Potatoes are one of the staple foods of many nations. Its importance is so great that potatoes are grown not only in agriculture, but also in private gardens and summer cottages - after all, there are potatoes grown with my own hands both more pleasant and tastier. The yield of a crop depends on climatic and weather conditions, the quality of the soil and the method of its cultivation, the quality of planting material, the timeliness of preventive treatment of tubers and soil, the amount of fertilizer applied to the soil, as well as many other factors. We decided to devote our article to growing potatoes in the conditions of a summer cottage and intend to cover the following issues in it:
- – timing of planting potatoes in different spring months;
- – preparing potatoes for planting;
- – preparing the soil for planting potatoes;
- – planting potatoes with tubers;
- – growing potatoes from seeds;
- – caring for potatoes after planting.
When to plant potatoes in 2018
Planting potatoes in March
Potatoes are planted in the spring, when all frosts have passed and the soil at a depth of 10-12 cm has warmed up to 7-8 ºC. At this time, the leaves of the birch tree begin to bloom, and soon the bird cherry tree begins to bloom. Most often this happens in May: in Siberia - at the end of the month, and in middle lane, for example, in the Moscow region, potatoes can sometimes be planted as early as mid-May, or even at the end of April. In the Leningrad region, planting begins a week later than in the Moscow region. But in Ukraine and the Krasnodar Territory, potatoes are planted in the middle and early April, and early potatoes can sometimes be planted even in March.
What dates for planting potatoes this spring does the astrological calendar offer us? Favorable days for planting potatoes in March, provided that the soil has warmed up and no more frosts are expected, occur from the 27th to the 29th.
Planting potatoes in April
Favorable days for planting potatoes in April are the 9th, 11th, 22nd, 27th and 28th of the month. It is better, of course, to start planting after Easter, that is, April 22, 27 or 28. Potato tops do not tolerate frost and die at temperatures of -1-3 ºC. The optimal temperature for potato growth is considered to be between 16 and 22 ºC.
Planting potatoes in May
In the last spring month, potatoes can be planted on the following days: 4th, 7th, 9th, 19th, 24th and 31st. Ural gardeners should take into account that the further north their city is on the map, the later the earth will warm up and the night frosts will end. And Siberia is so large that in different parts of it the conditions necessary for planting potatoes occur at different times, and in some places potatoes can only be sown in early June.
Preparing potatoes for planting
Processing potatoes before planting
If you want to get a good potato harvest, you need to take the preparation of planting material responsibly. The tubers are sorted out, unproductive and diseased ones are discarded - those affected by rot, forming weak shoots or not forming them at all. Then the tubers need to be treated against diseases and pests. Our website already has an article about what means are used to treat potatoes against diseases, and what means against pests, and which of these means are the least toxic. Let us only recall that to repel the Colorado potato beetle, wireworms, aphids and other harmful insects, the drugs Maxim, Matador Grand, Cruiser, Taboo, Imidor, Picus, Prestige, Commander and Celeste Top are used. Treating them with a solution of one teaspoon will help you protect tubers from fungal diseases. copper sulfate in 3 liters of water or fungicides Fitosporin-M, Quadris, Maxim and Kolfug in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
For pest protection purposes, adjacent plantings of potato bushes with dill, basil, calendula, coriander or beans are used. A handful of wood ash thrown into the hole when planting also repels pests and pathogens of fungal diseases from potato tubers. Soaking the tubers for half an hour before planting in this composition protects potatoes well from diseases: dissolve 1 g of potassium permanganate in 10 liters of water, 20 g boric acid and 10 g of copper sulfate. After processing, the tubers need to be dried. There is another way to protect potatoes from fungal infections: dissolve 1 kg of wood ash in a bucket of water and dip the potatoes into the solution directly in the net. This method, moreover, allows the tubers to obtain a supply of potassium.
In order to prepare the tubers for spring planting, you will need from 3 to 30 days - it all depends on which method you choose. However, it is worth remembering that express methods are not always reliable, and it is advisable to use them in parallel with proven methods of preparing, planting and growing potatoes.
Before planting, the tubers need to be germinated - to stimulate the formation of strong, healthy sprouts from the awakened buds on the tubers. Germination can be dry or wet. For dry germination you will need from 20 to 40 days, a certain temperature regime, and also good lighting for the formation of solanine in tubers, which gives potatoes resistance to diseases, rodents and exposure to favorable conditions. It is most convenient to germinate tubers on the floor or in boxes, laying them in one or two layers. For the first two weeks, in order to awaken sleeping eyes, the temperature is maintained within 18-20 ºC, but then it is gradually lowered to 10-14 ºC - in such conditions the sprouts will not stretch.
