potato earthing up disaster ??

[smilingshoe]

Oh dear have I made huge blunder ?. I planted 3 potato tubers in potato grow bags( x2) quite a while ago ( we are talking six ish weeks ago ) . I did it with the express intention of earthing up as I went. However hectic/ laziness have held me back and today after spending ...£ 6 on compost I have muscled in there and tried to cover them all up. However there are still loads of leaves popping out the top and I think I have broken some of the stems in the process. I have added quite a lot of compost , too much ? I'm not very good a measuring things I'd say I have doubled the amount of compost ( it's now about 3 x 1 ltr Gordons Gin bottle height , rather than the 1.5 it was to start). I haven't watered them, just in case someone who knows about this sort of thing thinks I ought to take it all out.

Thanks I advance to anyone who might be able to offer some advice.

[TWC015]

You don't need to cover up all the leaves - the plant cannot photosynthesize if all the leaves are covered up with dirt.

I think you only need to add a small amount of dirt, about 15 cm total, which is just enough to cover up the tubers as they grow.

I hilled my potatoes when they began flowering and haven't done it anymore. I can see some tubers just under the dirt. I just don't see the point in having extremely tall potato hills when most potato varieties don't grow tubers up the stem.

[garden5]

Welcome to the Helpful Gardener .

You don't want to totally bury the leaves, just some of the stems as the leaves grow. Also be sure that the potatoes don't get exposed to sunlight as that will ruin them.