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Can i use old compost to earth up potatoes ?

selinasallyselinasally Posts: 166
in Fruit & veg
First time growing them in bags -
Is it a bad idea to use old compost that my kalettes were in all year to earth over my potatoes with ??? I can add potatoe fertiliser but worried about introducing pests 

Posts

  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    Can't see it being a problem unless you feel the old compost was contaminated in some way that could affect the potato :)

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Sounds like a good idea to me.  It's what I would do if I had a similar situation  :)

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • selinasallyselinasally Posts: 166
    So the kalettes were never succeeded as they kept getting eaten and I be ever worked out what it was pigeons or slugs and snails and I just let it go to flower and accepted no crops !! 
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    Brassicas and potatoes are complementary companions in the vegetable garden, so there shouldn’t be any traces of anything in your old kale compost that can harm the potatoes.

    Never heard of a specific potato fertiliser, if planted in good, fresh potting mix to begin with though, they shouldn’t need it, but if you feel they do need a boost, mix a little bit of bagged manure in with the spent compost to refresh it.

    Strictly speaking, you can earth up with anything as all you are doing once risk of frost has passed (so less need to protect tender new foliage) is protecting the growing tubers from exposure to light. I use straw as it helps retain moisture in the soil - but that’s growing them direct in open ground.
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • EmptyheadtimeEmptyheadtime Posts: 366
    Last year due to lock down etc i ended up using the moss i raked out the lawn to cover my spuds. Worked fine so i reckon your old compost will be OK.
  • purplerallimpurplerallim Posts: 5,287
    I use last year's tomato plant  compost ( minus roots and top inch, as by this time its a bit mossy) 😁
  • IlikeplantsIlikeplants Posts: 894
    I've just used compost that wasn't fully ready yet. Also straw. We shall see.
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