Potatoes are an amazing root crop - with the right approach, they give ten out of one bucket.
But this plant needs attention. A negligent summer resident can collect even less in the fall than he planted. So "where to plant, what to plant, when to plant" are far from idle questions.
Seven conditions good harvest
1 Quality seed material... A lot depends on him. The fact is that viral and fungal diseases easily transmitted with tubers. In addition, potatoes tend to degenerate. This must also be remembered when choosing planting tubers. Examine each potato carefully so that there are no spots, dents or scars on it. It is also important to consider where the varieties are zoned and the ripening dates: early, medium, late. And, of course, the characteristics of the variety, for example, resistance to diseases. Tubers can be selected according to the number and location of the sprouts. It is better to take those in which the sprouts are located over the entire surface.
2 Tuber size. Tubers weighing 25-30 grams are considered small, medium - up to 80, large - 80-100. Often, summer residents prefer to plant the same medium tubers. But it is precisely these tubers that often appear from degenerate, weakened plants. Therefore, you should not get hung up on the size. You can plant even very small potatoes, but 3-4 pieces should be put in the holes. It is clear that large tubers are capable of producing a greater yield, but more of them are needed. Sometimes cut tubers are also used for planting, the main thing is that there are at least three eyes on the cut, in extreme cases, two.
3 Tuber preparation. This is very important stage... Measures that ensure the pre-planting germination of seed tubers are called vernalization. You cannot plant potatoes that have just been pulled out of the cellar. Before planting, seed tubers are placed in a room with a temperature of plus 12-15 degrees in diffused light for two to three weeks. Otherwise, the potatoes will germinate for a very long time. Light greens and heat accelerates kidney development. When using sprouted tubers, seedlings appear on the 8-14th day, and the crop ripens a week or two earlier. And, importantly, after that it can be half as high. In tubers prepared in this way, the protective properties, bacteria and disease-causing fungi die.
If you are not planting very many potatoes, wet sprouting can be done. Tubers are laid out in baskets or boxes with their eyes upward at a distance of 2-3 cm from each other and sprinkled with peat or sawdust, which should be moist throughout the germination period. Such potatoes germinate very quickly, but make sure that they do not suffer from frost.
Do not have time to germinate - carry out at least wilting. To do this, potato tubers need to be decomposed in any dry place at a temperature of 14-16 C for 8-10 days.
Two days before planting, a superphosphate solution should be prepared, and ammonium nitrate or urea should be added on the day of planting. Dip the tubers into this solution. To resist the fungal microflora, you can place them in a solution for 20 minutes. boric acid: 50 grams per ten liters of water with 10 grams added copper sulfate... Before throwing the tuber into the hole, it should be powdered with wood ash.
4 Landing site. The most common mistake of inexperienced gardeners is to grow potatoes in the same place from year to year. At the same time, we recall that it is not worth planting after tomatoes either - both crops belonging to the nightshade family suffer from the same diseases. The best precursors for potatoes are onions, garlic, cucumbers, radishes, radishes, cabbage, beans, green pea and other cruciferous or legumes. In the same place, potatoes can be planted only after 3-4 years.
Potatoes prefer light processed loams or sandy loam soils. On heavy and stony ones, it develops poorly, the tubers grow deformed.
5 Fertilizers. Potatoes are very demanding on the fertility of the land. Therefore, it is necessary to apply nitrogen and potash fertilizers... Very delicious potatoes grows on rotted manure or peat-manure compost. But fresh manure impairs its taste, in addition, it causes infection of the tubers with scab and reduces the yield. Potatoes are very responsive to making ash - 300 grams per square meter. Organic fertilizers usually put under autumn digging, and in the spring the soil is loosened with a pitchfork. If there is little fertilization, then compost or humus and ash are applied directly to the hole.
6 Landing dates. The most successful time is considered to be the time for the budding of birch trees. But in a spring like this one, signs can fail. It is better to plant potatoes not by date, but by weather. She will not survive severe frosts. Has the soil warmed up at a depth of 10 cm to plus six or seven degrees? The time is ripe! And if the temperature is plus nine to ten degrees, the potatoes will feel even more comfortable.
