Earthing up: The practice of mounding soil around the base of a plant, often to provide support, protect from cold, or encourage growth.
Imagine earthing up as giving your plants a warm hug with soil. It involves gently mounding soil around the base of the plant, creating a small hill. This technique is used for various reasons, depending on the plant. For potatoes, earthing up encourages more tubers to form by covering more of the stem underground. It provides support and stability for tall, slender plants like tomatoes or Brussels sprouts, preventing them from bending or breaking. Earthing up can also protect plants from cold temperatures by insulating the base of the plant.
Earthing up is a simple but effective technique for your home garden that can benefit many different plants. For potatoes, you’ll want to earth up as the plants grow, gradually covering more of the stem. For other plants, earthing up can be done once or twice during the growing season. Just be careful not to bury the crown of the plant, which can lead to rot. Earthing up is a great way to provide extra support, protection, and encouragement to your garden plants.
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