If you prefer to germinate tubers wet method, sprinkle them with moistened peat, humus or sawdust and keep them at a temperature of 12 to 15 ºC, without allowing the substrate to dry out. During the germination process, not only sprouts are formed in the tubers, but also roots, thanks to which, after planting, seedlings appear much faster. Potatoes are germinated using the wet method for no more than 2-3 weeks. However, if for some reason the planting of tubers is postponed, you need to lower the temperature to slow down the development of the seedlings.
You can use dry and wet germination in combination: germinate the tubers in the light for three weeks, and when sprouts appear, transfer the potatoes to moist peat for 10 days to stimulate the regrowth of roots at the base of the sprouts.
To awaken the eyes, you can use the drying procedure. To do this, the tubers are kept for a week or two at a temperature of 16 ºC and above, spread out in one or two layers. During this time, the tubers lose moisture, but at the same time accumulate enzymes that awaken the eyes and accelerate the growth of shoots.
In cases where time is pressing, they resort to a preparatory procedure such as warming up. A week before planting, the planting material removed from the cellar is placed for 2-3 days at a temperature of 10-15 ºC, and then for 3-4 days the temperature is raised to 20-22 ºC.
There are cases when potatoes suddenly begin to grow ahead of time, but large sprouts should not be allowed to appear, because they easily break off and take too much strength and nutrition from the tuber. What to do in this case? You can carefully, trying not to damage the eyes, break off the sprouts as early as possible - this way you will delay the germination of the potatoes. However, you can resort to this procedure no more than twice - the third sprout will have to be left. And you can use the sprouts as seedlings: when they reach a length of 4-6 cm, and the beginnings of roots appear, the sprouts are carefully separated from the tuber and planted in a moist substrate - for example, a mixture of seedling soil, peat and sawdust. The planting pattern for the sprouts is 6x4 cm, and they need to be buried 2/3.
Fertilizing potatoes before planting
Potatoes, unlike others garden crops, you don’t have to feed it during growth, since during the growing season the nutrients are almost not absorbed by the tubers. It is much more important to add fertilizer to the soil when preparing the site or to fertilize the potatoes when planting them in a hole to ensure high quality and a large volume of future harvest. What fertilizers do potatoes prefer? He loves complex compositions, for example, Nitroammofoska, Azofoska or Kemira Potato, in which the elements necessary for the crop are optimally balanced. Potatoes need potassium more than nitrogen, and wood ash, potassium chloride or potassium salt can completely provide tubers with potassium. Of the nitrogen fertilizers, urea, or urea, is preferred, which increases yield, but ammonium sulfate or ammonium nitrate can also be used to fertilize potatoes. And from phosphate fertilizers Ammophos, as well as ammoniated or double superphosphate are more suitable for potatoes.
When growing potatoes over large areas, mineral fertilizers will cost you a lot, so it is better to use organic matter, which contains all the substances that potatoes need - nitrogen, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, calcium and sulfur. In addition, organic fertilizers are a source of easily digestible compounds that allow the accumulation of humus in the soil and improve it physical properties, and in saline soils, organic matter weakens the inhibitory effect of toxic compounds on plant development. It is also important that the decomposition of organic matter contributes to a significant increase in carbon dioxide in the ground layer of air, which allows new tubers to grow healthy and large. From organic fertilizers have proven themselves well bone meal, bird droppings, slurry, humus and compost. Bird droppings must be diluted with water in a ratio of 1:15 before application. But green manure is the best way to enrich a potato bed with nutrients.
For each type of soil there is its own norm of mineral and organic fertilizers per one hundred square meters of potato bed:
- for fertile soils - 2-2.5 kg of superphosphate and manure/compost and no more than 1.5 kg of potash fertilizers;
- for soils of average fertility, up to 3 kg of manure/compost, the same amount of nitrogen fertilizer, 2.5 kg of potassium and 3-4 kg of phosphorus fertilizers will be required;
- in poor, depleted soil you will need to add 1 kg of ammonium nitrate, 3 kg of superphosphate and a lot of humus.
However, it should be remembered that it is much more dangerous to overfeed potatoes with fertilizers than to underfeed them: on soil overloaded with nutrition, the tubers will grow frail, tasteless, indigestible, and only the tops will be powerful and thick. You need to be especially careful in this regard with potash fertilizers. As for manure, let us remind you once again that it can only be used in its rotted form, otherwise the potatoes will simply burn out. And as humus, manure can provoke potato scab disease.
When planting potatoes, mineral fertilizers are placed directly into the hole, because the roots of the plant develop only in the surface layer, but Nitrophoska and Nitroammofoska are applied during the spring digging of the site, and compost and manure - during the autumn. Green manures - vetch, clover, annual lupine or peas - are sown in a potato field before winter. When planting potatoes, you can add potassium sulfate, double superphosphate, ammonium nitrate, ash, humus and complex fertilizers into the holes. After planting, you can water the holes with a solution of chicken manure at the rate of 1 liter of solution per 1 hole.