7 Landing technology. Usually tubers are planted in rows. For early varieties maintain a distance between the beds of 50 centimeters, and between the holes in a row - 25-35. For mid-ripening and mid-late varieties, the distance between the rows is 60-70 centimeters, and between the tubers - at least 35-40. But a greater distance, if space allows, can be done. It is better to plant potatoes on a lace, then it will be easy to process. If there is little moisture, plant the tubers on flat surface to a depth of 5-6 centimeters. Where groundwater is close and in low areas, it is better to land on ridges. In arid places - in trenches or separate holes.
Experienced tips
Healthy tubers have more weight at the same size. You can select them by placing them in a solution of urea, potassium salt. The healthy ones submerge, and the sick, the empty ones have buoyancy.
The timing of planting cut potatoes is very important. Freshly cut tubers are planted in warm soil. In the cold, cuts can rot. If you nevertheless decide to plant early, then the potatoes should not be cut immediately before planting, but ten days in advance. During this time, the sections will be covered with a cork layer.
At pre-germination potatoes in the light every five days, the tubers are carefully shifted so that the lower eyes with sprouts are on top.
What a vegetable garden without potatoes: you can't cook soup without it, and it is very good with a fresh cucumber! Therefore, in the spring, looking around his site, each summer resident thinks about where and how to plant potatoes so that there is a good harvest.
At the same time, it is advisable to spend as little time and effort as possible on leaving, because in addition to potatoes, the garden is full of all sorts of things that cannot be ignored.
In the last article we told
And today in In this article I will talk about traditional and unusual ways of planting potatoes. This will help you choose the best option: so that the harvest is plentiful and minimal maintenance is required.
This is the simplest, most famous and most old way planting potatoes.
Convenient when working together. One makes holes with a shovel, and the other follows and puts tubers in these holes. The holes are located in one row at a distance of 50-60 cm from each other. Optimally, there should be 70-90 cm between the rows, so that each bush receives enough light, and then it is convenient to huddle.
Potatoes in the first row are covered with earth, taken out of the hole in the second row with a shovel. That's the whole technology.
The one who digs holes, with one foot presses on the shovel, and the other foot leaves a mark on the ground at a distance just needed for the next row. A second row is organized along this trail. But lovers of beauty and order can first pull a cord or twine and make holes along it. Then the seedlings will delight the owner with even, like a ruler, rows.
The land for this method of planting should be loose, and the site is flat and not very large, since, you yourself understand, the method is quite laborious. Therefore, summer residents use it on their plots; mechanized planting is used on an industrial scale.
If the ground has not been prepared in the fall, then a handful of humus can be sprinkled into each hole, mixing it with the ground.
Rows should be done in the direction from north to south, so that during the day the bushes are illuminated evenly: first in the morning - from the east, at noon and at sunset - from the west. If you arrange the rows from east to west, then with north side the bushes will constantly be in the shade, our potatoes will be uncomfortable and the yield will be lower.
The area of the plot allocated for potatoes depends on the size of your garden. It's good when there is so much land that you don't have to rack your brains, how to fit everything.
If the site is tiny, and there are a lot of plans in your head, then you have to find non-standard solutions... And this is what the cunning Chinese came up with.
Planting potatoes in the Chinese way
As you know, there are a lot of Chinese people in the world, and they have very little fertile land. Therefore, each piece is used 100% and even more. I myself witnessed how the security guard of a private beach on the shores of the Yellow Sea grew onions and beets, literally several pieces at a time, on a narrow area between the sidewalk and the fence.
But how do they grow potatoes? That's how. They dig a hole 75x75 cm in size and half a meter deep. The earth at the bottom is well loosened, about a third of a bucket of compost is poured there (you can take well-rotted manure), 30-50 grams of superphosphate and a handful of ash. Mix everything well.
A potato with sprouted eyes is placed in the middle of the hole and buried to a depth of 8 cm. Previously, in order to activate the potato eyes, a simple cut is made around the circumference of the tuber to a depth of about 1 cm, or even the pulp is cut out in this place so that an "hourglass" is obtained from the tuber ... To prevent decay, the incision site is treated with ash.
As soon as the stems have grown to 15 cm above the ground, a 10 cm layer of loose earth is poured around. The tops stretch up and, as soon as it has grown again by 20 cm, they again cover it with earth, leaving only a few upper leaves on top.
And this is done several times until the pit is filled. Each time, they are fed with manure, ash and superphosphate, only in smaller quantities than when planting.
