One of the most popular foods that we eat is potatoes. It is not for nothing that it is called the second bread. There are a huge number of dishes that can be prepared from it. And owners of summer cottages and household plots will almost always allocate a piece of land for planting potatoes, because the most delicious are young tubers. There are a huge number of varieties, as well as ways to obtain a bountiful harvest. People have been experimenting for centuries to obtain the most optimal option technology for growing potatoes. And in the article we will also look at the main points of this process.
Popular varieties. When to plant potatoes?
To successfully grow potatoes, it is important to choose the right variety that is most suitable for the area where it will grow. All varieties differ in early fruiting, starch content, disease resistance, temperature changes and other natural factors. As a result, the following groups were formed according to ripening periods:
- Early varieties (Minerva, Kiranda, Riviera, Timo, Ariel and others). They are usually planted in early April and have a short growing season from rapid growth tops It takes 50-60 days until the harvest is dug up. These varieties are poorly stored. Middle early (Karat, Adretta, Sante). It takes 60-80 days to ripen; it is harvested around July, and planting material pre-germinate before planting. Mid-season varieties (Nevsky, Betina, Zdabytok) harvested in early August (ripening 80-100 days). Pre-sowing preparation is also carried out to increase the yield. Mid-late and late (Yavir, Bernadette, Kolobok, Slavyanka, Folva, Roko). The varieties are grown for winter consumption, as the tubers store very well. The growing season is 100-120 days, harvested at the end of September.
To get a high-quality harvest, it is better to select several varieties with different terms maturation. Planting dates depend on weather conditions. Usually planted when the soil warms up to 6-8?
C to a depth of 10 cm in spring. During this period, there is enough moisture in the soil, and its temperature will not allow the tubers to rot. The planting sequence is as follows: first early varieties, then mid-season and late ones.
How to plant potatoes correctly? Various planting methods
Before boarding to receive good harvest Potatoes must first be prepared - disinfected in a solution of potassium permanganate (if necessary), dried. In order to obtain planting material High Quality Potatoes should be planted on a small plot of land in the summer. Tubers made from such material will be better in the future and will produce a large harvest. The depth of planting tubers in the soil depends on a number of factors: humidity, quality of material, etc.
In arid regions it is better to plant to a depth of 15-20 cm, and in the northern regions - 10 cm (on light sandy soils) and 7-8 cm (heavy, clayey). Moreover, the smaller the tuber, the shallower it is buried.
Planting density also varies: early varieties are thicker, late varieties are thinner. You can also plant thicker on fertile soils, since there is enough food. Planting rate per 100 sq. m approximately as follows:
- 450-650 pcs. when planting whole tubers; 650-800 pcs. – small tubers; 800-1000 pcs. – planting seedlings or sprouts.
There are different methods for planting potatoes. Traditionally, the soil is loosened in the fall, and tubers are planted in pre-cut ridges or under a shovel in the spring. The distance between rows is 50-60 cm, and between plants in a row 30-35 cm, depending on the size of the tuber.
Another method is planting in a square (square-cluster) way.. In this case, the site is first divided into sectors. The planting pattern is 50×50 cm (60×60cm), in the southern regions – 70×70 cm.
It is important to make the rows straight; the end result should be a placement of potato nests in a square. An unconventional method is the belt method..
In this case, the tubers are planted in two-line tapes. The distance between the rows in the tape is 30 cm and 110 cm between the tapes. In this case, the planting material is laid out on the surface and sprinkled with soil (2-3 cm).
As a result, when leaving wide row spacings, the soil is poured into narrow ones, eventually covering the tubers by 20-30 cm. Productivity increases up to 2 times. Another way which is suitable for small area, consists of digging a trench (depth up to 25 cm, width 30 cm).
Leaves, stems, weeds, remains of other plants are laid on the bottom and covered with a layer of humus, soil, ash and mineral fertilizers. Then pre-sprouted tubers are laid on top, sprinkled with 2-3 layers of soil. At a distance of 70 cm, dig the next trench.
The soil from it should remain between the trenches and will be used in the future for hilling potatoes. Interesting and in an original way is growing in a barrel or in car tires.
In this case, a tuber is planted in the soil poured into a barrel. When it grows 2-3 cm, it is again covered with earth, etc. As a result, a pyramid is formed with numerous tubers inside in the form of a garland.
In addition, many have probably heard about planting potatoes under straw.. And not many people know what is needed for this besides straw. This is an old one. forgotten method, the advantage of which is that there is no need to dig up the ground, hill up the bushes, and you can plant it several weeks earlier.
Planting is carried out as follows: We lay the tubers on the ground, sprinkle them with a layer of humus and lay out 40-50 cm of straw. During the growing season, we place it where bald spots have formed. During the season, you can water it with mullein solution 1-2 times. In the fall, you simply remove a layer of straw that can be used next year and harvest a bountiful harvest with large, clean tubers.
Potatoes on straw -7 steps.(Part 2)
Step 4. It's too late to plant potatoes.