How to plant potatoes
The most common among amateurs the folk way is planting potatoes “under a shovel”. Less known is the trench planting method. They also use the Dutch technology (planting potatoes in ridges), the Mittlider method (growing tubers in ridges), the Gülich method (forming a multi-tiered bush), planting potatoes in a barrel, in a bag, in a hole, in a hill, under a black film, under straw and others in original and sometimes witty ways.
Planting potatoes with a hiller
Plowing, planting, weeding, hilling and other garden tasks can be made easier if you use a walk-behind tractor for these works. And for planting potatoes, a walk-behind tractor with a hiller is used. A hiller and lug wheels are mounted on the unit to cut even furrows in the soil into which the tubers are manually placed. Then the lug wheels are replaced with rubber ones corresponding to the track width, the tubers are covered with soil and compacted.
If you need to plant a large area with potatoes, then use a walk-behind tractor with a potato planter. The lug wheels and potato planter are mounted on the unit, after which the parameters are adjusted for further work. First, prepare the soil: plowing, harrowing and moistening the area. Then the correct ridges are cut. A potato planter, equipped with furrow makers, a device for feeding tubers and a hiller for embedding them, simultaneously makes furrows in the soil, places tubers in them and covers them with soil.
Methods for planting potatoes with tubers
Novice gardeners and vegetable gardeners often come to us with the same question: how to plant potatoes? There are many planting methods, and we will try to introduce you to the most productive of them.
Planting potatoes under a shovel
This is the most common planting method: dig holes 8-10 cm deep with a shovel, place potatoes in the holes, add humus/compost, ash or complex mineral fertilizers, after which the holes are sealed. When planting is completed, the surface of the area is leveled with a rake to prevent moisture loss. The disadvantage of this method is that caring for the bushes will not be very convenient.
Trench method of planting potatoes
This method of growing potatoes is more labor-intensive, but it allows you to grow a crop twice as large as when planting “under a shovel.” They prepare the area for the trench method in the fall: dig a trench along the length of the bed and up to half a meter deep, fill the trench with a mixture of humus, manure, peat and straw and leave it until spring. After the snow melts, the trench is covered with black film so that the soil warms up faster. As soon as they are formed optimal conditions for planting potatoes, prepared tubers are planted in a trench, covered with a mixture of humus/compost and turf land in equal parts and cover again with film. Shoots usually appear after two weeks - they also need to be covered with a mixture of turf and humus and covered again with black film. As soon as the shoots appear again, the procedure is repeated, and only when the shoots grow through the soil for the third time, holes are made in the film for them. This technique allows you to retain moisture in the soil longer, suppresses weeds and frees you from hilling potatoes.
Planting potatoes using Dutch technology
The essence of this method is that the tubers are planted in ridges located at a distance of 75 cm from each other, and the distance between the tubers in the row is kept about 30 cm. This planting is carried out using a walk-behind tractor with a cultivator and a plow. During the growing season, potatoes are watered three times, and hilling is replaced by filling the ridges with soil from the inter-row spaces. Dutch technology allows you to get up to 2 kg of tubers from one potato bush, characterized by excellent taste and good keeping quality.
Planting potatoes using the Mittlider method
The American vegetable grower Mittlider has developed a method in which potatoes are planted in beds about half a meter wide with row spacing of 75-100 cm. With such row spacing, it is very convenient to care for growing potatoes. In order to control weeds and to save water when watering, a shaft of earth is made around the perimeter of the beds. In areas with a slope, potatoes are planted in long boxes filled with fertile soil. During the growing season, potatoes are fed three times and watered regularly, but there is no need to hill up the bushes. Using the Mittlider method, you can reduce the sown area by three times, while increasing the yield - you can get up to 550 kg of potatoes from one hundred square meters.
Planting potatoes using the Gülich method
A special feature of the method is that an area of 1 m² is allocated for each bush. The plot for potatoes is divided into squares of 1x1 m, in each square a circular shaft of quail manure is formed, in the center of which loose soil is poured, into which a large tuber is planted top down. As soon as shoots begin to grow around the tuber, soil is poured into the center of the ring they form. This is done so that the soil rejects the shoots, and they begin to grow to the sides of the tuber, like rays. When leaves appear on the shoots, you need to add soil again to the center - this procedure is repeated several times until a potato bush with several tiers is formed around the tuber. With regular watering and feeding, one plant can produce up to 16 kg of tubers.