Water once a week and pluck part of the buds from time to time so that they are not consumed nutrients, but got to the resulting tubers.
They say that the Chinese thus get 20-24 kg of potatoes from one tuber. Agree, from this amount you can cook dinner for a large family and even more than once.
The advantages of this method are obvious:
- can be used small area land;
- planting material is saved;
- no need to weed and huddle;
- frequent watering is not required;
- easier to protect against the Colorado potato beetle.
But not everything is so simple. The main disadvantage is that Russian gardeners cannot extract the promised kilograms from the pit. The Chinese cunning did not take root on Russian soil.
But we, the Russians, are also not bastard. We came up with our own tricks. Here is one of them.
Planting potatoes under straw
This method was invented, probably, by "lazy" gardeners who value spring time and remember well the proverb "In the spring, the day feeds the year." Planting potatoes under straw does not provide for laborious digging of the site, which saves time.
The tubers are laid out in rows directly on the heated ground. Then, straw is placed on top of 30-50 cm. Everything. The potato is planted.
This could end the description of such a method, but let's tell you some nuances.
Before covering with straw, the tubers can be lightly sprinkled with earth. Then the potatoes will not turn green and will sprout faster.
If the tubers germinate a little before planting, you will get an early harvest.
Watering is necessary only in case of severe drought, since the moisture under the straw is well preserved.
No hilling required.
Instead of fresh straw, you can take last year's, which after use was dried and stored in a dry place until spring.
Tubers grown under straw are smooth and large. Since they lie practically on the surface, it is enough to simply rake them out to collect them.
It is very important that the structure of the soil is improved, the rotted hay serves as a top dressing.
And most importantly, they planted 1 bucket of potatoes, and collected 12-20 buckets! And these are not Chinese promises, but real Russian reality!
Watch a video in which an experienced gardener Galina Kizima shows in practice how she plants potatoes under straw.
In my opinion, the method of planting under the straw is just perfect, you can't imagine better. However, someone will complain: "I have a tiny plot and there is a completely unsuitable place for potatoes, nothing will grow there."
And what now, not to plant potatoes? Thank God, the craftsmen are not extinct yet, they have found a way out here too.
Planting potatoes in a barrel - a method for a small area
Old plastic, metal or wooden barrel, wicker structure made of wood or metal, old car tires stacked on top of each other, a basket with a height of more than 30 cm, and metal grid wrapped in straw - all these containers can be used for growing potatoes.
The container can be installed in any unsuitable area, where even weeds are notwant to grow. It is only important that there is enough light.
For example, consider how to grow potatoes in an old metal barrel.
The barrel should be without a bottom so that excess moisture goes into the ground. Before pouring soil into it, inside it you need to thoroughly rinse it with boiling water and soda, and paint the outside of the dark surface with light paint. Then the earth in the barrel will not overheat.
Now, every 10-15 cm along the surface of the barrel, holes with a diameter of 1 cm must be drilled so that the soil in it is saturated with oxygen. And it is also desirable to make the barrel detachable, so that it is convenient to harvest in the fall.
With the barrel sorted out. It remains to decide how to water the plant evenly. This is very important, since drying out is unacceptable, this will immediately affect the yield and our work will be wasted.
We use an ordinary hose for watering. We make a plug from one end of the hose and make cuts every 20 cm on the part that will be in the barrel, through which we will supply water for irrigation or air for ventilation. We lower the hose vertically into the barrel, leave one end outside. If the hose is long enough, you can also lay it in a barrel in a spiral pattern.
The soil in which we will plant the tubers must be steamed or calcined first. This is how we get rid of dangerous bacteria or pests.
Now you can start planting. We mix the earth with compost in equal proportions and fill the bottom by 10-15 cm. Then, around the circumference, 20 cm apart, we lay out the already sprouted potatoes. From above, we again fall asleep with earth by 10 cm.
As soon as the sprouts have reached a height of 2-3 cm, sprinkle them again by 10 cm with a mixture of earth and compost. And so we repeat several times until the earth in the barrel rises by 1 meter.
Weeding and hilling are not required. It remains only to monitor the moisture content of the soil in order to prevent drying out.
Those gardeners who can only be jealous of the happy owners of old barrels quickly found their bearings and improved this method.
