Hilling potatoes

[mnWHfan 47]

I was having a discussion about growing potatoes with some friends of mine and the topic of hilling potatoes came up.  What none of us know is why do people hill the potatoes?  Please help to clear this up.

 

Thanks,

Dennis

[redidbull 54]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilling  Explains a bit. Jim

[GlenPettit 1,717]

If the potato tubers are even close to the surface, and just a little sunlight gets on the potato and it will start turning green just under the skin, the entire potato gets green and tastes funny, it may even be unsafe to eat.  I left some potatoes to dry last August, just two days of sun ruined 90% of the 200# we harvested, "never again".  

I use a lot of grass clippings (in thin layers), shredded straw and shredded leaves to build up a hill or mulch around the plants.

The "hill" of dirt helps a lot of the plants stay soft and tender where they are buried.

 

With all the melon plants, a "Hill" is entirely different:  You dig a 12" 'bushel basket size' hole, dump in 6" of manure (aged) and replace the dirt, so you have a hill to plant the melon seeds. It keeps excess water away from the young shoots, and then by Fall is flat again and plants & fruit are very strong.

[mnWHfan 47]

Thanks for the input guys.

[bmuone 15]

I dig a trench about 6 inchs deep. Place the seed potato in the bottom and cover with about 5 inches of dirt. The plant will grow up from the seed potato and when it is about 6 inches tall I cover it again, either completely or with just the tip sticking out of the ground. I do this twice more. After it comes out of the ground for the third time I do not cover it again. The potatoes that you harvest are grown on the plant just under the dirt. So hilling is just the process of covering the plant to give the potato a place to grow in the dirt. Now, I am not a garden expert but I get some good red potatoes. Good luck

Dayton

[tunahead72 2,450]

I hill my potatoes because my wife tells me to.

[bmuone 15]

Well, actually, so do I.

[redidbull 54]

I am going to try this method this year. I do not have a lot of room so this is a good option. Jim

 

http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/potatoes-in-a-barrel-zmaz80mazraw.aspx?page=2#axzz2Np3joMHK

[GlenPettit 1,717]

Re: Mother Earth News article, above;

Growing potatoes in sawdust -- no soil, no fertilizer, just water ? ? ? 

The potato plant needs food & nutrients.

Potato plants are usually grow in fields with soft-loose soil, (heavy clay is bad), but just sawdust only, no.

Sawdust can be on top of the soil as a mulch, but then it will consume some of the nitrogen from the soil.

[posifour11 723]

Glen, I've been growing potatoes in straw for the past couple years. My dad's cousin has been using sawdust as long as I've been alive.

[GlenPettit 1,717]

I have been proven wrong more than a few times.

Most anything can be grown 'hydro' (in just water), but the plant 

still needs to get food and nutrients from somewhere,  I know just air

has some value, probably the dust; -- and pond water & rain has a 

little food value too.  But a potato plant can produce 3-4# of tubers,

it seems like that much produce would need a lot of food & nutrients.

But if there is soil a few inches below the straw or sawdust, the roots

then would probably go down far enough to be productive.

 

Straw and sawdust would sure give a very clean potato crop, and probably

a lot less insect damage.   I might just try it myself . . . always experimenting.

[posifour11 723]

I have no doubt that mine grow into the ground. I only plant them about a foot high.

My cousin though, plants his above waist high in a big pile of sawmill dust. He gets a fresh load every year. The nutrients can easily be pulled from the sawdust breaking down.

[leeave96 487]

I typically hill my potatoes for several reasons.  1) Keep the sun off the potatoes as the grow and crack-open the soil above them.  2) Cover/smother small weeds that may grow.  3) Makes things a little easier when digging the potatoes - raking them out of a hill vs digging them.

[rick 237]

Plant sweet potatoes on top of a hill, Irish potatoes get hilled up. Why? Because sweet potatoes grow "down" from the slip, Irish potatoes grow "up" from the seed potato.

Of course, a Troy-Bilt Horse tiller with a hiller-furrower attachment makes it all easy.....