Growing potatoes under a hill
Using this method, you can get up to one and a half tons of potatoes from one hundred square meters of land. It was developed by Prokopchik, a potato grower from Belarus. In the fall, mineral fertilizers and rotted manure are applied to the site for digging at the rate of 2-3 buckets per m². In spring, circles with a diameter of 1.5-2 m are marked on the surface and potato tubers are laid out along their perimeter at a distance of 20-25 cm from each other. As sprouts appear on the tubers, use a hoe to rake a mound of soil 30-40 cm high, and make a funnel at its top so that when watering, the water does not flow down the walls of the mound, but gets inside the cone. With this method of cultivation, plants develop a powerful root layer with many tubers.
Growing potatoes in barrels
This the method will work those who have small plot and there is no way to allocate a bed for potatoes. For growing use metal or plastic barrel without a bottom, making small holes in the circumference of the vessel at different heights to drain excess water and aerate the soil. A 10 cm thick layer of compost mixed in half with soil is placed at the bottom of the barrel, on which potato tubers are laid in a checkerboard pattern. Cover the potatoes with the same layer compost soil. As soon as the shoots appear, they are sprinkled with soil and compost - and so on until the barrel is filled to a height of 1 m. The potatoes are watered from time to time and fed with complex fertilizer. At proper care from one barrel you can get a bag of potatoes.
Growing potatoes in bags
This method is similar to the previous one: drainage is poured into sugar bags, on which the tubers are laid. As soon as they sprout, they are sprinkled with compost mixed with soil - this is done several times. Potatoes in bags require watering and fertilizing. This method significantly saves space on the site and does not require significant physical effort. Using the same principle, you can grow potatoes in a hole measuring 90x90 cm, about half a meter deep.
There is a great way to grow potatoes that is almost a hundred years old. The authorship belongs to the Russian vegetable grower Rytov. The potato bed is compacted and the tubers are placed on its surface, lightly pressing them into the soil. The potatoes are covered with a layer of damp, crushed straw 15-20 cm thick on top. There is no need to hill up the bushes with this method. And if you make a layer of straw 25 cm thick and cover the area with black film, you can rid the potatoes of weeds and pests. When the shoots grow and begin to come into contact with the film, you need to make slits in it for them.
On clay soils Potatoes are also planted under straw: shallow (10-15 cm) and narrow (the width of a shovel bayonet) holes are made at a distance of 1 m from each other, sprouted potatoes are placed in them and the entire area is covered with a layer of straw. As soon as the potatoes sprout, the field is covered with straw again. The third time, only the potato bushes are sprinkled with straw - instead of hilling. In such a field, the weeds die, and the potatoes grow well.
Planting potatoes under film
The area, filled with fertilizers in the fall, is loosened, watered and covered with black film, sprinkling it around the edges with earth or securing it with pegs. Cross-shaped slits are made in the film with a knife, through which sprouted tubers are planted into the soil to a depth of 5-7 cm, and covered with a mound of earth 6-8 cm high on top. Plants are watered and fed by pouring water or a nutrient solution into the slits in the film. When harvesting potatoes, the tops are cut off, the film is removed, and then the tubers are collected almost from the surface of the plot.
Growing potatoes from seeds
Some gardeners prefer to grow potatoes from seeds. Why are they attracted to the seed method of propagation? Firstly, seeds are much cheaper than elite tubers, especially since when purchasing it is almost impossible to distinguish ordinary seed tubers from elite ones, and by paying for the elite, you can get the third, fifth or tenth reproduction. Secondly, the seeds do not require keeping in a cold cellar, take up little space and remain viable for 6 to 10 years. Thirdly, bushes and tubers grown from seeds are not exposed to bacterial and viral diseases. Fourthly, the yield of potatoes grown from seeds is much higher. Well, in the end, tubers grown from seeds produce good yields for 5-7 years: in the first year, the seeds produce mini-tubers, in the second and third years - super-elite, in the fourth year - elite, in the fifth - the first reproduction and etc.
When propagating potatoes from seeds, the seedling method is usually used. You will need soil, containers and a place on the windowsill. The soil should be loose and fertile: to one part of the soil you need to add four parts of peat and the biological product Trichodermin (5 grams per 5 liters of soil mixture). Potato seeds are sown for seedlings in late February or early March. Before sowing, seeds are germinated by wrapping them in a damp cloth and placing them in a plastic container. On the fifth to seventh day they will sprout small sprouts, but before that you need to ventilate them daily and make sure that the fabric does not dry out. The sprouted seeds are carefully placed on compacted, moist soil, covered with a 1 cm thick layer of sand, sprayed with a spray bottle, covered with film and placed on a well-lit windowsill. Some gardeners prefer to grow seedlings not in the ground, but in wet sawdust.
Potato seedlings are much more capricious than tomato and eggplant seedlings - they need a lot of light, nutrients and very loose soil, in addition, it is easily affected by blackleg, so the seedlings are watered moderately. From time to time, seedlings are treated with Epin solution, and once a month they are fed with complex mineral fertilizer and, if possible, arrange additional lighting. After three to four weeks, the seedlings are planted in separate large pots, deepening them along the cotyledon, and by the end of April, when it gets warmer, the seedlings can be moved to the balcony.
In general, it is better to plant seedlings in a greenhouse or greenhouse, and only in the second year will the tubers be ready for planting in open ground, but since not everyone has the opportunity to grow potatoes in a greenhouse, in mid-May potato seedlings are planted in the garden bed, choosing a cloudy day for this. The holes are placed at a distance of 40 cm from each other, filled with humus and ash and watered. The seedlings are placed so that the stems are horizontal and covered with soil so that only the tops of the plants remain above the surface. After planting, the bed is mulched with last year's leaves or straw, metal arches are installed and covering material is pulled over them, which can only be removed in June, when summer finally arrives.
In areas with a southern climate, you can grow potatoes from seeds in a seedless way: in a bed with loose soil, or even better in warm bed make holes 10-12 cm deep at a distance of 30-40 cm from each other, place 2-3 sprouted seeds in them and sprinkle with a layer of coconut substrate, sand or loose soil half a centimeter thick. As the seedlings grow, soil is poured into the holes, then the plants are hilled up twice. Otherwise, caring for potatoes from seeds is the same as caring for those growing from tubers.
How to care for potatoes in open ground? Care begins even before germination. Since the tubers need access to air, it is provided by loosening the soil, while simultaneously removing emerging weeds. It is advisable to loosen the soil on the site after each watering and rain, so that a crust does not form on the surface. Potatoes are earthed up when the seedlings reach a height of 15-18 cm.
Feed potatoes with minerals complex fertilizers, ash or organic matter - slurry or fermented bird droppings. As soon as the nutrient solution goes into the soil, it is necessary to loosen the area and hill up the bushes. From the beginning of the formation of buds, you need to constantly monitor the soil moisture and water it when it dries 6-8 cm deep. Moisten the soil in the evening, water consumption - 2-3 liters of water for each bush. In dry summers, it will be necessary to carry out 3 to 5 waterings, mainly during the formation of buds and tubers. The day after watering, the soil on the site is loosened. And, of course, if necessary, you need to treat potatoes against diseases and pests.
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Almost every person has a dacha. And it doesn’t matter whose it is – grandparents, parents or your own. And every year at the same time everyone rushes to grow vegetables and berries. One of these crops is potatoes, the peculiarities of growing which should be known to everyone. We'll tell you how to plant potatoes correctly below.
Landing nuances
The optimal time for planting potatoes in the ground is end of April or beginning of May. It is impossible to do such an action before this time, because the crop may simply disappear in the cold earth. If the climate in your area is cool, then you should wait until the ground warms up at least up to 10 degrees.
How to Plant in Spring - Step by Step Process
To properly plant potatoes, you should follow the step-by-step instructions:
- A few weeks before landing, you should keep the tubers warm, then cover the boxes with some translucent material and leave them in a cool, bright place. When they send out green shoots in the spring, it’s time to plant them in the ground.
- Carrying out disinfection using boric acid or manure solution.
- Preparing the soil for planting.
- Planting potatoes.
- Creating an optimal regime for growth.
Planting potatoes in May
Potatoes should be planted according to the lunar calendar. In May, these dates can be selected 9th, 11th and 13th.
Until what date can you plant potatoes?
When determining this date, it is worth considering that the growing season for this root crop is 90 days.
That is, if you planned to plant on July 1, then at the end of September you can fully harvest.
On what days is it not possible?
Folk omens say that potatoes cannot be planted in the ground on the following days:
- On Wednesdays.
- On Saturdays.
- During Palm Week.
If these rules are neglected, the tubers will deteriorate and will not produce further growth.
Is it possible to plant potatoes in cold soil?
Potatoes cannot be planted in cold soil, because they can simply freeze in such weather and you will lose the entire harvest, it’s worth taking some time.
If you hurry up and still take such a step, then you need devote special attention warming up and provision good conditions its vital activity in order to obtain a harvest.
Which one to use - large or small
Small tubers are usually called samples weighing up to 30 grams, average – 30-80 gr, and large ones - more than 80 g.
Very often, many gardeners use medium-sized potatoes, believing that this can become optimal choice. But it is precisely such specimens that usually grow from weakened plants.
Most the best way There are only 2 landings:
- Plant small tubers, but throw them into the planting hole immediately several pieces each.
- Plant cut from large tubers. But such objects must have at least three eyes.
Is it possible to plant fresh tubers?
If anyone thinks that this method is unacceptable, then he is very mistaken. Using fresh potatoes when replanting allows you to improve the yield several times and relieve owners from problems with storing seed material until spring.
This method is best used for those countries in which the frost-free period is 180 days. This is observed in Odessa, Kherson, Poltava and other cities. This method will not work for Irkutsk.