How to plant potatoes in a bag - step by step instructions
For growing potatoes, you can use ordinary plastic bags instead of barrels, for example, from sugar. Place them in any well-lit place in the garden, even if the ground there is trampled down and unsuitable for growing anything.
We bought the bags, what should we do now?
- Tuck the bags halfway.
- Pour a mixture of earth, humus and peat up to 40 cm at the bottom.
- Lay out 5-6 tubers and cover with earth.
- Drizzle.
- Put another 5-6 tubers and cover 15 cm with humus.
- After the emergence of seedlings (after 2-3 weeks), cover them with humus.
- Wait for the entrances again and fall asleep again.
- Repeat the procedure until the bag is 2/3 full.
- Water regularly to avoid drying out.
- When the potatoes begin to bloom, some of the buds need to be pinched off so that nutrients are not wasted on them.
The crop is ripe when the tops begin to dry out.
Of course, growing potatoes in bags is beneficial, since in addition to saving space, time is also saved. No need to weed, huddle and fight various pests (Colorado potato beetle, bear).
As a disadvantage, the need to use a large number humus and constantly monitor the moisture content of the soil in the bags.
The inexhaustible craving for experiments of our summer residents-gardeners can only be envied. For tiny areas, they came up with barrels and bags. And if there are huge fields, but few workers? There is also a solution for this case.
Square - nesting method of planting
The square-nesting method of planting was invented for mechanized processing of fields.
The site is divided into squares using a cord stretched between two pegs and a marker. The side of the square is 70-90 cm, depending on the parameters of the technique.
In the places marked with a marker, make a nest hole 6-8 cm deep, add fertilizer there and spread the tuber. You can also lay out 2 potatoes at a distance of 10-15 cm from each other. Then the nest is covered with earth.
This position allows the tractor and cultivator to walk along and across the field without damaging the plants.
You can use the square-nested planting method on your site and carry out processing manually.
Its advantage is that less potatoes are required for planting, the bushes are evenly illuminated and do not interfere with each other. As a result, the yield is 10-15% higher than if planted in the usual way"Under the shovel."
And at the same time, moisture evaporates faster with this method and additional watering is required, especially in dry times. Plus you have to fight weeds and huddle.
Having considered from all sides the topic of how to plant potatoes so that there is a good harvest, what did we find out?
- There is a time-tested method of planting "under a shovel", which gives a sufficient yield, but requires the allocation of certain areas.
- There are unusual ways of planting potatoes that are convenient to use in small areas. However, gardeners do not have an unambiguous opinion about the yield of these methods: someone is happy with the harvest, someone thinks that "the game is not worth the candle."
Choose the method that best suits your expectations and capabilities. If you liked the article, share it with your friends.
I wish you all good harvests!
Potatoes in Russia began to be grown with light hand Tsar Peter the Great. I hardly imagined then Russian emperor that this vegetable will become one of the main products on the tables of Russians and that the Russian people will learn to grow skillfully and get a rich harvest.
What is the seed - such is the harvest
To plant potatoes, you need to prepare in advance. Any gardener knows why this should be done. When we plant something, we always set a goal for ourselves - to get a good harvest, but such a harvest that we would not be ashamed of it. And the most important thing is that the harvest reserves will last for a long time. Better until the next harvest. It is worth paying attention to seeds for planting potatoes. This is very important, since only from good seeds you can get a rich harvest. We prepare seeds for planting in the fall during the harvesting of potatoes, setting aside the tubers for planting for next spring.
We pay attention to the bushes that gave the most high yield potatoes. Small roots are better suited for planting. The size of one potato should be the size of egg... But we must not forget about the tubers. big size, since you will get much more from them than from small potatoes. And such potatoes will ripen faster. But do not forget that using large potatoes for planting is an unnecessary cost. Therefore, we dwell on the very the best option- on tubers the size of an egg.
It is possible that when planting potatoes, you may encounter a small problem - there may not be enough seeds. Do not be upset - there are no hopeless situations. Large tubers will come in handy here. We cut them in half, paying attention that on each half there is at least one "eye", from where the sprouts should go.
In sunny, warm weather, remember to dry your seeds in the sun. This will ensure a good harvest.
If you buy seeds from a store, ask the seller for a quality certificate. If he cannot present such a document, it is worth considering whether you will get a good harvest. Such material for planting is extremely undesirable, since various microbes can get into the soil.