I am fully responsible for my words for the conditions of the Middle Urals. I think nothing fundamentally different will happen for other regions of the same latitudes. I don’t know how it will behave in warmer and drier regions. You need to try and experiment. Why is it late?
A chance helped me. As you know, frosts on the soil are not uncommon in the Urals. It is believed that they are possible until June 10. And all the years it was like that. Potatoes, planted as usual, between May 20 and June 1, sat in the ground for their allotted time.
If something came out before the 10th, you had to run across the field and cover it with earth. And after June 10, the friendly shoots are no longer threatened by frost. But one day, a frost, and a frost at that, suddenly struck as early as June 17. After going out the night before, I felt like it was going to hit me tonight.
Urgent hilling of potatoes throughout the entire area before two in the morning did not save the situation. The first rays of the morning sun illuminated the eerie picture of the frost-covered garden and vegetable garden.
That year, potatoes took a long and painful time to recover from the blow of the elements, and in the fall everyone in the area dug up small potatoes with sour mines. The harvest was simply disastrous. In all areas. Except one. The owners there were careless.
The site was hardly visited. And that year they didn’t show up at all all spring. And for the first time they appeared only to plant potatoes on the 12th in June.
Right on holiday. Well, that’s right, how can we be without potatoes, even though it’s late, we still need to plant them. I laughed some more: “We woke up!”
Everyone already has potatoes in friendly rows, but they just got the chance to plant them.” Imagine my surprise in the fall when, passing by their plot, I saw WHAT kind of potatoes they were digging. Their harvest was simply amazing in its abundance and quality.
Their potatoes, planted on June 12, naturally sprouted later than the 17th, and, of course, were not frozen. Apparently, in all other respects it was a successful year for potatoes and their harvest was simply excellent. next year I tried to repeat their experience.
Why take risks if potatoes give excellent harvest and at late planting dates. And everything worked out! Although such late frosts have never happened again, I now plant potatoes no earlier than June 10th.
And usually I plant on the 12th - convenient, since it’s a day off. But, besides the fact that by late planting I almost 100% insured the potatoes against return frosts, there were several more advantages!!! In most cases, with late planting dates, potatoes in the conditions of the Middle Urals fall into a more optimal temperature and moisture regime. With normal planting dates, potatoes sprout in the first half of June, bloom in early July and begin to set a crop.
At this moment, potatoes need more moisture than ever. But! Beginning or mid-July. The driest and hottest. It is almost impossible to water such a lot of land, much less pour cold water from a well - this is direct damage, and heating such a lot of water is also not easy. So the potatoes melt in the heat, practically stopping their growth.
It is precisely at the time when she most needs moisture that she does not receive it. The growth of newly formed tubers stops.
Then it resumes in August, when moisture appears, but nothing can compensate for the damage incurred; the tops are already beginning to wither and hurt and do not have the same strength. Tubers that have stopped growing, having received moisture, begin to crack, which worsens their commercial quality. Now, what happens at later planting dates?
Potatoes sprout at the end of June. In early, mid-July it grows. She doesn’t need a lot of moisture during this period.
Potatoes bloom towards the end of July, at the beginning of August. And this is exactly the time when the heat subsides and the rains begin. Remember - July is ending, which means you can’t shop anymore, and it’s already cool and rainy, and heavy dew begins to fall in the mornings.
And this is exactly what potatoes need during this period!!! Cool and wet! Under these conditions, she actively begins to fill the tubers.
The beginning of August cannot be compared with the middle of July. Although it naturally doesn’t change from year to year, in general there is always more moisture in August, and the likelihood that the potatoes will find themselves in more favorable conditions is higher when planting later. Have you noticed that the soil at the beginning of summer at a certain point it seems to fluff up, come to life, and acquire fertility (in the middle Urals this is mid-June).
We can say that the earth is ripening. When planting potatoes in June, they fall into warm soil, which reduces the risk of disease. Plus, at this time, nitrification processes are already actively occurring in the soil (the process of converting nitrogen-containing substances into a form suitable for absorption by plants).
Plants receive a large number of nitrogen. Moreover, if the soil is not dug and contains a lot of organic matter, as in our case. And nitrogen in initial period development is especially necessary for young plants.
In spring, little nitrogen is formed in the soil. Bushes with such planting dates grow powerful, with beautiful color tops
Previously, I tried to achieve this by fertilizing with nitrogen fertilizers, but I could never achieve the same result as growing potatoes on straw with any fertilizers. Despite the late date, the potatoes have time to fully ripen. Especially early and medium potato varieties.
Late potato varieties may have thin and weak skin, but it ripens quickly and becomes horny while drying. Plus, I usually dig potatoes late and they are fully ripened. But you can dig at normal times.
Anyway, early-planted potatoes usually last the last month without tops, almost from mid-August. Also, with late planting, there was another, completely unexpected and unplanned plus.
Step 5. Avoid pesticides to combat the Colorado potato beetle.
And how to do this, you ask? Collecting Colorado potato beetles by hand? Well, that’s a lot of work and time needed. But no.
