We made a quick video harvesting our no-dig potatoes. They have been grown with zero maintenance and no spraying of chemicals, yet we had no blight at all. We used a method most commonly known as lasange or back to eden gardening. Without digging the soil, cardboard is put down on the grasses and weeds, then covered with compost and a layer of mulch. This cuts out nearly all the weeds and stop new ones from growing on the surface, just the way nature does it.
We usually don’t harvest all of the potatoes in one go, but instead we store in situe where they have been grown and take as many as we need when we need them. With the woodchip or straw mulch covering they will withstand mild frosts without issues and because we didn’t dig the soil there is no excess of moisture so the chance of the rotting in the ground is very slim. This way you will have less work and don’t need a place to store them as well, plus they taste much fresher as they don’t dry out.
The woodchip or straw mulch helps with climate fluctuations, for example it’s like a blanket that keeps roots warm during a frost and also during times of drought the covering conserves moisture by stopping the sun from impacting the soil directly.
We will record another video on how to set these beds up, so please keep an eye on our website.
Here is a full gallery of this garden with lots of pictures of how it was set up and while it was growing: