How to plant potatoes

In the nineties of the last century, for many, growing potatoes was a means of survival. Now people familiar with agronomy make this a profitable business.

Planting potatoes by the rules

Our ancestors knew one option for planting potatoes - digging holes with a shovel. With the development of modern breeding, methods for planting it cannot be counted. This is explained by the fact that the yield of potatoes depends on the method of planting. Of course, you should not discount fertilizer application, vegetable variety and rainfall.

The basic postulates for any method do not differ. In autumn, the plot is prepared by digging it and fertilizing it. In spring, you can loosen the soil without digging it, but walking a rake and breaking large clods.

Long before planting, nodules are sorted out, sorting them by size. For germination, the prepared planting material is placed in boxes with ventilation holes and placed in a warm, bright place.

Before planting, furrows are laid (or dig holes), fertilize the site. Sprouted nodules are put on the prepared place, sprinkling them with earth. When the bushes form, they are spudded to increase productivity, they are fighting the Colorado potato beetle.

They begin to plant potatoes closer to May. Well-heated soil contributes to the rapid growth and development of tubers. In order to take a double crop, in the southern regions potatoes are planted at the end of July. Early varieties are selected, from which they are harvested until the first frost.

Selection and preparation of planting material

Following popular traits, you need to plant potatoes as soon as the bird cherry blossoms. You need to have time to prepare everything for landing. Every four years, this vegetable is recommended to be updated, changing it to a new variety.

Seeds are purchased a month before they are planted. Experienced agronomists are advised to buy it in specialized stores and trade shows. It costs more than in the markets, but the risk of acquiring diseases and infections with tubers is much less. Elite potatoes are considered the best; they are bought in stores. Its price is rather big and they take it for breeding for the next year. Elite “kids” are called potatoes of the first reproduction.

The crop obtained from his tubers is suitable for both food and seeds. After the elite, it is recommended to change the variety in 5-6 years and that's why. Tubers of the third, fourth (and so on) reproductions undergo diseases and damage. The more generations the elite potato is separated from the reproductive one, the greater the risk of infection with all kinds of infections.

When buying, pay attention to the eyes - a large number of them promise high productivity. Potatoes are not bought sprouted, otherwise the sprouts will break during transportation. Rot and damage are also not allowed.

When purchasing, they evaluate the resistance of varieties to diseases and pests. High immunity from diseases in the following varieties:

• nematode: Sante, Zhukovsky early, Odysseus, Amadeus;
• late blight: Lina, Temp, Nikulinsky, Luck;
• scab: Destkoselsky, Bryansk novelty;
• Cancer: Gatchinsky, Lukyanovsky, Andretta.

Varieties Lasunka, Ogonyok, Pomegranate, Crystal are steadfastly against the Colorado potato beetle.

Potato planting dates for the 2019 Lunar calendar, depending on the variety and region

In addition to the factors listed above, the climatic conditions of a particular locality influence the safe development of potatoes.

For the full formation of the plant, you need to calculate the planting time. So, for the southern territories, it is enough for the earth to warm up to 8 degrees, while the northern regions need a temperature of 12 degrees.

They also choose potatoes, given the region of planting and weather conditions. For example, varieties with late ripening are not suitable for Siberia and the Leningrad region, as they will not have time to grow to early frosts.

An early variety is requested to land in April, the middle variety is after May 15th. Later varieties are grown closer to winter, the term of their full ripening is 4 months.

Due to the peculiarities of weather and climatic conditions, recommendations for planting different varieties look like this:

Another nuance: when determining the days of planting according to the Lunar calendar, note that potatoes for food are planted a few days after the new moon, and planting on the seeds is carried out shortly before the full moon.

Choosing a landing place

As soon as summer agronomists made a choice which variety and method of planting potatoes, a place for potato beds is chosen. The vegetable loves light soil with a small sand content. He likes places on former peatlands and chernozem.

Clay will hinder the growth of potatoes. They solve the problem by adding sand to the plot, fertilizing with manure, and potatoes are planted on the ridges. Acidity is reduced by adding wood ash or lime to it.

In the autumn, they dig a shovel on a bayonet, remove weed roots, plant debris, fertilize with manure and compost, but do not level the ground. This is done to retain spring moisture and for better aeration. If the site is clay, then for the removal of spring water from autumn, it is better to make grooves. In the spring, the garden is re-dug with the overturning of the reservoir. After a snowy winter, it is enough to loosen the plot, while maintaining moisture.

The main principles of planting potatoes

To collect a rich harvest and not run into trouble, you need to follow simple rules:

• the ground should be well warmed up. The cold bed will inhibit the growth of seedlings, the tubers will slowly develop, and in addition will be susceptible to infections.
• Do not drag out the planting of seeds, otherwise the water received from winter snow will evaporate and not reach the plants.
• planted should be sorted and sprouted seeds. Potatoes for planting should not have rot, dampness or cracks.
• for each region with their climatic conditions, breeders have developed special varieties. This is worth considering.
• determine the composition and acidity as follows. Moisten a lump of earth and squeeze it in your hand. If it does not crumble, the soil is clayey. Acidity is determined by plants. On neutral ground, sow thistle and bindweed grow. Plantain and buttercup prefer acidic areas.
• Potatoes should not be planted for several years in a row on one site. This depletes the soil, tubers are exposed to diseases and pests. Choose a place to plant where beets, sunflowers, beans, pumpkins, and cucumbers grew.
• with good care from one hundredths, you can collect 500-600 kg. But if you have to hear the story of a 20 kg crop from one bush, this means that the plants were treated with huge doses of fertilizer. It is clear that such vegetables are not suitable for humans and animals.
• it happens that in order to save seed material it has to be cut. In order not to transfer an accidental infection from a sick vegetable to a healthy one, the knife is periodically dipped in a disinfectant solution of potassium permanganate. Potatoes are cut not across, but along, since usually the most full-grown shoots gather at the top of the nodule.
• The ideal size for seed potatoes is with a chicken egg, and here's why. Small tubers contain a small supply of nutrients and the crop, respectively, will be unimportant. And if you spend on planting large potatoes, it leaves a lot of tubers.

Classic landing methods

There are many ways to plant potatoes. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages. With a more detailed analysis of each country agronomists choose the one that is most suitable for them according to the type of soil and productivity.

To understand how to plant potatoes, you should deal with each of them in detail.

Under the shovel

Under the old grandfather's method, the heated plot was loosened with a pitchfork or rake. Ropes and pegs mark the territory for future bushes. The width between the beds is 65-75 cm, between the holes about 30 cm. Two people are enough for work: one digs, the other throws potatoes into the pits. Fertilizer or compost is placed in each well, and covered with earth from the next well. Before the sprouts bloom, they are twice spud. The disadvantages of the method: when weeding, the root system may be injured; Due to the dense arrangement of plants, it is difficult to loosen the ground around the bushes and a large number of pests gather on them. Planting and hilling plants with this method is a lot of physical activity.

In the crests

There are places where groundwater undermines crops because of their proximity. In such areas and on clay-laden soil, potatoes are planted in this way. Tractors create high ridges, the height of which is 15 cm. The width between them is approximately 60-70 cm. Nodules are planted on their tops every 25-30 cm. Here, too, there is a risk of damage to the roots during excavation, in addition, you will have to tinker with the Colorado potato beetle. But the advantage of this method is that on the ridges moisture dries faster, and this protects the tubers from rotting. Another advantage is not manual labor, but mechanized labor.

In the trench

Preparation begins in the fall. Unlike the previous method, trenches are dug up to preserve moisture. They dig a hole with a width of one bayonet for a shovel and the same depth, about 40 cm. The row spacing is two bayonets, that is, 80 cm. In the autumn, straw is laid, crushed with manure from above, fertilizers and onion husks are added (scare off the wireworm). In spring, sprouted tubers are laid on top of the prepared compost, sprinkling them with earth. As a result, they are warmed, moistened, do not require additional watering, and receive the necessary fertilizers from compost, which affects high productivity. The disadvantages include hassle with the preparation of trenches in the fall. And if the summer rain-vegetable can rot.