Do not collect or poison. Why? Yes, simply because there is NOBODY to poison and collect! All those years when I planted potatoes at a late date, there was NOT A SINGLE Colorado potato beetle and NOT A SINGLE larva on my plot. Why? Judge for yourself. In principle, we don’t have many beetles.
Can't compare with Northern Caucasus, where this is a real disaster, capable of completely destroying the entire crop in one day. And before, we didn’t have the Colorado potato beetle at all. It appeared recently. I don’t know for sure, but the Colorado potato beetle, it seems, does not survive in winter in our conditions, or only a small percentage survives. One way or another, but at the beginning of summer in June there is a period when the flight of adult individuals of the Colorado potato beetle begins, successfully wintered somewhere.
I believe that it flies to us from the south, where it can overwinter, or a small surviving part of it emerges here. There are few beetles and it itself does practically no harm. But it leaves behind clutches of its orange eggs.
One clutch, having hatched, can destroy or seriously damage several potato bushes. But! But when the season of Colorado beetles occurs, there are no potato shoots on my plot yet! He just didn’t have time to ascend yet. And the beetle is not at all interested in my area.
What for? When there are many areas nearby where young potatoes are growing green with friendly shoots. This is where Colorado potato beetles lay their eggs.
And only after that my potatoes sprout. And believe me, there is not a single masonry on my site. Although our neighbors are full of Colorado potato beetles and their larvae. Can you imagine!?
Just like that, my long-term enmity with this harmful insect simply and unexpectedly ended. We just stopped being interested in each other. And not a single gram of pesticides gets on my potatoes.
But we feed our children and grandchildren with these potatoes. By the way, the Colorado potato beetle sometimes lays its clutches not only on nightshades, but also simply on weeds, and the larvae successfully move on to potato tops. And on my site I noticed such clutches a couple of times. I noticed it when I was cutting through the weeds with a hoe before the potatoes sprang up. And once the weed is cut down and dried, although it is not removed from the plot, then the masonry on the dry plant dies. And it’s time to describe the next step regarding making it easier to care for potatoes
Dates for sowing and planting vegetables (Part No. 3) Potatoes
The time for planting potatoes occurs approximately 10 days after sowing cold-resistant crops of radishes, carrots, etc. (term " COLD" plus approximately 10 days).
Approximate time for planting potatoes at latitudes:
- Moscow, Ufa, Chelyabinsk ~May 10Perm, Ekaterinburg ~May 5Voronezh, Saratov ~April 10Rostov, Krasnodar ~March 10
The soil must be heated no lower than +8°C (both day and night, and when using GUMI - no lower than +5°C), otherwise the tubers will not germinate. They will just lie there, begin to hurt, and rot. EXACT TIME FOR PLANTING POTATOES for any latitudes from South to North are determined by soil temperature and moisture
- The soil at a depth of -8 cm should be stable and allowed to warm up to +8°C at night. If before planting the tubers are dipped in a solution of the natural elixir of fertility and growth vitamin GUMI, then you can plant at a temperature of +5°C. The soil must be physically ripe - do not stick to the shovel (i.e. do not be too wet) and do not crumble after squeezing in the hand (i.e. do not be too dry).
Potato shoots usually appear 30 days after planting. The seedlings are afraid of frost. Frosts are especially dangerous when potato leaves have already appeared. Therefore, it is not advisable to plant potatoes earlier than 30 days before the “WARM” period (frost-free period).
But if you nevertheless planted the potatoes very early, or due to favorable weather conditions the potatoes sprouted ahead of the “WARM” deadline, then the seedlings need to be earthed up, i.e. cover with soil (hide from frost). Many gardeners use vernalization (air-heating) of planting potatoes. Two weeks before planting, potatoes are lifted from the cellar and laid out in a room or barn in a layer of 1-2 tubers.
After vernalization, the seedlings appear earlier and they also need to be covered with soil to protect them from frost. If the seedlings are damaged by frost, then spray them with an aqueous solution of GUMI and they will go away (unless, of course, they were completely killed by frost). INTERESTING CASE!
At the Ufimskoye greenhouse farm, experiments were carried out with the natural growth elixir GUMI. Frost hit, and the tomatoes that touched the film were damaged. A worker accidentally sprayed some plants with the remains of the GUMI solution, and they completely withdrew, while the rest died.
BUT ANOTHER CASE! In Kuban, spring frosts damaged grain crops. Some of the fields were treated with GUMI solution from airplanes.
Governor Krasnodar region with a commission, he flies over the crops in a helicopter to assess the damage from frost and suddenly sees that some of the fields are green* These were crops* treated with P/MI!
EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW THIS!
Do not plant potatoes in over-compacted soil! Potatoes are a special crop; they require particularly loose, light, airy soil. The soil must contain at least 20% air. Potatoes are made up of very large cells.
Therefore, as it grows, it has great difficulty pushing the compacted soil apart. The soil is considered loose, i.e. ideal for potatoes if during the entire period - from digging the soil for potatoes to harvesting potatoes - the shovel enters the ground with the pressure of a hand, not a foot. If your soil is heavy and clayey, you need to add loosening agents to the soil in the fall and spring - washed sand size from 0.5 mm to 1 mm, peat, OZHZ compost, organic fertilizer Bionex.
