spud trench - how deep?

[aquilegia]

How deep should my spud trenches be?

We've finally finished the second raised bed - the one for spuds. It's been coffeed, so I have to wait two weeks to plant, so have plenty of time to sort the trenches out. I've never grown spuds in the ground before!

[aquilegia]

[philcooper]

Aqui,

They need 4 - 6" of soil above them when planted.

As it's a very good idea to add organic matter to the bottom of the trench you need to allow for that

I dig to a spade's depth, put a forkful per tuber then bed the tuber into the muck, ease back the muck (this helps protect the sprouts you've carefully chitted), sprinkle with blood fish and bone and gently cover with soil. And don't forget the label with all those different varieties!

Phil

[aquilegia]

Thanks Phil.

Because I'm useless with labels, I've drawn a plan of what's going where. There'll only be nine in the ground (that's all I've room for). The ones in bags will have the variety and date planted written on the side. I'm trying to be organised this year!

[kenkew]

When it comes to spud planting it depends what school you follow, Aqui.
What I do is dig a trench a spade width wide and about a spade depth. I go along the trench with a garden fork making a few holes along it's length. Into the trench I spread a light covering og manure. On top of this I put a layer of loose soil which leaves me with about half a spade depth free. On top of the soil I put the spuds making sure the eyes are uppermost. Any extra sprouting is rubbed off at this stage. I space them about a foot apart for earlies and a 'bit more' for main crop spuds.
I fill the trench with the soil I took out but then with a hoe I lift soil from the far side of the trench onto the row. This leaves me with a mound of soil on the spuds of about 3 or 4".
When the first leaves show I rake up more soil to cover the leaves. I keep raking up over the weeks until the leaves are just too big to cover. When the flower arrives, I wait about 10 days or so, cut the haulm down to about 3" from the ground and lift the spuds around 2 weeks after that. I usually 'have a look' at what's going on by removing soil from the first plant in a row.
This isn't the only method, but it's one that I've tried and tested for long enough to warrent doing.

[Sarah-b]

We did ours at the weekend.
Our soil is incredible free draining - or bascially drought conditions most of the year. We put straw at the bottom of the trench and then soaked it. Then put soil on top then the spuds then more soil that had been well manured.
Now I'm really worried about 2 things:
1) nitrogen all disappearing cos of the un-rotted straw
2) all the wheat seeds in the straw germinating and just producing a field of wheat instead of a row of spuds

If the wheat does germinate - will it be easy to weed out - and it's not perennial is it?
Oh dear, what have we done. Worry, worry, worry...

Sarah.

[derbex]

I don't think the seeds will be a problem Sarah, they're quite a way down and will be further when they've earthed up.

Not sure about the nitrogen robbery -maybe you should've soaked the straw in wee :o You could always add some extra fertiliser.

Jeremy

[tim]

This is all too much like hard work.

On many occasions, I've just used a bulb planter & dropped the potato into the hole!! No complaints about the crop!!

[philcooper]

Sarah,

You would have been better with composted material but as you are where you are try a bit of nitrogen fertiliser before the first earthing up.

Pelleted chicken manure is good, if the leaves look a bit thin and weedy (or even if they don't) you could treat them to a foliar feed of seaweed based fertiliser

Phil

[simon404]

I did mine like this  ;) Trench spit deep, rake soil back after of course  ::)

[Mothy]

Phew, thank goodness for Tim's comment as this is all I've done with my 1st earlies. I asked what my father-in-law has done in the past and he said "pop them in with the potato dibber and earth up when necessary"

[simon404]

If the ground had been recently dug and manured then i'd say fine, pop them in with a trowell. Its the looseness of the soil that matters I think,  :-\ More than one way of skinning a cat and all that  :)

[moonbells]

We did ours at the weekend.
Our soil is incredible free draining - or bascially drought conditions most of the year. We put straw at the bottom of the trench and then soaked it. Then put soil on top then the spuds then more soil that had been well manured.
Now I'm really worried about 2 things:
<snip>

Having the same soil ;) a bit further down the hill, I know what you mean. It's chucking it down at the moment and I expect I'll be able to dig again by Thursday if there's no more rain.
I did exactly what folk here have recommended - dug a spit down and manured it then pushed tubers into it.  Hard work lifting the soil out of the trench though when you've a dodgy back!
The HDRA doesn't seem to think that doing no-dig spuds with fresh straw is a problem - and some is bound to get dragged into the soil by worms.  I'd put seaweed meal and chicken pellets on top of the soil, which when washed in should counteract the straw. You've already put manured soil on top, which will also do the trick.  And you'll have beautifully scab-free spuds and can come and blow raspberries at mine ;D

moonbells

[djbrenton]

It's not a bad idea to throw some grass cuttings on top of the spuds either.

[Roy Bham UK]

I did mine like this  ;) Trench spit deep, rake soil back after of course  ::)

This is interesting as I am almost ready to plant my first earlies for the first time ever :o ;D  but looking at your soil Simon, it looks a little lumpy (thanks 4 the Piccy ;)) is that acceptable ??? I hope you say yes because I was thinking I will have to till the soil until it is a lot finer than that to cover the seeds.

Waiting anxiously...Roy ??? ;D

[Svea]

god, we have been so careful putting the seed potatoes in with lots of TLC on the weekend.
result? we got laughed at by the old folks at the allotment :) they just bung them in, not too much care, and the stuff grows.

we have very lumpy soil (dare i say big clods of clay?) and i placed the chitted seed on top of a handful of fine earth/compost mix, then more fine earth immediately around the seed pot. then fill up the rest of the trench with the lumpy earth as well as possible.

only time will tell if this will be fine like the oldtimers insist ;)

svea

[simon404]

Roy - I break the soil down a bit more when raking it back in the trench, but as a general rule I've found you don't need to be too fussy with potatoes as say with sowing fine seeds such as carrots, which do need a very fine tilth. Potatoes are very forgiving and can't help but grow! Hope this helps.  :)

[RSJK]

morning all, with potatoes l always seem to think that you have plenty of time to work the soil to a fine tilth once the potatoes have been planted, also just drop the spuds in the ground they will find there own way up to grow.

[BAGGY]

We dug a trench heaping the soil either side.  Then we loosened the bottom of the trench and planted the pots with a trowell.  Top dressed and left them.  The idea being that we do not have to earth them up - simply scrape the sides of the trench back in.  That's the idea anyway.

[NattyEm]

We've done much the same, though we have more of a patch than a trench, dug it all a spit deep, loosened the clay underneath put a layer of manure then a fine layer of compost stuck in the tubers covered over from the heap of topsoil we'd dug out, the plan being to shovel more of the topsoil back on as they grow.

[philcooper]

Whether you "just bung em in" or go for the full trench and FYM, they will grow.

The quantity and quality of the crop will vary according to the conditions they grow in.

If, as I suspect, Tim's soil is in good condition, thanks to years of effort then the bung it in approach will give good results.

For those of us with less than perfect conditions, like everything else in life, the more you put in the more you get out.

I would like to dissociate myself from Simon's insensitivity to feline cruelty, no cats were hurt in the planting of my spuds  ;)

Phil