Before planting, the potatoes must be held in the light. As you know, this The best way so that the potatoes turn green. We know that it is impossible to eat "green" potatoes, since such tubers contain the poisonous substance solanine, but when planting it is very useful to plant greenery on potatoes - this will protect our planting material from pests and rodents. This procedure must be started thirty days before planting in the ground. First, we prepare a weak solution of potassium permanganate and rinse the potato tubers to protect against disease. Then we arrange the planting potatoes in wooden crates.
Some gardeners are of the opinion that you need to germinate potatoes in the dark. But this is an erroneous view, because the sprouts of potatoes will be long, but not viable and will easily break when planted. But in the light (however, you need to avoid direct sunlight), yes with warm temperature indoors, the potatoes will turn green quite successfully. Moreover, if you turn the tubers from time to time for the best effect, they will turn green evenly. In this case, the emerging sprouts will be thick and strong.
So, our planting material is ready.
Preparing the soil
Have you taken care of the fertility of the soil where you are going to grow potatoes? Do not forget that you need to take care of it since the fall, when you have harvested. To enrich the soil tired over the summer, it must be fed with fertilizer. The best and most natural is manure. Ten liters of rotted manure is enough for one square meter. Digging will require about fifty grams of potash-phosphorus fertilizers, which must be applied in August-September. Thirteen grams of ammonium nitrate must be added per square meter.
When digging up the ground in the fall, do not try to break up the earth lumps. Autumn rains and snow will do it for you, and the earth will become soft.
Remember to stock up on ash. Ash, combustion product tree species, - the best fertilizer for potatoes, as it contains a wide variety of trace elements, necessary for plants: potassium, calcium, phosphorus and others.
Planting time
Now it has become very fashionable to plant vegetables very early. It got warmer a little at the end of April - and the owners of garden plots rush into the battle for the harvest. They plant it, and then after the first frost they bite their elbows: they say, the seedlings and tomatoes have disappeared ... Haste is not an assistant in this matter. So potatoes have their own planting dates, which are better to adhere to, especially since 90 days are enough for this popular and nutritious vegetable to ripen. So you will have time to harvest, even if you plant potatoes at the end of May.
Before you start planting potatoes, you need to know the air temperature at which planting is possible. The air temperature, which is favorable, is not lower than ten degrees Celsius.
Landing technology
After making a hole, do not forget to apply fertilizer to its bottom to protect it from pests and to improve the quality of the soil with trace elements. To improve the yield, add one handful of humus to each hole or wood ash... Can also be used as fertilizer onion skins... There will be fewer pests in your garden.
After you have placed all the components in the well, you need to stir them. And only then plant potatoes. Looking ahead, I will say that a good friend of mine has this attitude to planting potatoes. For her, this is a whole art. On its site, the area for potatoes takes up very little space. But on the other hand, she gets an excellent harvest. There is almost a bucket from each bush - this is the norm!
If the soil is more dense, then the depth of the holes should be five centimeters. We plant the tubers sprout down. In this case, the earth must be loose. The potatoes are planted in a hole, sprinkle with earth and take a rake to level the soil.
The most popular and easiest way to plant potatoes is “under a shovel”. One person digs holes and another throws tubers into the holes and adds fertilizer such as manure or urea. To close up the tubers, you need a depth of no more than 17 cm. In this way it is very convenient to plant potatoes on small area, convenience this method lies in the fact that it saves labor costs and planting in this way will be of very high quality.
The next method, or technology of planting, is the "Dutch" technology. Planting takes place as follows: a row is dug with an approximate depth of about 20 cm, the potato tubers are smoothed at a distance of about 20 cm from each other, it all depends on their volume, then the beds are buried.
However, everyone has their own way of landing. Although, it would seem, how can you diversify this process? Someone plants the tubers directly in the furrow, by eye determining the distance between the tubers. Others are more scrupulous about planting: they measure the distance, trying not to deviate from the measured centimeters. Then the seedlings are friendly and even. To do this, you can measure a rope of the required size (I suggest 30 centimeters - this distance will be between the holes in the same row) and tie the ends of this rope to two sticks.
When planting, pull the rope along the planting row, dig a hole near one of the sticks, then next to the other and gradually rearrange the sticks, complete the planting of the row. Are you too scrupulous? But what will be friendly and even ascending, that you will be proud of yourself! In the same way, you can measure the distance between the rows. Only I would suggest increasing it to 60 centimeters. Although, if you have a small area, you can slightly reduce this distance. The bushes are not very tall, and this does not affect the yield.
