Watering potatoes:

I'm very new at growing potatoes.can someone tell me how you water potatoes when they are all ridged up and the water runs off the ridge? I have an allotment, and hoses are banned

 

TBH, I dont know how many plants you have, but doing it with a watering can is not easy.

To get enough water on there to do any good without a hose is difficult.

 

I have had easy success making my rows of potatoes into a sort of "W" shape in cross-section, rather than into the normal upside-down "V". Water can be tipped into the "gutters" each side of the ridge, and permeates the ridge by seeping into it.

A bit of water applied via a watering can and rose helps ridging up in this weather, but i'm not sure it helps apart from keepuing the surface moist, preventing the inside from becoming very dry, if you see what I mean.

 

Hopefully you planted the potatoes so that the potato and initial roots are below the average soil level, and then raised ridges above the planting level. If you water the ridges you risk washing away the ridge exposing new tubers to light and they will green. Watering the gullies puts moisture below the plant, and roots will find it. When you raise the crop, it is worthwhile ensuring that you get to this lower level for this is often where the best spuds will be found.