Whether grown in the garden, in a bin, in old tires or in a grow bag, potatoes need to be regularly covered or piled up with loose organic material. The addition of organic material promotes tuber growth in depth and width and allows new potatoes to form on the maturing plants. Depth and darkness improve the flavor of the potatoes. Tubers that grow too close to the surface and receive too much sunlight become bitter and contain chemicals that can be toxic. By piling up potatoes as they grow, you help increase yields, protect plants from late blight spores, and prevent damage from sunburn.
How do you care for the tubers?
You let the plants grow a little and then cover them with loose soil ororganic material. Covering the tubers with fresh, rich, loose organic material can continue until the mound is as high as one can or wants to make it. Ideally, the higher the hill, the more potatoes you will get.
Unfortunately, rain and wind can erode these hills if they are left exposed. Some farmers use bricks or wire mesh as walls to support the hills and prevent erosion. Many growers have developed new methods for creating deep, erosion-free hills. One method is to grow it in old car tires. A tire is placed in the garden and filled with loose organic material, in the center of which a seed potato is planted.
When the plant is about 15-20 cm tall, another hoop is stacked on top of the first hoop and filled with soil or organic material so that the plant is vertical and its top leaves are straight out of the ground or just below the soil surface. As the plants grow, more tires and soil are added until the tire column is as tall as you desire. When it's time to harvest the tubers, the tires are simply removed one by one.
Piling up potatoes – when should they start?
Traditionally, the tubers are planted in a trench 15-20 cm deep in March to May, 45 to 60 cm apart. They are covered with soil or organic material such as peat moss, mulch or straw and then watered well. In early spring, Mother Nature can do a lottake over irrigation.
As the rows grow about 6 to 8 inches above the soil surface, more soil or organic material is piled up around the young seedlings so that only the top leaves are sticking out of the ground. This forces new tubers and new plants to grow under the new mound. When the plants rise 15-20 cm above the soil surface again, they are piled up again. If there is a risk of late frosts, young tender plants can be completely covered with soil to protect them from frost damage.
Why do you have to pile up potatoes?
Piling up potatoes also helpscurb the weeds, so that the plants do not compete for nutrients. Good drainage is essential for successful cultivation as too much water can cause the tubers to rot. Before planting, make sure the bottom of barrels or trash cans has adequate drainage holes. Plants grown in barrels, trash cans, or grow bags are grown in the same way as tubers in natural mounds or hoops.
The seed potato is planted in the ground in a layer of loose soil about 31 cm deep. Wherever you grow your plants, covering them with loose, organic material is essential for their good development. Some growers add a thin layer of straw between each mound of soil. However you grow your plants, deep watering, good drainage and hilling with fresh soil are the keys to healthy, tasty potatoes.
What does the covering of plants contribute to?
- Prevent green potatoes
Briefly about science: What makes a potato green is the process of photosynthesisfor the growth of our plantsis required. When this green color sets in, the plant becomes poisonous. The green of chlorophyll is not the poison, the poison is solanine. You can peel these greens. However, the shell only contains about thirty percent of the toxin. There is still a good chance that you will experience effects after consuming it. The toxin solanine is the compound in the shell and meat that makes you sick. Eating a lot of this green part will make you sick.
- Higher yield
One good reason is that new plants can grow larger when more new soil is added. This gives the plant more nutrients and minerals so that it can grow larger tubers.
- Protection against late blight
Another reason for piling up potatoes is to protect the newly emerging plants from late blight. Late blight can affect the leaves, but you can save the plants before late blight reaches them. If plants are unprotected, they are more likely to become infected sooner.
Pile up potatoes in the raised bed
Plant your seed potatoes 30cm apart and cover them with 3cm of soil. Once the plants are 15-20 cm tall, add more soil, leaving 5-8 cm of leaves exposed. Continue adding soil following this pattern until you reach the top of your raised bed.
