Hilling Potatoes

[so lucky]

How high should they be hilled with dirt/straw?

 

[dickiebird]

Don't cover the foliage and as they get taller keep hilling.

THANX RICH

 

[Smart Red]

The purpose of hilling as I first learned it, was to keep the spuds under the soil where they wouldn't get green skin.

There are types of potatoes that will keep setting spuds along their stem so if you keep adding soil to all but the top four inches of plant (or so) you should get more potatoes from the same spot than just hilling them would give you.

Not all potatoes will set spuds that way. My first attempt was with Yukon Gold potatoes. Nope! Only the lowest part of the stem had potatoes just like every other year.

 

[so lucky]

Well, its Yukon gold that I have, so maybe I have hilled enough. There is about 6" of dirt and 6" of straw. The plants are growing very tall and lush. No blooms yet.

 

[Smart Red]

They are not the best of keepers, but I like them and they go so fast it's never mattered.

 

[Mauldintiger]

Pretty nice right now to be in the south, lm getting new potatoes already from my March 4th planting, Yum! I don't hill mine, just cover wit 18" of straw. I like new potatoes sliced, with whole spring onion chopped in 2" pieces, mushrooms if I have them and fresh garlic. Drizzle with EVOO, S&P, sealed in foil on the grill, so glad they are finally coming in! Changed up a bit and tried some Leeks in this pic, tasty also!

 

[Smart Red]

I'd sure like a meal of leeks and new potatoes tonight. Mine are far, far from meal making.

 

[digitS']

I might almost be able to match you, @Mauldintiger .

If I wasn't a skeer d'cat, I'd break with "policy" and feel around under several potato plants to find out what is down there. Maybe those plants are showing me the wisdom of chitting. Get them all at about the same stage before planting ... They are so random in development!

And, the leeks. They might be about the same size as yours . Actually, doing better than any of the sweet onions, which were sown in the greenhouse several weeks earlier. I once thought of leeks as something from the British Isles and growing conditions here are far that! Still, the leeks do okay.

Steve

 

[Mauldintiger]

Those leeks came from Dixondale, first time growing, going to try some from seed this fall for overwintering. The onions did fine last year, so leeks should work as well.