What is the optimum hill height for potatoes and at what point is higher not better?
 

This is a question as to at what point is higher not better when hilling potatoes. I would imagine that most people when using the trench method in the ground for potato planting would not exceed maybe an 18 inch to 24 inch hill when adding dirt around the plants. If a person uses something like garbage cans the height could easily be 36 to maybe 42 inches. If a person were to use tires or some such segmented structure the ability to add hight would be unlimited. At what point is adding additional hill height benefit neutral and also at what height is it actually negatively effecting the ability of the plant to produce tubers?

just a link

[URL]http://www.ehow.com/how_7725390_plant-potatoes-hills.html[/URL]

I hill until I can't pull in any more loose soil....about 8 inches high, I'd go as high as 10 if I could....

Tom Wagner has a post someplace where he talks about a 2ft deep trench full of compost for best results, but that may have been with one of his varieties. This shows what happens with most comercial varieties.

[URL="http://www.durgan.org/August%202009/21%20August%202009%20How%20a%20Potato%20Plant%20Grows/HTML/"]http://www.durgan.org/August%202009/21%20August%202009%20How%20a%20Potato%20Plant%20Grows/HTML/[/URL]

That's really interesting, TZ - thanks for the post.

I looked at the pictures and it seems like too much work for $3.00 worth of red potatoes.

Now the more exotic potatoes yes.:)

We plowed about a foot down planted potatoes and hoed up around the plants as necessary.

But this was a small patch about 1/4 to 1/2 acre.

No real big deal.

Worth

[QUOTE=Worth1;214425]I looked at the pictures and it seems like too much work for $3.00 worth of red potatoes.

Now the more exotic potatoes yes.:)

We plowed about a foot down planted potatoes and hoed up around the plants as necessary.

But this was a small patch about 1/4 to 1/2 acre.

No real big deal.

Worth[/QUOTE]
My previous gardening thoughts on potatoes were a lot like "too much work for something so inexpensive" but I only knew of a few common varieties. I now have 28 different varieties planted and I'm using pots, tubs, garden rows, everything imaginable. The series of photos suggests trying to force the plant to grow taller and taller by extending the the depth it is covered does not increase the potatoes that were all produced in a relatively small area.

I agree, I love the little Russian fingerling potatoes but due to procrastination I have yet to do anything.

Now the common russet is another story.

Texas is a place I will try to plant potatoes in the late fall not the spring due to the heat.
Who knows what will happen.
Worth

It may well depend on the varieties...check the following site by Curzio
[URL]http://www.kenoshapotato.com/[/URL] Curzio talks about [FONT=Arial]long stolons and tall vines that develops above the soil line...[/FONT]
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[FONT=Arial]Tom has a post talking about taters in barrels that implies some will work with this approach [URL]http://tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=15881&highlight=tires+potato[/URL][/FONT]
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I could not find anywhere on the site that has production values for the 99 pound project (what's the max anyone has grown so far?)

I am not in that project, they have a facebook page and I read 8lbs on one entry...not sure if anybody have gotten higher yields. I am more interested in flavors/varieties than amounts for my backyard farm. It would be nice to know thou...maybe drop Curzio a note asking what is the max he had been reported from the challenge from members.

I noticed the guy with the box never got stolon formation where he buried the plant. I believe that is the goal. I have heard to cover the plant as it emerges, not halfway when it's up 8"-10" and it will still make roots. I'm going to take a 12" plant score from soil level to 2" below tip put rooting gel where I scored then bury and see what that does......

Many of my tuber pieces were buried by my chickens soon after planting, so have come up through 10" or so before even seeing light!

I've been wondering the same thing as Indyartist in his original post above. I'm running out of easily-hilled dirt for some of the more vigorous plants and wondering when the effort isn't worth the possible return.

With so many different varieties growing and being new to potato growing in the first place, it has me wondering what the Great Potato Whisperer does. Do the plants give you some sort of sign that they're hilled enough for that particular plant? One might be done after hilling to 8" and another variety might be an overachiever and keep producing tubers until it's several feet high, as mentioned in the tire thread linked above. Is there a way to tell when they're done -- or, I guess, when we're done with the hilling?

Speaking of which, I need to get back out there and hill some more... /puke

When I've had the room to both plant the seed pieces in a trench ~8" deep and also keep hilling 18", the result was a lot of digging when it was time to harvest, but not any more potatoes than when my hills are 10".

It may depend on variety, as noted in post #8, but for all the varieties I've tried, the main thing seems to be to hill enough to keep the growing tubers from being exposed to the sun. Some varieties seem to form tubers higher than others.

I am going to observe the plants that grow tall this year and die later. Then next season will try a box like the 99lb challenge with those varieties to see if I do have more potatoes than this year. Right now I am having small plants and tall next to each other because some I don't know yet their growth habit. Last year one tall was Reiche Tom perhaps that would work? Let's see if Tom chimes in with inside info ;)

Yukon Gold was one that hilling to 12" did nothing for me...only 3-5 tubers per plant :evil:and the plants were tall...