Spuds, drought and mulch

The continuing lack of rain and prevalent drying winds is playing havoc with my crops (and most other peoples, I would suppose).

To conserve moisture for my early potatoes I have been mulching them with grass cuttings (I have a large area of grass) rather than earthing up. Any problems with this? (apart from, of course, providing a nice home for slugs and snails)

 

Prastio, potato tubers grow from the halm or stem, of the plant. You need to earth up, not only to improve the stem length, but also to prevent tubers being exposed to light and turning green.:thumb:

 

Dai,

OK about keeping the tubers from the light so not turning green, but would not a mulch of grass cuttings have the same effect?

I suspect that the answer lies with the temperature difference: earth - nice and cool; rotting grass cuttings very hot!

 

But if the stems don`t grow you will only have one or two tubers.:thumb:

 

******ed again! I keep coming up with labour saving plans but all you experts seem to have already tried them and found that they don't work. I think that I will just stick to runners - you can't go too wrong with those if you have a decent framework and some water.

 

Aren't tatties meant to be the easiest things to grow?

 

They are, you just need to follow the rules for growing them.:gnthb:

 

The good thing about using grass cuttings is that they are supposed to reduce scab if scattered in the trenches when planting. Don't know if it applies to earthing up though. I've seldom tried it as I grow mainly early potatos and when I plant them the grass isn't high enough to cut

 

I prefer to grow earlies, Dave. Though I have to do it in pots nowadays.

 

Sound advise as usual, and I can to add to it with my experiance last year with my bin potatoes which returned a nice crop after being watered everyday possible, with 7/9 lts water.
This year I have several containers and bags and this weaher I am out there first thing every morning giving them a drench.
I know the demand to water if planted in a plot is different but they seem to grow well in Ireland and they have plenty of rain over there!
robert

 

I have been putting grass cuttings in the trenches between the rows of early spuds for the last 4 years, works fine. Unlike maincrop varieties, they do not produce lots of spuds up the stem as earlies grow and flower too quickly. I find earthing up twice and then filling in the trenches with cuttings works best. The cuttings improve the soil no end for subsequent crops, I usually stick kale in after the spuds.

 

I think a mulch of grass clippings (to keep the moisture in) is fine - but I would still earth up first (and I would avoid any grass clippings where selective weed killer has been applied, or "Weed & Feed" type products)

 

Thanks, everyone, for the usual range of sage advice. I reckon that I will adopt the "Blackthorn Compromise" ie earth up but mulch with grass cuttings in the trenches.