A distinctive feature of this type of landing is that the new crop will sprout slowly.
What weather is it like?
Potatoes should be planted only when the frosts have passed and the air temperature has risen. up to 14-16 degrees. The earth should warm up at this time up to 10 degrees.
Exists folk sign according to which the root crop should be planted after the leaves on the birch tree become the size of a coin.
How often to plant potatoes
Potatoes can be planted several times a year, taking into account that the full growing period is 90 days.
How to properly plant in granulated feed
Granular feed finds its application when digging up areas before winter comes. It is then that it is introduced into the soil to improve the characteristics of the soil used.
Planting with manure
If you want to significantly increase your yield, it is better to use manure for fertilizer.
It can be applied in 2 methods:
- Fertilizing the land before in winter. It is applied in the amount of 10 kg per 1 square meter.
- Fertilizer in the hole. When planting occurs, after laying the tuber, sprinkle it with manure.
Walk-behind tractor or shovel
Potatoes can be planted using 2 methods:
- Manually using a shovel. Among the advantages of this technology is simplicity: one person simply digs a deep hole, and the second throws in tubers and fertilizer. When the second one finishes sowing, the first one fills the finished hole. After the process is completed, the ground is leveled with a rake, which allows the water to remain in the ground.
- Using a walk-behind tractor. The advantage of this method is the speed and low cost of manual effort. The process begins with cutting furrows, after which the sprouted seeds are thrown into them. After this, the holes can be dug in manually or using a cultivator.
What are green manures and what are they for?
Green manures are plants that are grown to improve the fertility of the soil.
What does this technique give?
- Soil enrichment with nitrogen, which makes up some part of plant nutrition.
- Loosening the soil and improving the structure.
- Elimination of erosion.
- Land enrichment nutrients and organic matter.
- Reduces weed growth.
- Elimination of pests and diseases.
- Protecting the earth from overheating.
Boarding order
Germination of tubers and soil preparation
To grow potatoes, you should germinate the tubers 2 weeks, removing the white sprouts. You need to lay out the material for planting thin layer on the floor in a bright place. Readiness can be determined by the presence of green sprouts on the potatoes, but without additional spots.
If we talk about detailed preparation of the soil, then it is worth starting with its fertilization before the onset of winter. When it's time to plant, you should ensure required humidity and loosening the soil. Digging should be replaced by bayoneting using a fork. This allows the earth to be enriched with oxygen.
Features of growing in the country
If you have your own dacha, then when growing potatoes, first choose its variety.
After all, some people prefer root vegetables with yellow, crumbly pulp, while others prefer white ones. After this you need decide on a growing method, of which there are now a large number. But don’t forget about fertilizing the soil.
Hilling
Hilling up potatoes should be done after the plant rises 10 cm above the ground. This will allow the root crop to be protected from frost using bedding. And after the potatoes grow to 40 cm, you need to fully earth up the beds, filling the row spaces well with soil.
Very often, leaves, branches or hay can be added to the bedding mixture - organic materials. This will keep moisture in the ground longer and also prevent weeds from germinating for a long time.
Watering and care
After the potatoes have begun to bloom, the main condition for good harvest is high-quality watering.
It should be 2-3 times if the summer is very hot, but if on the contrary, then 1 time is enough. But weeds need to be removed much more often, and you also need to watch out for Colorado potato beetles.
Harvesting
First you need to harvest in 60 days after planting the potatoes, but the main part should be waited until the tops are completely dry.
You only need to remove the finished crop with a pitchfork so as not to damage the mounds. You can only grow crops in one place for 4 years, after which you need to give the soil a rest and move the plant to another place.
How to grow in a “two-crop” way
In many southern countries Gardeners use any methods to grow as many crops as possible every year. And therefore, today a method of growing potatoes has already been developed twice a year, taking into account that only early ripening varieties are used.
The features of the method are:
- Good potato samples should be washed and cut, then soak in a special solution for one and a half hours.
- Germinate the crop for 10 days in the garden bed, covering it with a small layer of soil.
- After this, on July 10, you need to plant the finished material in the ground and wait for the harvest.
Growing potatoes is a simple process if you follow a few basic rules:
- Compliance with the process of preparing material for planting and soil.
- Creating favorable conditions for germination.
- Plant nutrition.
If you follow all the above rules, you can achieve good results even with a minimum of effort.
Planted and grown with your own hands, it is always much healthier and tastier than store-bought. But to really grow a high-quality home crop, you need to know when and how to plant potatoes in open ground. Next, we will consider the nuances of planting to obtain a rich harvest.
What you need for a good harvest
The main factors on which the quality of future potatoes depends are the growing conditions and the planting material itself.