Green fertilizers - green manures (for example, mustard) are sown. Mustard penetrates the soil with its powerful roots, and after digging it is structured and enriched with organic matter. Mulching the soil has a very powerful effect.
After planting the potatoes, the soil is covered with mulch (chopped weeds or straw with Bionex, peat or OZHZ compost). Mulch protects the soil from drying out and from the impact of water drops during watering and rain (water drops break up the soil structure and then the soil quickly cakes). Will potatoes have time to grow in your climate, at your latitude? According to the duration of the growing season (time from planting to harvest), potato varieties are divided into:
- - early. They form a harvest of marketable tubers in 60 days. The harvest of marketable tubers is not the entire harvest (approximately 70% of the total harvest). Just after 60 days you can dig up potatoes for food. The full harvest for early potatoes is formed after 90 days, when the tops dry out;- mid-early-70 days and -110 days respectively;- mid-season-90 days and -120 days respectively;- mid-late-110 days and -130 days respectively;- late- more than 110 days and more than 140 days, respectively.
If you treat the planting tubers with the natural growth vitamin GUMI, the crop will ripen 10-15 days earlier and, surprisingly, will be 30-50% larger. Long-term tests in the Orenburg region, Bashkiria, etc. confirm this amazing fact. The longest growing season in your climate is calculated simply: “Last permissible period for harvesting potatoes” minus “Date for planting potatoes.” From here you can decide which varieties according to the growing season (early or late ripening) are for you select for landing.
A FEW SECRETS
1. To reduce losses from Colorado potato beetles, treat the crops with an aqueous solution of GUMI. The leaf surface area will increase by almost 60% and the turgor (strength and elasticity) of potato leaves and stems will improve.
Most easily damaged by insects weak plants, and not strong and healthy. Our colleagues from the Orenburg State Agrarian University conducted research and scientifically proved that with GUMI, the damage to potatoes from the Colorado potato beetle is significantly reduced. 2. If you use chemicals fight against the Colorado potato beetle, then be sure to mix the “chemistry” with GUMI.
Why? “Chemistry” kills beetles and at the same time inhibits the growth of potatoes. GUMI has a powerful anti-stress effect and the plant returns to normal more easily. GUMI - as an anti-stress drug that mitigates the negative effects of “chemistry” - is widely used on millions of hectares of the Orenburg region, Bashkiria, Krasnodar Territory, etc. 3.
Potatoes, like tomatoes and peppers, belong to the nightshade family. They all suffer from late blight. GUMI and Fitosporin are irreplaceable helpers for potatoes. They protect against late blight and other fungal and bacterial diseases. INTERESTING!
In the Meleuzovsky region of the Russian Federation, potatoes were grown according to Dutch technology. This technology requires a lot of imported chemical (and unsafe!) drugs. They ran out quickly. And there was a little GUMI on the farm. The chief agronomist cultivated 10 hectares with it.
Later, all the fields burned down from late blight, but it was these 10 hectares that GUMI saved - they were green and healthy! 4. Potato harvesting must be completed immediately after the tops are killed by autumn night frosts.
But during the day it must still be warm, otherwise the potatoes will freeze and will not be stored. 5. A few words about preparing for planting potatoes. Usually it comes down to just germinating tubers. The more eyes the tuber sprouts, the higher the harvest will be.
However, the biology of the plant is such that as soon as the top bud begins to grow, the germination of the rest stops. To encourage the growth of the remaining eyes, the tuber is usually cut across.
It is more effective to treat the tubers before sowing with the growth substance GUMI and the disease protector Fitoslorin (dip the tubers in their solution). This will make the potatoes gain strength even at the beginning of growth (cuts weaken the tubers, they are easily susceptible to diseases and pests) * It will be easier for them to resist diseases and the invasion of the Colorado potato beetle. 6.
Recently at the research institute Agriculture RB received sensational data. It turns out that if potatoes are treated with Fitosporin before storing them for winter storage, the safety of the tubers increases 3 times.
It contains friendly bacteria first isolated from healthy plants Professor, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences M. Ya. Menlikiev. Phytosporin cannot be replaced for storing vegetables!
There are many other chemical preparations for processing crops, but vegetables treated with these preparations can only be used for food after several months. And Fitosporin is completely safe! For several years now, unlike our neighbors, we have not been going around picking through potatoes.
After harvesting the potatoes, before storing them, treat them with Fitosporin, dry them, ventilate them fresh air and no rot will take him away later. We process carrots, beets, and radishes in the same way.
Fitosporin is a shield that protects root crops from pathogens. Our assistant Fitosporin works all year round!
How to grow 1000 kg - 1 ton of POTATOES per hundred square meters
EOZhZ technology. Fertile and loose soil, pre-planting treatment of tubers. Planting depth. Landing time.
Mulching of plantings. On average, in Russia they get 70... 100 kg of potatoes per hundred square meters. Last year, the famous honored agronomist Vladimir Ivanovich Kornilov received 750 kg of potatoes per hundred square meters - without chemicals, using Organic Living Farming - OZHZ Kuznetsov. OZHZ combines environmentally friendly cultivation with active protection and assistance to plants using natural preparations.
Unlike conventional biological farming, which passively watches the development of diseases and plant stress, organic farming allows you to obtain not only an environmentally friendly, but also a large harvest. 1. The main element of life insurance, without which it is impossible to obtain big harvest- This is fertile and loose soil.
Potatoes for their growth and development require non-acidic, very loose soil, with a humus content of at least 2-2.5%. A shovel should enter such soil with the pressure of a hand, not a foot, and in spring, summer, and autumn. Soil They begin to prepare for potatoes in August - they carry out early deep (20-25 cm) tillage of the soil. Why in August?
All growing technology in our often arid conditions should be designed to accumulate and retain moisture in the soil, because the more moisture, the greater the harvest. If you dig up the soil at the end of summer, the loose soil will well absorb the autumn rains, as well as all the melted snow accumulated over the winter.
If you don’t dig it up, most of the melted snow will flow over the dense soil surface into ravines or to neighbors. There is another reason: in winter the earth undergoes natural “disinfection”.
In loosened soil, freezing kills many pathogens and larvae of insect pests. However, in some cases, spring digging is also necessary - on heavy, floating soils or in areas flooded in spring. Potatoes are very responsive to the application of fertilizers.
On fertile soils, when digging, we apply 2-3 kg/m2 of organic fertilizer BIONEX-1 or 5-6 kg/m2 of OZHZ compost, in the spring when planting - 300-400 g/m2 of organomineral fertilizer "GUMI-OMI - Potatoes", specially designed for potato needs for macro- and microelements. On soils poor in fertility, GUMI-OMI is applied at an increased rate of 600-700 g/m2, the rate of application of BIONEX-1 (4 kg/m2) or OZHZ compost (6-8 kg/m2) is also increased, and on dense soils, adding more 6-8 kg/m2 of Mother Earth, peat-based baking powder. To obtain such an amount of OZHZ compost for potatoes and for the whole garden plot, we collect garden organic matter, kitchen waste, manure, and cover it all with layers of soil.
We add COMPOSTIN to each layer (3 tablespoons per bucket of water for 50 kg of compost raw materials) with beneficial microflora that accelerates composting. When composting sawdust and straw, we compensate for their absorption of nitrogen by adding GUMI-OMI-Nitrogen (40 g per bucket of sawdust) or organic fertilizer BIONEX-1 (500 g per bucket).
By the end of summer, excellent OZHZ compost will be ready and can be added when digging up the soil throughout the entire site. 2. The key to a large and healthy potato harvest is pre-planting treatment of tubers.
Before planting, we germinate the tubers in the light for 25-30 days, treat them with the humus growth regulator GUMI and the friendly microflora of the drug Fitosporin-M immediately before planting. This treatment allows you to protect tubers from diseases, stimulate growth processes and the immune system of potatoes.
As a result, you can get healthy plant sprouts 6-10 days earlier. 3. We use the following planting scheme: between rows from 70 to 90 cm, in rows from 15 to 40 cm. We plant with tubers weighing from 50 to 80 g, but the second is preferable. 4.
The depth of planting potatoes should not be large - 5-6 cm, and only in arid southern conditions, on sandy soils it can be another 5-7 cm deeper. 5. Planting time is when the soil at a depth of 10 cm warms up to +6...+8 ? C (usually at this time the birch leaf unfolds).
A delay in planting tubers in the soil, for example, by 10 days, leads to a reduction in yield by up to 30%. 6. Mulching of plantings.
After planting, the soil must be mulched with OZHZ compost or peat, humus or chopped straw to a height of 2... 6 cm (6 cm if the soil is over-compacted) 7. Placing potato rows north to south provides more even illumination to the plants.
This gives a noticeable increase in yield and an increase in starch accumulation in tubers by 1-2%. 8. The soil between rows and in rows should be loose and free from weeds until the above-ground mass of plants is completely closed. 9.
When potato stems grow 10-12 cm, the plants should be hilled to 2/3 of their height. You need to hill up with loose, moist soil (2-3 days after rain or watering) with the desired mulching up to 1 cm with humus, peat, compost or sawdust, and before closing the rows you need to hill up to a height of ~ 30 cm.
If the height of the ridge is 15 cm, then the yield will be 2 times less. 10. We will carry out the second hilling before butanization so that the soil ridge is at least 30 cm, which will ensure a stable temperature... The formation of tubers will increase the number of formed…….. up to two times. 11.
Treatment of potato plants during the budding phase (when buds that have not yet blossomed are formed on the plant) with a 0.05% solution of humus anti-stress growth elixir GUMI (5 g of GUMI powder per 10 liters of water) ensures the production of marketable tubers in a harvest of over 90-95% with a predominance of large ones tubers more than 60-65%. 12. Treatment against late blight with a solution of friendly microflora of the drug Fitosporin-M, starting from flowering, 3-4 times with intervals between treatments of 10-15 days. 13.
After 14 days, Aktara becomes safe, and Gumi relieves depressing stress from the effects of the chemical on potatoes. 14. We remove the potatoes when the tops begin to dry. 15. Before storing seed potato tubers, we spray them with a solution of Fitosporin-M - this will greatly improve their keeping quality. As you can see, everything is very simple and if you fully follow these recommendations, you will get the desired harvest of healthy, tasty tubers.
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.
- Creation optimal mode 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 storage problems 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 sprout new harvest it will be slow.
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.
There is a 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, while 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 speak about detailed preparation soil, then it is worth starting with its fertilization before the onset of winter. When it's time to plant, you should ensure necessary moisture and loosening of 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 a good harvest is 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.
Harvest
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 much as possible. more harvest 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 land ready material into 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.
- Creation favorable conditions for germination.
- Plant nutrition.
If you follow all the given rules, you can achieve good result even with minimal effort.
Potato yield is not in last resort It depends on the landing date. That is why it is important to plant it when optimal conditions are created for this. weather. Find out how you can determine best timing for planting potatoes in private household plots and what they depend on.
If you rush and plant potatoes in cold soil, the tubers will germinate and develop slowly: shoots may appear later than those planted in colder soil. warm earth. In addition, they may be subject to spring frosts. Conversely, if you miss the right time for planting, after which the soil dries out, then the planted potatoes will not have enough moisture, and this will also subsequently negatively affect the yield.
As scientists have found, deviations in one direction or another reduce the potato yield by 15-20%. That is why it is so important to correctly determine the time for planting, when the soil has warmed up sufficiently (at a depth of 10 cm, at least +8...+10°C), but has not yet dried out from melt water. It should also be taken into account that sandy and sandy loam soils warm up faster and earlier than loams and clays.
It is also necessary to correctly determine when to plant potatoes because the treatments chemicals In order for them to be effective, they must be carried out during certain periods of development of the potato plant.
When to plant potatoes
This is influenced by several factors: the timing of the ripening of the variety, the climate of the area and the current spring weather. Many gardeners, wanting to determine when they can plant potatoes, take into account the recommendations of the lunar calendar or pay attention to folk signs.
Depending on the variety
Regarding the first criterion, experts divide potato varieties into 5 groups:
- early (the harvest can be harvested 50-65 days after planting the tubers);
- mid-early (they will need from 65 to 80 days to start harvesting);
- mid-season varieties (you can dig up the crop in 80-95 days);
- medium-late (marketable tubers can be dug up at 95-110 days);
- late (the potato harvest is ready in 110-115 days).
Thus, you can plant early potatoes when the soil warms up to 8-10°C (in the southern and central regions). If you need to get the harvest as early as possible, then sprouted potatoes are planted under film. This will speed up the emergence of seedlings by 1-2 weeks. Sprouted tubers germinate faster than non-sprouted tubers, so the time before harvest is also reduced. With such early planting, it is possible to grow summer potatoes by mid-July.
If you don’t want to get early potatoes, then it’s better to pay attention to mid-season and mid-late varieties. They are the most productive and have time to ripen before the onset of frost. In the south and for storage, it is better to choose late varieties.
Mid-early, mid-season and late varieties can be planted in April - early June, depending on the region where the summer cottage is located.
According to the lunar calendar
It has long been noted that the Moon has a direct effect on the growth processes occurring in plants. During the days of the waxing Moon, the force of growth is directed upward, therefore the tops grow at this time. On the days of the waning moon, on the contrary, roots grow. Regarding potatoes, it is precisely this period that you need to pay attention to. So, according to the lunar calendar, you can plant tubers in 2019 on the following days:
- March – 8-13, 16, 18, 19, 23 and 29-31;
- April – 9-12, 15, 17, 18, 22 and 28-30;
- May – 9-13, 15.17, 18.22 and 28-31;
- June – 7-10, 13, 15, 16,20 and 27-29.
It is not worth planting during the full moon or new moon. Strictly adhering to the lunar calendar, that is, carrying out work only on the specified dates, is also not worth it. These are just recommendations; more attention should be paid to the weather and soil conditions.
According to folk signs and scientific methods
In addition to the lunar calendar, gardeners also take into account folk signs. They say that the right time to plant potatoes in the ground is when:
- on a birch tree the leaves become the size of a penny;
- bird cherry finishes blooming;
- dandelions are blooming;
- after the coltsfoot blooms, 1 month passes (only for early varieties).
It is believed that during this period the air and soil temperatures for planting potatoes in the spring become optimal. It is worth considering that folk signs are true only when trees and herbs grow in the immediate vicinity of the site.
To determine more precisely what they will be optimal timing for planting potato tubers, you can also use soil moisture. To do this, you need to take soil from a depth of 8-10 cm, form it into a lump and throw it down. If it falls into pieces, you can already plant; if it just flattens, the earth is still wet; if it breaks up into small pieces, the soil is already dry.
