 

Great idea about the grass clippings. Thanks.

I don't usually bother with potatoes but OH insisted this year so I have some chitting excruciatingly slowly, and, ready or not, they'll be planted tomorrow.

 

Do not fresh grass cuttings actually use nitrogen as they rot down, before releasing it after its decomposed.

 

That's OK @pete I can get OH to stack them for a while before the y go on the spuds. He has to anyway as there's too many to bung on the compost heaps in one go.

 

It was just a thought as I once read compost heaps use nitrogen during the rotting process.

 

I believe your can gather nitrogen from grass clipping, see Google.

 

Yeah, I guess its similar to making comfrey "tea", I was probably wrong, but I based it on the old idea that adding sulphate of ammonia to compost heaps to speed up decomposition.

 

I thought the same as you. I've got a wheelbarrow full of grass clipping, when I get round to tidying the bases of my fruit trees, I thought I'd lay the clippings around but I wondered if I would be doing the right thing, so I had a little google. I'll just need to make sure the clipping don't touch the bark or stems as clippings could burn them.

 

I will try the grass clippings idea on my pot grown spuds this year, but I might have to ask the neighbours to help out again as my "lawn" is not far off bald.