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+--- Thread: When & how deep (/showthread.php?tid=1839)
When & how deep - Small chilli - 11-03-2023
Bob suddenly decided at the end of the potato day, while we were helping load the car with all the spuds that hadn’t sold, that we could plant loads of the things all over the new site. So 25kg later ! …………
As I’ve only ever grown small amounts I don’t know what to do if you don’t chit first ( which I’m not doing with 25kg
) . Do you plant them deeper? Do you plant them earlier if not chitted?
RE: When & how deep - Veggie - 11-03-2023
I think you just bung 'em in - but I say that about most things.
RE: When & how deep - MartinH - 12-03-2023
I'm with Veggie on this. Put them in at the same depth as if they were already chitted. Plant them at the same time, when the soil is warm enough and the last frost is close enough. The plants will mature just a few days later than the chitted ones.
Remember, potato farmers don't chit, they just bung 'em in.
RE: When & how deep - Small chilli - 12-03-2023
Thanks Martin that’s exactly why I asked. I wasn’t sure what the commercial boy& girl did. But I knew they didn’t chit. They would need very big window sills
. Now I know to just treat them exactly the same as chitted. That great 
. Thank you
RE: When & how deep - JJB - 12-03-2023
I'm no potato expert, as I don't bother with them these days, but I often wondered about the logic of earthing up. If they were planted at the correct depth but in a trench, which would then be filled as the greenery showed, would that work the same as earthing up. I always found my earthing up was never high enough to cover the spuds so I got green ones. I don't really need an answer, just musing.
As for chitting, I'm in the bung 'em in camp, what have you got to lose?
RE: When & how deep - MartinH - 12-03-2023
Earthing up ... I'm no expert either, but I have read stuff about it over the years. My take is...
- There are two kinds of earthing up: for frost protection and for increasing crop.
- Early in the season, pulling loose soil over tender young growth protects them from frost. But for us home gardeners it would be just as easy to use fleece.
- Later on once there's no more risk of frost, pulling soil up around the stems creates ridges. The ridges catch more sun than flat ground, making the roots warmer and encouraging better growth. Potatoes do after all come from further south than the UK where the summer sun is quite a bit stronger. They like it warm! It also helps cover up any tubers that are forming near the surface, so it's worth doing for that reason alone. You don't want to be covering up any leaves here, they are making food for the plant.
- I've heard people say that the potato plants will make extra roots from the stem, like tomatoes do. Whether they do or not, I'm not convinced this makes any difference to the crop.
Anyway, I usually earth up my potatoes, if I remember.
RE: When & how deep - Admin - 12-03-2023
Following my old pops method, I don't chit or earth up. I don't grow them every year but just dib a hole and drop them in when I do.
I read somewhere once, that earthing up creates wind tunnels so the soil dries quickly to the detriment of the young tubers, another book suggests they are easier to dig but every gardener has a different view.
Why not try both methods SC?