To fight the enemy from Colorado
Even twenty years ago, potato growers did not know any special concerns when growing potatoes. In the spring, they planted the tubers in the prepared soil, then, when the potato sprouts reached a sufficient size, they huddled, and in the fall they harvested. But twenty years ago, a serious enemy appeared in the Russian potato - the Colorado potato beetle. If you fail to keep track of it, all efforts during planting will be wasted and you may be left without a crop.
Therefore, in order to protect yourself and facilitate the care of potatoes during their growth, it is good to use special means such as "Prestige" and "Commander", which will help to get rid of the invasion of Colorado potato enemies at least before flowering. The use of these funds is not difficult: before planting, the tubers are simply dipped into the preparation solution prepared according to the instructions and the colored tubers are planted in the ground. Tested: you will live in peace for at least half a summer. And when the potatoes have faded, no Colorado beetles are afraid of him!
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How to plant potatoes in springWhen to plant potatoes
Tubers begin to be planted in early May. It was at this time that the earth had already warmed up enough, but had not yet lost moisture from the melting of snow. In the southern regions of Russia, where spring comes much earlier, you can start planting at the end of April, and in the northern regions - in mid-May.
There is and folk omen: "Potatoes should be planted when the leaves on the birches become the size of a penny." During this period, the soil warms up to a depth of 10 cm, and return frosts in May are not terrible even for the earliest shoots.
There are many varieties of potatoes with detailed description can be found in the article "The best varieties of potatoes"
- In the south of the country, it is best to plant early thermophilic varieties: Impala, Bellarosa and Zhukovsky.
- IN middle lane Russia and the northern regions are very popular: Rosara, Luck, Kiwi and Adretta.
What you need to know about planting potatoes
Regardless of the technology chosen, it is necessary to observe General requirements... The main ones are:
- The planting sequence must be made from south to north, then all the bushes will receive the same amount of light, and will not shade each other;
- There should be a distance of at least 60 cm between the rows, and 25-30 cm between the tubers;
- Planting depth: for light sandy soil - about 10 cm, for loamy soil - 8 cm, for heavy clay soil - 4-5 cm;
- It is necessary to fertilize the plantings with ash, humus or other organic additives;
How to choose the direction of the sprouts when planting potatoes
If the soil is dry and planting must be done at a depth of more than 10 cm, then the tubers are placed only sprouts up in order to get seedlings in time. If the planting is shallow, you can change the tactics and arrange the tubers with sprouts down, then they will grow in different directions, and the bush will turn out to be more spreading and strong.
Potatoes often sprout in spring when stored in a cellar. Many people confuse the long white shoots with sprouts and plant the tubers in the wrong direction. Such shoots are a kind of potato root system; they take nutrients from the tuber prematurely and break when planting. Having found them on the planting material, you should carefully break them off and discard.
How to properly cut tubers before planting
Before planting, it is necessary to inspect the already sprouted tubers. If they are large enough and with big amount sprouts, then such potatoes can be cut to increase the amount planting material.
It is necessary to cut the tubers not across, but along. Each potato has a top on which strong shoots develop best. Cutting the fruit across, you get only one fertile half, and along - two equal. When working, it is advisable to disinfect the blade after each cut in order to exclude infection with viruses.
Traditional methods of planting potatoes
Today, the methods of planting potatoes can be roughly divided into two groups: manual and mechanical.
Manual planting using a tool
In turn, it is divided according to the type of soil preparation for the introduction of planting material.
- Ridge;
- In the trenches;
- Smooth.
For planting potatoes by hand, a shovel or a hoe is most often used. For convenience, planting material is poured into buckets or wicker baskets. small size.
This method is used for heavy clay soils when groundwater is close to the surface. First of all, it is necessary to "cut" the ridges:
- The distance between the rows should be 70-80 cm;
- For manual "cutting" a hoe is used, it can also be done with a tractor using a special attachment;
- The height of the comb should be about 15 cm.
At the tops of the ridges, the tubers are not placed deeply, by 4-5 cm. Then, with the help of a hoe, they are covered with soil from the trench.
This method is completely opposite to the ridged planting. It is used in areas with sandy soil and arid climate. The trench cutting technique is similar to that of the ridge technology. The tubers themselves are placed in a recess, and then sprinkled with soil.
Smooth planting of potatoes "Shovel"
This method is popularly called "under the shovel." Usually this is done together: one person lifts a layer of earth with a shovel, and the other places a tuber in the soil. Another option for working one at a time: the previous one with potatoes is covered with earth from the next hole.
Mechanical planting with arable implements
- Under the plow;
- Under the plow;
- Using a walk-behind tractor or tractor.
The planting method must be selected in accordance with the specific conditions of the location of your site. Arbitrary selection can lead to crop loss.
Horses, a tractor or a walk-behind tractor are used as tractive power. There are also small hand plows that you can use to work the land yourself.
Landing under a plow or plow
These methods are similar to each other. The plow is an outdated plow for cultivating light soils, up to a depth of 12 cm. Wooden structure has shafts to which the horse is harnessed. The modern plow is a more convenient and improved plowing implement.
Planting potatoes under a plow or plow begins in the middle of the plot. Tubers are laid in the first furrow, then the horse is turned around and passed side by side, making a second trench and covering the previous one with earth. Thus, new furrows are drawn alternately to the left and right around the already planted ones. This is necessary so that the horse does not pass over the already planted strip, as it can crush the tubers. It was about planting potatoes under a plow that the proverb "A good horse will not spoil a furrow" was formed.
Planting potatoes using a walk-behind tractor
Most convenient way planting potatoes. First you need to make furrows. After the first penetration, the second is done side by side, placing the walk-behind tractor wheel near the edge of the previous strip. In this way, the entire planting area is processed.
The distance between the furrows is about 60-70 cm. Fertilizer and seeds are placed in the pits, and then they are covered. To do this, it is necessary that the wheel of the walk-behind tractor passes through the trench with potatoes, filling the adjacent strip with earth. It is best to use a rubber wheel at this stage, as the metal wheel can damage the tubers.
Unusual ways of planting potatoes
There are also unusual methods of planting potatoes, with which you can get a good harvest using a small plot of land and improvised means. Each of these methods allows you to quickly grow and harvest young potatoes, and also partially protects the plants from pests and diseases.
Planting potatoes "Under the straw"
This method is used on virgin soil. The potatoes are laid out on the site, and covered with a thick layer of straw on top, it is gradually increased as the bushes grow. The crop with this planting is good and clean.
Under the black film
To do this, you can use not only film, but also black agrospan. The material is spread on the site and fixed at the edges. At the planting sites, cross cuts are made, holes are scooped out and potato tubers are planted. Maintenance of such a planting is required minimal, and the harvest will be plentiful and early due to the heating of the soil.
Planting in barrels, buckets or bags
This method can be used to grow potatoes indoors. Fill any convenient container with earth, lay the tubers and sprinkle it, then add soil as the bushes grow.
Not every gardener manages to harvest a good harvest of potatoes. As a rule, mistakes occur at the stage of preparation of the planting material and at the time of planting. Cultural agrotechnology is simple, and there is enough information in the form of useful articles on the topic and videos. Nevertheless, beginners in this business fail.
When to plant potatoes
Moderately moist, warmed up soil up to + 8 ... + 9 ° С is an ideal environment for sowing potatoes. Sprouts are capable of forming only at temperatures above +5 ° С, when lowering to + 1.5 ° С, tubers are severely damaged. Therefore, for a good harvest, it is so important to observe the planting time in open ground... With frost -1 ° C and high humidity, the seedlings will turn black and die. Only some frost-resistant hybrids endure a short-term decrease - up to -2 ... -4 ° С.
High degrees are also harmful to young plants, air temperature + 30 ... + 35 ° С slows down the development of potatoes to a complete stop.
The tops grow best at + 17 ... + 22 ° С. It is not for nothing that potatoes are called "cool summer culture". For the active formation of root crops, it is necessary + 16 ... + 19 ° C, and for buds and flowers + 18 ... + 21 ° C.
Attention! When the soil is heated to + 29 ° C, the tubers stop developing.
IN climatic conditions In the middle latitudes of the Russian Federation, potatoes are planted in the first decade of May, the northern regions - in mid-May, in the south - at the end of April.