But the most accurate information about planting dates can be determined by measuring the temperature of the soil (at a depth of 10 cm) and air. You can plant if in the first case it is +8...+10°C, and in the second - from +15°C during the day, and from +5°C at night.
Planted tubers are not afraid of frost, since they are in the ground, so there is no need to be afraid of them when planting. If shoots have already appeared, then they need to be covered with film overnight.
Planting dates in different regions
The approximate time for planting potato tubers by region can be found in the tables below.
Table 1. For Russia
East and West Siberian, Northern
Table 2. For Ukraine and Belarus
Deadlines for boarding
In addition to the recommended ones, there are also deadlines by which you must complete the project. planting work in a potato plot. Deadline for planting potatoes for regions in the Middle Zone, Moscow region and Leningrad region occurs in the 3rd decade of May. The deadline for planting potatoes in beds in Siberia and the northern regions is the beginning of June. In northern Kazakhstan - the 2nd and 3rd ten days of May, in the Non-Black Earth Region - the 1st ten days of May, in the south - the end of April.
The quality of the harvest depends not only on the planting material, but also on the growing conditions. It is important to observe the timing of planting potatoes - the right choice affects the results. Every gardener should know exactly when to plant potatoes and how to decide on the timing.
Dependence of the result on planting time
Most people grow potatoes not for subsequent sale, but for personal consumption. winter time. If you need to get the first results closer to mid-summer, it is better to plant the tubers in April. You should focus on the second half of the month. This rule is relevant for the central and southern parts of the country. In other regions, cultivation is unlikely to be possible before May, or in some cases June.
To grow potatoes for later storage, tubers should be planted with an emphasis on the traditional requirements listed above. Planting tubers must reach a condition that allows the harvest to be stored unhindered until next spring. Mass planting is recommended in the second half of May at least. If annual temperatures are lower than usual and spring is late, planting should be done in June. At making the right choice When potatoes are planted, the first shoots will become noticeable after a month, sometimes earlier.
Landing dates at different latitudes
The period when it will be possible to plant potatoes is determined depending on the soil warming parameters. IN different regions it may proceed with differences. The third week of March should be chosen if you plan to plant early potato varieties in the Krasnodar Territory and the southern part of Ukraine. Mid-season varieties for this area should be planted in early April.
Further, the heat will reach the middle zone. Residents of the Leningrad region and Moscow region should focus on the third ten days of April. The specified period simultaneously covers the remaining part of Ukraine, as well as Belarus. In the Urals and Siberia, where early cultivation is impossible, potatoes should be planted at least in the first half of May.
Despite standard calendar requirements, deadlines can be delayed or accelerated based on temperature regime in a certain year. It would be a good idea to periodically check the weather forecast several weeks in advance.
Immediately before planting, additional organic-based fertilizers are added to the soil - compost or rotted manure. It is strongly recommended not to use too much fresh organic matter and nitrogen fertilizers. This will lead to a decrease in yield and accumulation chemical substances in root vegetables.
When to plant potatoes
Define deadline There are two ways to plant potatoes - depending on the planting material used or according to the recommendations of the lunar calendar.
Depending on the variety
Experts distinguish five categories of potato varieties depending on the ripening period:
- early variety;
- mid-early;
- mid-season;
- mid-late;
- late variety.
If the soil temperature at a depth of 8 centimeters is 6 degrees or more, you can start planting early potatoes. If harvest time is limited, sprouted tubers can be planted in a greenhouse or under a film cover. At the place where potatoes are planted, the snow is completely removed in the second half of March, then the soil is sprinkled with peat and protected with a film that allows the soil to warm up.
The ripening period of mid-early potato varieties varies from 65 to 80 days. The optimal start date for planting is May. It is important to pay attention to the fact that early and mid-early varieties are characterized by the presence of an increased concentration of starch, which negatively affects the taste.
Mid-season variety is planted at the end of May, and the deadline for planting is the first half of June.
The best option– use sandy and medium, light loamy soil. On acidic soil, planting material is most susceptible to diseases and harmful microorganisms. To increase the yield, you need to choose soil enriched with mass nutrients.
The preparation of the beds should be carried out in the fall, a few weeks after the completion of the harvest. Before digging up the garden, it must be filled with fertilizers - ammonium nitrate and granulated superphosphate.
According to the lunar calendar
Using the lunar calendar you can determine favorable days for planting crops and until what date to plant potatoes. The calendar is compiled separately for each year, so it is important to keep up to date with the information.
IN lunar calendar There are both favorable and unfavorable dates. This does not mean that the farmer is obliged to blindly trust what is written by experts. Otherwise, the harvest may be of poor quality or ripen in insufficient quantities.
It is important to rely not only on dates, but also on current weather conditions in a particular region. There must be a balance between expert forecasts and real weather data.
Potato seed tubers are very sensitive to conditions environment. If you plant potatoes in cold soil, they will experience temperature shock, development will slow down, and seedlings will appear even later than tubers planted a week later, but more warm ground. If you miss optimal time When planting potatoes, and the soil has time to dry out, the tubers will not have enough moisture, which will negatively affect the harvest.