Growing conditions
Plays an important role in obtaining a good harvest choosing the place where you plan to plant potatoes. Pre-prepared potatoes should be planted in a bright area in a direction from north to south.
The optimal hydrogen content in the soil is 5-5.5 units, although root growth is possible in acidic conditions. The soil must be breathable and loose. Potatoes are most suitable for medium and light soils - sandy loam, loamy, sandy and chernozem soils.
Important!High density and lack of air in heavy clay soils can cause poor plant development. If the soil is too wet, the tubers are affected by rot.
Before planting potatoes, the soil should be cultivated twice:Depending on the variety
Experts distinguish 5 groups of potato varieties according to ripening time:
- mid-early;
- mid-season;
- mid-late;
- late.
At the beginning of this month, the tubers begin to sprout. By the second ten days of April, the earth has already warmed up, and planting can begin. Among the early varieties that ripen in 50-65 days, the most popular are:"Impala", "Red Scarlett", "Dnepryanka" and "Rosalind".
Average early varieties potatoes, such as “Sineglazka”, “Zabava”, “Mriya”, “Nevsky”, ripen in 65-80 days. It is best to start planting them in early May. However, it must be taken into account that early and mid-early potato varieties have less keeping quality, starchiness and worse taste.
Did you know?A very common variety« Sineglazka» has the original name “Hannibal”, which was given to it in honor of Alexander Pushkin’s great-grandfather Abram Hannibal. He was the first in Russia to begin conducting experiments on the selection and storage of potatoes.
Mid-season varieties are best planted at the end of May, as they ripen within 80-85 days. It is these varieties that are the most productive and prolific, and they do not require frequent cultivation.
“Desiree”, “Kuroda” and “Zdybak” are medium-late potato varieties that ripen from 95 to 110 days. It is best to plan their planting at the end of May.
Using the lunar calendar
There is such a thing as favorable days for landing different cultures on a summer cottage, etc. The moon has a direct impact on the development of potatoes.
Depending on its location, planting, processing, watering and weeding of the soil are carried out at certain intervals. In order to achieve a good harvest, it is necessary to adhere to the recommendations of the lunar calendar, which can be used to determine whether it is worth planting potatoes on a given day.
For 2018, experts have identified clear Dates that are most suitable for planting potatoes:
- in May: 4-6; 14; 30-31;
- in June: 1-2; 10-12; 29.
- May: 15; 20-23; 27-29;
- June: 13, 16-20; 23-24; 28.
Correct calculation is the key to a rich harvest
The choice on which days it is or is not worth planting potatoes directly affects its quality and environmental friendliness, as well as the yield in general. Although this is a simple process, it requires sufficient attention and compliance with the rules.
Did you know?Potatoes are the most important non-cereal crop in the world. It ranks 4th in importance among all crops after wheat, rice and corn.
First of all, it is necessary to decide on the goals of planting potatoes. If you need new potatoes in early May, then choose early varieties that ripen quickly. But remember that early does not mean high quality. Mid-season and mid-late varieties in this case, they are the most optimal for obtaining a rich harvest of tasty and healthy potatoes.
People often grow potatoes to feed livestock. In these cases, late varieties should be chosen. They are stored for a long time and ripen well, resistant to pests and diseases.
Since the choice of date for planting potatoes affects its yield, you should not delay planting potatoes. IN early dates, before the appearance
It should be noted that favorable days for planting potatoes depend primarily not on the calendar date, but on what year it turned out to be. Sometimes spring is early, the earth warms up quickly, and even the flowering of plants is ahead of the usual time. Sometimes, on the contrary, frosts last until the end of May, dampness and lack of solar heat prevent planting work from starting longer than usual. Therefore, gardeners and summer residents tie the timing of their work to the calendar very conditionally, focusing on a variety of signs of optimal time.
How not to miss the optimal time
Planting time directly affects the yield of this crop. If you plant potatoes too early, you can get frost-damaged seedlings; if there is excessive humidity, the potatoes become sick, as a result of which the seedlings die altogether. If the most suitable time is missed and potatoes are planted too late, there is a risk of losing part of the harvest due to the soil being too dry during planting.
The planting time depends on the region. As you know, warm weather occurs in different areas at different times. In the central part of Russia, potatoes are traditionally planted in mid-May, in the eastern regions - at the end of the month or even in June, depending on the depth of soil heating. To determine the optimal time, it is worth knowing that the earth should warm up to +7°C to a depth of about 10 cm. There are places where such indicators are observed only in June or July. In such regions it can be very difficult to grow potatoes.
You can also determine the readiness of the soil for planting potatoes visually, in other words, “by eye.” There are also a number of true signs that help summer residents navigate time.
In order to determine the appropriate time for planting, you should pay attention to the following signs:
- various insects, worms have awakened and are actively swarming in the soil;
- dandelions are blooming;
- small leaves appeared on the birch;
- The bird cherry blossomed.
