hilling potatoes

[randy41]

i just finished hilling my potatoes for the first time this year. i use a couple of discs mounted to a tool bar. it does a great job. if i want it to make the hills higher do i flatten the disc angle so they grab more dirt or do i sharpen the angle they are set to? ground speed may have something to do with it too but i did one row faster than the others and the hill seems about the same. i will want to hill them again in a few weeks or so.

 

[Coolnorth]

HI Randy41,

You may have to space the discs further apart on the toolbar, then angle them "in" a bit more. I have a home made hiller on a trailer setup and that is one function of the hiller that I did the wrong way - I use a set of hand-screws to move the discs together, but the angle feature brings the discs on more of an angle as they get closer. I found the best setting, but my hills are pretty small. A second pass when the spuds are less than a foot high does add dirt to the hill , however.

Anyone else use discs on a toolbar?

 

[backdoor]

Hi randy41,
I live in Franklin County, Va., and I have a home made hiller using the A-frame from an old back blade with 2 16 inch disks on shafts. I have never adjusted them after the first couple times of use because I found a setting that works good enough for potatoes and hills to plant on. Usually my hills will compact some due to rain or just packing down. I run my old Pittsburg 7-shank field cultivator through my garden before hilling, to loosen the dirt, then right after hilling to work up the tire tracks I left. I try to keep the dirt loose between rows. After the first hilling about all you need to do is keep dirt hilled up to cover whatever potatoes that may grow through the ground. My neighbor borrowed my hiller a few days ago and I can't remember for sure, but I think I have the disks set about 30 degrees from straight ahead. My cultivator shanks are set close enough to the center so that the inner ones run in the furrow left by the hiller on each side of the row. Hope this helps.

 

[nybirdman]

I added a set of hiller's to may three point cultivator,just a bolt on and easily removed.I have since turned the cultivators around.Did my potatoes yesterday.

 

[randy41]

Hi randy41,
I live in Franklin County, Va., and I have a home made hiller using the A-frame from an old back blade with 2 16 inch disks on shafts. I have never adjusted them after the first couple times of use because I found a setting that works good enough for potatoes and hills to plant on. Usually my hills will compact some due to rain or just packing down. I run my old Pittsburg 7-shank field cultivator through my garden before hilling, to loosen the dirt, then right after hilling to work up the tire tracks I left. I try to keep the dirt loose between rows. After the first hilling about all you need to do is keep dirt hilled up to cover whatever potatoes that may grow through the ground. My neighbor borrowed my hiller a few days ago and I can't remember for sure, but I think I have the disks set about 30 degrees from straight ahead. My cultivator shanks are set close enough to the center so that the inner ones run in the furrow left by the hiller on each side of the row. Hope this helps.

i live in floyd co. howdy neighbor. last year i aggressively hilled the second time and the yield was very good. the year before i just hilled once with less good results. i pull my tiller between the rows before hilling to loosen the soil. last year there was a lot more rain and the soil consistency was different. i'll have to measure the angle that my discs are set to now.

 

[Big Barn]

I used to angle the discs more and (or) increase travel speed. Be careful not to do your second hilling too late in the growing cycle as you may inhibit tuber sizing.

Terry