According to scientists, planting potatoes 2 weeks earlier or later reduces the harvest by 15–20%. Moreover, now, when the climate changes noticeably every year, determining this period is becoming increasingly difficult.
Folk signs and scientific methods
Some gardeners categorically reject folk signs, since in our time they are not always true. The fact is that the signs “work” only if the trees or shrubs that the vegetable grower is guided by grow next to the future potato plantation.
Climatic conditions vary even within the same region. If bird cherry blossoms in the city, this does not mean at all that in a village 100 km away from it, it is time to plant potatoes. In addition, light, sandy loam soils are ready for planting several days earlier than loam soils.
According to folk signs, you need to plant potatoes when:
- a month after the coltsfoot blooms (the sign is true for the earliest varieties of potatoes);
- the leaves on the birch tree will become the size of a penny;
- the bird cherry will bloom;
- Dandelions will bloom.
You can more accurately determine the time of planting potatoes by the condition of the soil:
- the earth is ready if a lump taken from a depth of 10–15 cm and thrown onto the ground has broken up into several parts. If it was only deformed from the impact, it means the soil is not ready, but if it crumbled into fine crumbs– the soil dries out and needs to be planted immediately;
- it is necessary to stretch a pointed pole across the plowed ground. If the soil under the point crumbles and is not crushed, it means it is ready for planting;
- The most accurate way is to measure the soil temperature. The earth at a depth of 10 cm should warm up to a temperature of +8 °C.
- You can also focus on air temperature. Potatoes can be planted if it is sunny during the day, the temperature rises above +15 °C, and at night generally does not fall below +5 °C.
If weather forecasters promise frosts during or a few days after planting potatoes, don’t worry: tubers in the ground can safely tolerate a short-term drop in temperature even to -5 °C. There is no need to worry about frost until the seedlings rise higher than 1 cm above the level of the bed. If the tops freeze, the frost will not damage the healthy part of the stem protected by the soil, and the sprouts will recover very quickly.
Return frosts are very dangerous for seedlings taller than 3–4 cm. If weather forecasters promise frosts when the sprouts have already fully elongated, the potato bushes must be hilled high, leaving only the tips of the upper leaves above the tops of the ridges. If the area of the plot is small, before frosts the seedlings are covered with rags, cardboard, and straw. Watering the beds also helps.
Features of planting potatoes in different regions
In different regions of Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, potatoes are planted from the beginning of April (in the south - sometimes from the end of March) to the beginning of June (see Table 1).
Table 1. Potato planting dates
| Region | Potato planting time |
| Russia | |
| Central | Beginning of May |
| Northwestern | Mid – end of May |
| Northern | End of May – beginning of June |
| Central Black Earth | First ten days of May |
| Volgo-Vyatsky | First ten days of May |
| Povolzhsky | First ten days of May |
| North Caucasian | |
| Ural | Second half of May |
| West Siberian | End of May – beginning of June |
| East Siberian | End of May – beginning of June |
| Far Eastern | Second half of May |
| Kaliningrad | Beginning of May |
| Crimea | End of March (for very early varieties), for others – beginning of April |
| Ukraine | |
| South | End of March (for very early varieties), for others – beginning of April |
| Southeast | Beginning – mid-April |
| East | End of April |
| central part | End of April |
| West | Beginning of May |
| Transcarpathia | Mid April |
| Republic of Belarus | |
| Northeast | End of April |
| Southwest | From April 20 |
The given data is approximate, as due to weather surprises the dates may shift by 1-2 weeks. Planting time largely depends on the variety: over early potatoes, especially in greenhouses or under film, are planted earlier.
Sprouted tubers tolerate cold more easily; they can be planted even if the soil temperature at a depth of 10 cm is +6 °C. Experienced gardeners Germinate potatoes for 3–4 weeks. When determining when to plant potatoes, you should consider whether the varieties are zoned or not.
Vegetable growers in the Krasnodar Territory and the south of Ukraine try to plant potatoes early, since in these areas in the summer the soil warms up so much that the tubers stop growing, and some varieties begin to germinate. Here it makes sense to grow only very early and early drought-resistant varieties, since the late ones simply will not ripen. In the South, the varieties Udacha and Crimean Rose have proven themselves well.
In Siberia, the Urals, the Northern and partly Northwestern regions of Russia, summer is short. Late varieties do not ripen here either. Therefore, local potato growers grow early potatoes. According to the latest data, for the conditions of Siberia, the Urals and Far East The Dutch varieties suited well: Rosara, Adretta. Among the varieties of domestic selection, potatoes of the Udacha, Alena, and Lugovskoy varieties are grown here.
There is a rule: the shorter the summer and the worse the climatic conditions, the larger the potato planting material should be used. For example, if tubers weighing 80 g are suitable for the South, then in the northern regions it makes sense to plant potatoes weighing at least 100–120 g.
Over time, potatoes degenerate and lose their original qualities (resistance to disease, drought, cold). Therefore, to get a good harvest, you should buy high-quality planting material from specialized stores every 5–6 years, or, to update the variety, you should grow seedlings from botanical potato seeds yourself.