Can you produce potatoes beneath mulch with no digging at all? And if so, how would the net and toil need reach to plans that did demand digging? That is just what I put out to realize in a managed test this season. We raised potatoes utilizing three other strategies on the exact plat so we could reach the outcomes. The video down offers you the entire growing cycle from mattress trial to gather, and at the back, I take some moments to step you through the outcomes to assist you choose whether you would want to produce potatoes with or without digging.
The Three Growing Methods:
The three ways reached in this test are No Dig, Double Dig, and No-Till.
The No Dig method sidesteps all conditions of digging by just putting the source potatoes on the consistency of the dirt and enfolding them with a broad layer of mulch for the remainder of the growing season.
The Double Dig method requires much turning and digging of the mattress area, after which the potatoes are buried below the character of the dirt.
The No-Till method utilizes a wide spoon or garden spoon to ease but not reverse the dirt first and then the root potatoes are too planted a few hairs below the texture of the dirt.
To perform a proper comparison between these three methods, we ought to hold all other variables to the finest of our knowledge. First, there are the prominent aspects like irrigation, sun direction, and temperature, but our power couldn’t quit there. The length of the source potatoes has also been revealed to affect the general yield. Thus, every one of these variables ought to be held while we adjust the prior farming practice in each mattress.
Advantages of No-Dig Potatoes:
If you sorrow the same issue, then no-dig potatoes are the solution, but the advantages aren’t all about-connected.
- It’s a wonderful way to remove the weedy soil as the mulch snags out in the morning.
- You don’t have to own earthing up as the potatoes develop – just add better mulch.
- Spoon wear, when you organize to pierce the tip potato via the core while digging it out, is an item of history.
- If you mourn from potato eelworm, no-dig will reduce its effect on the yield.
- The potatoes will likely be the finest-looking ones you’ve ever produced: silky, pure, and slightly scabby (if that’s what yours are apt to be)
- Draftee potatoes – those little (and not so little) ones that reach quit in the dirt to bud next year – nearly fade.
- The mulch fails to add organic value to the dirt.
It’s also easier to feel when the early types – those gathered while the plants are yet in flower – are prepared. Over-spirit used to mean that I kept a small one fed with potatoes slightly larger than peas.

No dig gardening potato techniques:
- Hoe off the place where you want to increase your potatoes. Most weeds would break off always beneath the rich mulch, but this is a useful way to confirm that the character of the dirt is lax. You could also count a coating of compost on the lid.
- Moisture the site nicely.
- “Plant” your potatoes by putting them on the cover. Spacing is the same as regular planting, so earlier types in a mattress system should fib 14-16 inches (35-40 cms) separated in every order (in rows you should leave about 12 inches (30 cms) between works and 18-20 inches (45-50 cms)). Maincrop types need about 18 inches (45 cm) in every order in a bed, or 14 inches (35 cm) between manufacturers in rows 30 inches (75 cm) separated.
- Currently cloud. You could substitute with a pair of hairs of compost, but I go directly to the straw. Some individuals want to end it up slowly as the nodes grow. Living as an inert gardener, I set on six inches (15 cm) directly out. Later, they’d be six inches beneath the bottom if you did plant them.
- Moisture the straw nicely. One thing about raising potatoes in this study is that they manage to parch out better readily. So bringing everything wet now is a fine beginning.
- Of course, straw standing straw, and the breeze being hurt, you can’t just go it. Either tether it down by wrapping it with mesh or fleece or cover it with hay clippings. I managed to use the mesh to start with. The plants produce their path rather smoothly via the straw and then. I can see them going up against the textile.
- Can the mesh when the plants appear and, if any plants are living kept around by the mulch, support them via it? You could resume to count straw but hay clippings are sounder. They mat jointly in a way that solves the wind-blown straw problem and a thick layer excludes the light very effectively. If they’re new clippings don’t cozy them right up to the branches directly, in case the warmth of corruption burns the limbs.
- Now all you have to do is moisture when required and outdo up with hay clippings if the mulch examines a tad thin.
- Reap when prepared. Here’s where no-dig is valid, as you can prevent the yield without destroying a plant. Just pull around the mulch. If the potatoes are too short, return the body carefully and allow them to grow on a while. You can even reap some potatoes from a manufacturer and exit the others to expand on.
Conclusion:
Had I decided on just one type for the whole ordeal, my decision could have been rather tricky. For example, if I had just risen Norland potatoes and saw nearly equal yields in each mattress. I power have figured that the growing method has a minor effect on yield. Alternatively, if I had just expanded Intelligent Potatoes.I would have ignored the No Dig method for the vastly lower yield it proposed with this variety.

Thankfully though, we ran the trial with the two varieties and gathered proof to keep the following findings:
It is likely for No Dig potato farming to rival the version of digging plans with quite less work.
The version of a potato per farming process will rely on the type.
FAQs
1. Do I need to dig before starting no dig?
Apart from occasional soils with pans, the answer is no. Usually when starting you see plentiful growth of weeds, a sure sign of positive and fertile soil.
If you are starting on a construction site or field where tractors have broken the soil, then you probably need to use a fork to loosen soil just earlier.
2. Does it matter if the soil is hard/clay/seemingly compacted?
No, because usually when people ask this they are directed to soil that has a natural firmness. Or occasionally just because it’s dry. Truly compacted soil is rare and you will know it by the foul smell of sulfur, and water lying for a long period after rain. A one-off forking can help reduce this rare problem.
Clay soils grow great plants with no dig – I know from long and content experiences. In contrast, loose soil holds less moisture and effects in plants falling over. Roots like firm dirt.
3. How do I convert from dug soil to no dig?
If the surface is rough, rake to level it. You may even need to use a spade to drop off the peaks, moving soil into the holes.
Then spread organic matter as cover mulch and soil organisms will multiply to the benefit of your plants.
Aspect | No Dig | Double Dig |
---|---|---|
Method Description | Place seed potatoes on soil surface and cover with mulch. | Turn and loosen the soil deeply before planting potatoes. |
Soil Preparation | Place seed potatoes on the soil surface and cover with mulch. | Requires significant digging and soil turning. |
Weed Management | Mulch suppresses weeds effectively. | Weeding may be necessary; the soil is disturbed. |
Water Conservation | Retains moisture well due to mulch. | Can retain moisture but more evaporation possible due to soil disturbance. |
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