Post #2664959
2026-04-15 14:44 UTC
Replies (2)
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@scogings@mastodon.world 2026-04-15 15:55
@econetwork@mas.to Glad to help. The best general advice I know of is that (depending on soil, climate and animals like mole-rats, moles, millipedes, etc., who like to eat underground/belowground storage organs), the best place to store underground/belowground storage organs, whether those organs are roots (as in sweet potato, beetroot, carrot) or stems (as in potato), is in the ground. Once the spuds have finished flowering, you may dig up a few to see what is there, before deciding to dig more.
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@RhinosWorryMe@climatejustice.social 2026-04-15 15:59
@econetwork@mas.to @scogings@mastodon.world Potatoes like rich, fertile soil, so dig in plenty of organic matter, such as garden compost or well-rotted manure, before planting. If possible, do this the previous autumn or winter. Given that yours are already in the ground, you can apply a 10cm layer of compost or well-rotted manure around them, if you have it. The main thing I've found that improves the harvest is *regular* watering. Potatoes like it wet, but irregular wet-then-dry-then-wet (which we often get here in the UK) makes the potatoes lumpy. Too dry conditions can also cause "common scab" which makes rough patches on the potatoes. It's not a big problem because they're still edible, but they don't look good.