American technology

This is a deep diving technique that uses a 22x22x22 pattern. At a distance of 22 cm from neighboring holes, they dig a hole with a depth of 22 cm. A vegetable laid in it gives a long underground stem, on which young potatoes are tied along the entire length. But this option is suitable for light, loose sandy loam. In loamy soil, potatoes will rot.

Dutch technology

Provides for planting potatoes in high beds. Potatoes are planted in wells with fertilizers. Hilling bushes, the earth is raked from the aisles. With a wide distance between the beds, the root system is not damaged. Growing bushes fertilize, loosen the soil around them.

Mitlider method

According to the scientist’s technology, tubers are planted according to the following scheme. Not wide beds of approximately 35 cm are marked with stakes and ropes on the plot. Rows of approximately 90-100 cm are spaced. Finished beds are dug up and remain in place for several years. Then earthen bumpers are formed on them. The earthen bed inside is fertilized with ash, compost, chicken droppings. Germinated tubers are planted in two rows in a checkerboard pattern after 30 cm. Until the color appears, they are moistened twice and fertilized, without weeding the soil. The main advantages of this method are potato bushes that do not need to be processed with glanders. Such a growing option is suitable for a small area, and at the same time the plants give a good harvest. The only negative: you have to tinker with the preparation of beds.

Landing under the straw

Our ancestors knew how to plant potatoes in the 19th century. In this case, the site is harvested in the fall, covering it with straw in several layers. During the winter, it rots to compost. In the spring, potatoes are planted in the nutrient mixture, forming 70 cm aisles. Instead of weeding, a straw layer is added each time. The method is good because the bushes do not need to weed and spud, there are almost no potato pests. Compost additionally warms the tubers, and those without contact with the ground dig up clean in the fall.

Growing potatoes under agrofibre or cardboard

The option is similar to the “straw” one, only special material or cardboard is used instead. A canvas is spread on the excavated and fertilized area, holes are cut above the holes where tubers with sprouts are planted. Agro-fiber traps weed seeds. The site does not require weeding, watering and fertilizing, since all the substances necessary for the development are under the film. The only negative cost for the purchase of material.

Mr. Dachnik advises: growing potatoes for the lazy

How to plant potatoes without making much effort? In bags, barrels and boxes. For gardeners, this will be a real find advice.

This method is ideal for small earthen plots.

1. Drainage is poured into the bag, earth is added. Sprouted potatoes are placed on top, sprinkled with an earthen mixture with compost, taken in equal proportions. As soon as the first sprouts appear, they add the nutrient mixture into the bag, completely covering them. For growing potatoes, the earth mixture is added several times. This method requires constant watering and fertilizer, as the ground in the bag dries quickly.
2. When planting in barrels, the same technology is used, only holes are drilled in the tank for ventilation around the entire perimeter and the bottom is removed. Experienced experimenters claim that in this way it is possible to collect almost a bag of potatoes.
3. If vegetables are grown in boxes, the construction of them has to be completed as the bushes grow. The bottom drawer is mounted on bricks for better ventilation. The bottom is covered with paper, expanded clay is poured, fertile soil is added and potatoes are laid, covered with soil mixture. Sprouts looking over the box will inform the owner that it’s time to install another box from above, adding some dirt. And so they do before the period of budding. The advantages of the “option for the lazy” are that there is no need to weed and huddle the plants, harvesting is possible without having a large plot. The disadvantages include frequent watering.

Conclusion

As a rule, of all the methods, agronomists choose the one that gives a high-quality crop and is suitable for a particular area.

Armed with knowledge of the best way to plant potatoes, picking a variety that likes both soil and climate, with proper care and care, autumn will please a good harvest. You just need to follow simple rules and love working on the ground.