Possible frost, covering potatoes

[YumYum]

There is a possible frost Monday morning. The potato plants are about 3" above the soil right now. I usually just cover them up with sawdust or something and then blow the dust off the leaves the next day but I'm wondering if anyone has ever just hilled up the entire vine with dirt to protect it since it is close to time to being hilled up anyways. Will the plant continue to poke through the soil normally or will it hurt them because of a no leaf situation? Anyone ever done it like that?

 

[Meadowlark]

I've encountered this many many times including this spring.

If I do nothing, the potatoes will rebound with new growth, but the energy required to produce it will reduce your production (usually for me first time frost 10% reduction on short plants, second time about 25%). Happened to me this spring already and they all recovered fine...but I do expect a production hit. I have so many plants out with my experiment going, it was just too much trouble to protect them all.

However, I usually try to protect. If the plants are short like yours are, I will cover lightly with dirt entirely then the next day or so brush the dirt off to show green foliage. Like you mentioned you need the dirt anyway.

If the vines are medium to large, I have a frost plant cover for protection but that is a pain and I've never had to resort to that. Never had a frost that late in the cycle.

Good luck...anything else at risk in your garden?

p.s. here is the current potato stand which was frosted back to the ground in mid-March. Looks fully recovered...but there will be a price to pay at harvest.

 

[YumYum]

Good luck...anything else at risk in your garden?

No I haven't put out any of the warm weather vegetables yet. I have some broccoli, cabbage, and onions out but they will be fine.

 

[headfullofbees]

Frost here too next week.
I've covered my tattie mounds in grass cuttings, because my spuds aren't through yet, so the moisture in the grass will insulate the soil.

 

[headfullofbees]

I've encountered this many many times including this spring.

If I do nothing, the potatoes will rebound with new growth, but the energy required to produce it will reduce your production (usually for me first time frost 10% reduction on short plants, second time about 25%). Happened to me this spring already and they all recovered fine...but I do expect a production hit. I have so many plants out with my experiment going, it was just too much trouble to protect them all.

However, I usually try to protect. If the plants are short like yours are, I will cover lightly with dirt entirely then the next day or so brush the dirt off to show green foliage. Like you mentioned you need the dirt anyway.

If the vines are medium to large, I have a frost plant cover for protection but that is a pain and I've never had to resort to that. Never had a frost that late in the cycle.

Good luck...anything else at risk in your garden?

p.s. here is the current potato stand which was frosted back to the ground in mid-March. Looks fully recovered...but there will be a price to pay at harvest.

View attachment 95574

Can you spray the foliage with enough water so that when it freezes it protects from frost?

 

[Meadowlark]

Did Jack Frost pay you an unwelcomed visit, YumYum ?

 

[YumYum]

Yes sir he did. I hilled my taters and left a few leaves exposed, like a regular hilling, then I just covered the leaves heavily with some pine straw and then uncovered the next morning. Worked great as I havent seen any blackening of the leaves yet. More work than what I wanted to do but I wanted to protect them so they wouldn't have to change gears.