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Potato help
Orchid Lady
Posts: 5,800
in Fruit & veg
Me again......sorry!
I'm hoping I haven't made mistake number 3!!! My potatoes weren't growing well and after a few days of rain have shot up, I have a feeling I should have done something with compost before they got this big??
I have looked on the big web and there isn't really much info after the initial planting, and can't find much on the forum either about putting more soil on. Should I have done it already and if so, have I ruined them? If not then when should I do it? Also how much, do I completely cover them, half cover them or what??
Both varieties are earlys, first and second.
Thanks.
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Yeah, just chuck it on! They'll cope, and within days will be peeping out at the top again, but you'll get more potatoes for it. Potatoes can cope with most things.
Except frost....!
Yes, cover them over with some more soil - they'll peep through again soon
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
You're doing good OL! Just keep covering them in soil and we'll be round for Sunday roast soon enough
Thanks everyone, the tubs are actually deeper than they look and aren't even half way up yet so still of plenty of room, they are basically a compost bin chopped in half (it wasn't mine and I didn't chop it in half - actually it was the neighbour's who woke me up last Saturday!!! )
I will get some compost out at lunchtime and 'chuck it on'
Thanks again for your patience
I'm still not sure I'm doing this right! The shoots seem to be coming back through everyday and quite big, is that right, it just seems too quick
Sounds perfect - exactly what they should do
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
As Dove says, as it should be.
Perhaps you're being a bit delicate,.....a couple of inches, rather than a sprinkle.
OL that's just what mine are doing and I keep chucking heaps on! My first bag of potatoes is now too full of soil to add any more in and the plants are so HUGE! Perhaps you like me under estimated just how big these plants seem to get and how quickly they grow!
These have been planted for about 10 weeks now and should be ready for harvesting by the bank holiday weekend.