It is important to observe the timing of planting potatoes
How to plant potatoes
There are several landing patterns:
- Trench. Suitable for southern areas as well as areas with light sandstone. Furrows (trenches) drip to a depth of 10–15 cm, the distance between rows is 0.70–0.75 m. Tubers are laid out from each other by 35–40 cm. shavings or ash. The litter that has rotted over the winter will warm the soil and allow potatoes to be planted earlier than usual.
- Smooth. Traditional scheme landing. Tubers are laid in holes and covered with earth. The depth of the holes depends on the soil on the site. On loose, light areas, potatoes are covered by 10-12 cm, on dense ones - by 4-5 cm.
- Ridge. For places with heavy clay soils, for lowlands with stagnation groundwater... The combs are poured 10-15 cm high and the tubers are planted. In such conditions, the bushes grow well, there is little likelihood of root rot. The method also makes harvesting much easier.
- Landing "before winter". The site is dug up in the fall, rotted organic matter and complex mines are introduced. fertilizer. The garden bed is mulched with straw (8–10 cm), and with the first snow it is covered with agromaterial until spring. For such a planting, cold-resistant, early or medium-early varieties are chosen (Adretta, Sante, Lugovskoy, Lasunak, Krepysh, Impala). Landing scheme:
- between the bushes 20 cm;
- between rows 0.40–0.45 m.
Attention! Planting depth of winter potatoes 20 cm.
Unusual planting of potatoes
Yielding greenhouse potatoes. Early ripening varieties and sweet potatoes are grown in closed greenhouses. This method will ensure abundant tuberization and the absence of insect pests on the plants. The disadvantages include the cost of heating and additional lighting with lamps. In case of early spring planting these measures can be dispensed with. The greenhouse is oriented from west to east, the roof is designed with a gable. Inside, the bed is additionally covered with breathable agromaterial. After germination of tubers, the shelter is removed.
Attention! In greenhouse conditions, there is a high risk of activating fungi and viruses.
Interesting method of growing potatoes in a pit... To do this, dig a half-meter hole with a diameter of about 90 cm.The bottom is covered with humus (10 cm). Several tubers are laid out, which are covered with a mixture of soil and compost (1: 1) in a layer of 10–12 cm. As the tops grow, the soil is poured until it is level with the edges of the pit. Productivity with this method is 1 bucket of potatoes from one pit.
Planting potatoes "mound"... A circle with a diameter of 2 m is marked. At the edges, holes are formed to a depth of 10–12 cm. Fertilizer is placed at the bottom (superphosphate 10–15 g and a handful of ash), tubers are laid. As the top grows, the soil is filled up until a hill is obtained in a height of 0.40–0.45 m. The plant forms an extensive root system, due to which the yield also increases.
Potatoes in a barrel
Potatoes in a barrel or bag... The containers are filled with a nutrient mixture. 3-4 tubers are dipped into each. The potatoes are watered regularly. For drain excess moisture provide drainage holes. Harvest 1 bucket from one container.
"Chessboard" sowing of potatoes... The arrangement of tubers allows placing 1.5 times more potatoes than when planting in linear furrows. The distance between the grooves is 22–25 cm. The disadvantage of this method is that it is not very convenient to care for the garden bed.
Preparation of material for planting
Varietal potatoes will degenerate in 5-6 years, noticeably grind, will be lost and taste qualities... At home, you can get elite seed tubers.
To do this, the healthiest, smoothest roots are selected in the spring and placed in a cool basement for the summer. Spray every 3-4 days with water. By September, the tubers will grow roots with small bulbs, from which select seed potatoes are obtained the next year.
Mini tubers can also be obtained from:
- cuttings;
- the upper cut of the tuber;
- from potato sprouts.
Update your planting material periodically
The prepared material for planting must be disinfected. This is done to reduce the risk of fungal and viral diseases. Sprayed with a composition of:
- manganese (1 g);
- copper sulfate (5 g);
- orthoboric acid (12 g);
- carbomide (40 g);
- superphosphate (60 g).
The grams are indicated for 10 liters of water. The mixture will not only dress the seeds, but also provide additional nutrition to the seedlings. The yield will increase by 10-15% the cutting of tubers. To do this, two months before planting, the tubers are cut with a sterile knife along or around the circumference. Thus, they stimulate the appearance of buds and sprouts from all parts.
Sprinkling or drip irrigation will add not only the number of tubers, but also improve the quality indicators.