Potatoes - how deep?

By the way Danny how did you find this thread, I tried finding it but unsuccessful

I searched on comfrey then looked at the list provided, the potatoes how deep one jumped out at me

I have been thinking on your question Veggie and I think that it will be a project to work on, I think I will try growing 4 different ways using 1st. bucket with soil as control, 2nd. with a layer of soil then kept topped up with cardboard/paper, 3rd. layer of soil topped up with mix of cardboard/paper and leaves 4th. layer of soil topped up with a mix of cardboard /paper and seaweed all will be fed with a comfrey feed as required, I will also keep a photo record, I might even give vidio recording a try

Nice test Spec looking forward to seeing the progress

I assume you are using the same variety of potato, I know probably a stupid question!

Yes Danny the same variety will be used and in all the same type of bucket, after I had posted about trying this I remembered something that Veggie had mentioned in the past about reading a book about a lady who used bales of hay or straw to grow her potatoes can't remember her name it's Stour or Stout or something similar so hope paper might do the same

Ruth stout. Her books make good money if you can find one! She used to give talks apparently where someone asked "What do you do if a weed pokes its head through the hay?" Her reply was "Cover it with more hay"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruth_Stout

I decide to make a start with  my potato trial today, so I am using a black plastic bucket which is easily obtained      I have 5 holes around the base there is a piece of white paper sticking in one to show the level of the holes, I then put 2 scoops of soil in the bottom of the pail     followed with a half filled vending cup of 6X manure mixed in with the soil, next I put in the potato      then started filling up with wet torn up paper      
Will follow on with a record of setting up using paper and seaweed mix, still to collect the seaweed

Good for you Spec, a man after my own heart for experimenting!

 I did potato variety and leek variety trials years ago as an experiment and found the results very interesting.

Just a reminder (for me, not you) the variety of potato am using us Maris piper, sure as anything I had he bag they came in will get lost and I could forget the variety

I have tried to find the how deep thread,[but can't find it so I am updating here
I prepared my second pail for growing potatoes today by putting a scoop full of soil in the base then using a 80ml. spoon I added a heaped spoonful of chicken pellets     mixed both together then placed in the potato,     and covered with a 7inch pot of seaweed      along with a 7inch pot of leaves,     both mixed together before being added to the pail    

I have tried to find the how deep thread,[but can't find it so I am updating here
I prepared my second pail for growing potatoes today by putting a scoop full of soil in the base then using a 80ml. spoon I added a heaped spoonful of chicken pellets mixed both together then placed in the potato, and covered with a 7inch pot of seaweed along with a 7inch pot of leaves, both mixed together before being added to the pail

I moved your post into the thread you couldn’t find. It’s in everything veggie, next time you’re looking to update   .

I have checked the potato trial, the only bucket with anything showing is the one where newspaper has been used, I think even though they were in the greenhouse the res have been caught by the frost, possibly the paper gave protection, I have now set up another trial using again torn up newspaper, one with soil and one with compost and all sitting outside so will see how they go

       
I emptied out my potato trial buckets today, very disappointed in the results from both the paper and the soil, the neglected trial in the greenhouse gave a better harvest, the difference being that I added chicken pellets to the soil of the first trial and  non to the second but added comfrey or seaweed to the water once a week.
So as I have now got two empty buckets, lots of newspapers and some seed potatoes I will go again, with chicken pellets in the base soil, shredded newspaper and applying a seaweed and comfrey feed on alternative weeks to one bucket, the other will just get water and hopefully will stone good clean potatoes for Christmas