when to hill potatoes?

[daugen]

my potatoes are growing like mad, and the first one is starting to flower.
I have already "hilled" a little by pulling dirt up to the plant, but know I have to do it again. Can I use something other than dirt, like hay, to go under the plants and provide the sun protection they need, or do I have to keep piling the dirt higher. And how high? Thanks. newbie potato planter, though my second batch is coming in nicely . Drew

 

[randy41]

if the mulch is thick enough it should work. i hill them twice (if the weather cooperates), once at 6" and then again when there's another 6" of growth. i hill high enough to almost cover the plant.

 

[daugen]

I guess I'm confused, and clearly ignorant. Where does the potato grow? Half way up the plant? At the base ground level, just wondering how high I need to pile the dirt. Thanks. Drew

 

[KDD]

They grow underground.

 

[daugen]

KDD, could you be a little more specific? You mean the original ground level and not the "new" ground level caused by piling on a foot of dirt?
Now I know you seasoned potato farmers are probably having a chuckle about this, but if the potato is a root crop, and stays "underground" why should I have to pile so much dirt on top? I know the need to prevent sun exposure, but geez an inch of our local clay would sure do that. I'm missing the logic here. Thanks and sorry to be dumb. Drew

 

[SSdoxie]

The potatoe grows off the roots of the plant, so yes at the root level of where it was planted. As the potatoes grow larger those towards the top are pushed upwards. Hilling them brings more soil over and around the stalk to keep these upper potatoes underground, plus the hilling breaks up the ground surface that has become packed by rain and lets more moisture enter and retain it.

I hilled mine for the last time yesterday, plants are now 18" - 24" tall and this any taller I would be breaking the plant off trying to straddle them with the tractor. If I was more ambitious and had the time I would put some mulch or hay over it now to help hold moisture.

 

[daugen]

thanks to all for the input. I understand this better now, room to grow for the potatoes on top. Well....in my clayey rocky soil, if I were a potato, I'd be trying to work my way up to that softer stuff above. I wonder if mine will come out looking like an old German "potato masher" grenade, thin on the bottom from getting squeezed in the dense clay, and round on top when it can finally bust loose... I'm glad we've had pretty constant rain; I'd hate to see this new garden of mine dry up rock solid, like unfired pottery clay. A fair number of our seeds didn't come up, but the corn and the potatoes were happy from the beginning.

I think I'm going to see what I can put on top other than heavy clay but more nourishing than salt hay. It's an organic garden so I have to be careful what goes in it. Lots of stuff was added to lighten it up, but this is the first year, and it's just going to take time. I might get some pretty funny looking potatoes for awhile. Never done potatoes before so I'm enjoying the learning experience.
We have Russet, Red Pontiac, fingerlings, and one other I forget.

 

[SSdoxie]

Do you have access to organic composte? Run the hiller through it then spread composte, then possibly some wheat or oat straw if you can find it. This will help hold the moisture, keep weed down, and give some decent humos to the soil for next year.

I started my garden psot last year in very tough, hard clay. Didn't do well, but since I have a few goats and 3 donkeys I started piling up all the wasted hay and their droppings. Last fall I spread it over the garedn plus collected all the leaves I had and any that neighors wanted to dump, tilled that all in last Fall then collected the winter supply of donkey & goat waste and worked that into the ground this Spring and corn & potatoes are 3 times better than last year. If I keep this up in another 2 - 3 years I will have a decent garden plot.

 

[DKCDKC]

You can do well by putting many inches of straw or compost on potatoes with little or no hilling. A thick layer of straw or rotting hay around each plant ca cause the potatoes to actually grow right at the ground level. You can then pull the straw off for easy picking, or to pick early potatoes for eating.

My daughter plants two potatoes in some soft earth in an old tire. As the potato plant grows, she adds another tire and packs in compost or hay so that the plant is almost covered, then does it again with a third tire. She lets it grow until it dies back and usually gets a peck or more of potatoes from each set of tires.

It should be noted that potatoes also like plenty of fertilizer and water.

 

[bcjmmac]

Not mentioned yet, so have 2 things to add.
1. You hill potatoes because if the new potatoes (tubors) get sunburnt they are no good for eating & therefore mulch is good for potatoes.
2. Potatoes, like tomatos, grow more roots if the stems are buried. More roots = more potatoes (in theory at least).

In places, such as Newfoundland, where there can be very little soil; people grow the potates in piles of rotting seaweed, etc. They just keep piling it on & reach down through the seaweed to pick early potatoes.