As a rule, all these signs appear approximately simultaneously - at the end or second half of May. However, there is such a thing as “bird cherry cold”. This period coincides with the flowering of bird cherry and is characterized by a sharp drop in air temperature. This does not mean that frost will certainly occur; it may be cool, but the soil will retain the desired level of warmth. If frost hits, and this also happens, then some part of the planting can be lost. Therefore, it is better to play it safe and study all available sources that provide weather forecasts.
By the way, you can also do this in order to find out approximately what time rain is expected. Precipitation is quite common in May. Of course, no one will plant potatoes during the rain, but time does not stand still, and the most best time you can simply miss it. Therefore, it is impossible to give an unambiguous answer to the question of what date is best to plant potatoes. Finding the best time is a constant balance between climate and weather conditions.
Sometimes it happens that the rain that began at the end of May continues with minor interruptions in June and July. If the circumstances are this way, then this is an extremely unfavorable situation for growing potatoes, since the tubers of this crop are prone to rotting when there is excess moisture. There is nothing that can be done here, you just need to understand that in such conditions you can’t expect a bountiful harvest.
Dependence of the result on planting time
In this case, we are not even talking about the amount of harvest, which is influenced by the correctly determined planting date, but about other features. Some people do not engage in large-scale potato cultivation, but plant a few in order to try new potatoes in July. What is important here is not even the quantity of the harvest, but its presence in principle. Therefore, if you want to get results already in the middle of summer, you need to plant tubers in April. More or less the right time to plant the first potatoes is the second half of the month. Of course, this is possible if we are talking about the central and southern regions of the country, since in other regions it is unlikely that it will be possible to plant this crop before the end of May or even in June.
To grow potatoes for storage, they should still be planted taking into account the traditional requirements described above. First of all, because this is done for practical reasons. The harvest must be plentiful, and the tubers must reach a condition at which they can last in the cellar until spring. Therefore, it is recommended to plant potatoes en masse no earlier than the second half of May, as a last resort if the year is very cold and spring is late, in June. If the timing was chosen correctly, shoots will appear in less than a month.
Selection and preparation of tubers
Of course, it is very important to correctly determine the time when to plant potatoes, but it is equally important to choose its variety. There are many varieties of this crop, each of which has certain characteristics, requirements for conditions, ripening period, etc. You can always choose the most suitable one for cultivation in a particular region, even if the climate is not particularly warm or full of sun. There are varieties of early ripeness or late ripening, you can plant both, and harvest as the tubers ripen.
It is recommended to plant several varieties of potatoes at the same time, since from each of them you can eventually get different quantities tubers. You shouldn’t plant the same variety year after year, it’s better to try new options, exchange with someone planting material, you can from time to time purchase varieties imported from other regions or even countries. How more choice, those better result. For example, early ripening varieties planted at the end of April can be tried already in July, and late ones, planted in the second half of May, are perfect for storing for the winter.
Rotted manure can be sprinkled between the rows of potatoes during planting, this will greatly increase the yield.
Tubers intended for planting must meet the following main requirements:
- the tuber is hard, without signs of rotting;
- the presence of small rudiments, or “eyes”;
- the buds are greenish, not dry and not rotten;
- the rudiments are not too long (the possibility of breakage during planting is excluded);
- the tubers are not too small and not huge (a large tuber can be cut, but so that the rudiments are preserved on each piece).
Preparing the tubers does not require much effort, the main thing is to get the “eyes” to peck. To do this, just place the potatoes in a well-lit place for a couple of weeks. Then, when the time is right for planting, plant the tubers in the ground. The landing site should be as open as possible and well lit by the sun.
It is better to plant tubers in a checkerboard pattern; this saves space and makes it more comfortable to process the bushes. Caring for potatoes during the growth period consists of watering, hilling and spraying against pests. Potatoes also suffer from various diseases, such as late blight. There are two pretty ones here effective methods prevention. Firstly, it is necessary to carefully clean the area from which the potatoes were collected, destroying the remains of tops and tubers. On the rotting remains of both, foci of various diseases develop. Secondly, it is worth choosing a variety that is resistant to this disease, especially if the problem already exists.
Even the smallest crop rotation can increase potato yields by 2 times. If there are not so many options for choosing a place, you should at least alternate two of them, planting potatoes on one and something else on the other. On next year swap places.
In any case, it’s worth trying and experimenting. Growing potatoes is such a common practice that you can always turn to someone for advice or planting material. A product grown on your own plot is always a great joy. It is both healthier and tastier than the purchased one. And with large planting volumes, it also allows you to significantly save money, since you will have to go to the cellar rather than to the store to buy potatoes. If you follow all the advice, choose the right potato variety and planting date, the result will definitely please the gardener.
