Conservative and original methods of planting potatoes. Proper planting of potatoes is the key to a bountiful harvest

You've been growing the same variety from "seeds" for years own production? If seed tubers are meticulously taken only from the most the best bushes, then it is acceptable. In other cases, the variety will degenerate. High-quality new potatoes for planting will give a completely different result.

Reference

Early ripe (early) varieties - harvest 60-65 days after planting; medium early - after 70–75 days; mid-season - after 80-85 days; medium-late and late-ripening - after 90-100 days or more ..

Where could I buy?

We recommend that you only go to trusted places for seed potatoes and do not look for them in the market, in a greengrocer's shop or on the side of the road. Take a closer look at the varieties recommended for your region (zoned). Be sure to pay attention to their ripening time. Usually summer residents need early ripe and mid-early varieties - they allow you to serve young potatoes to the table as early as possible. For stocks for the winter, you will need mid-season, and in the southern regions - also mid-late and late varieties. Having decided on the variety, carefully inspect the tubers: they should look healthy, without dark dots, spots and other defects.

When to plant?

Seed potatoes should lie down in loose soil, warmed up at a depth of 8–10 cm to a temperature of at least +10 ˚С. An approximate signal for planting potatoes can be given by birches near your dacha - leaves should appear on them no smaller than a 50-kopeck coin. In the Nonchernozem zone, the optimal time usually occurs on May 8–12. Rain is a reason to postpone planting until the soil dries.

Training

Seed potatoes had to be taken out of storage places a month before planting, "wake up" in a warm room and kept in a cool place with diffused lighting. The ideal tuber, ready for planting, is dark green in color and has strong sprouts.

Those who send one little thing for planting are wrong: seed potatoes should be no smaller than chicken egg. Planting larger tubers is not forbidden. If there is not enough planting material, and the potatoes are large, then it is permissible to cut them into two halves a day before planting in the direction from the top to the base. In this case, both parts should remain with sprouts.

Before planting, potatoes are soaked for half an hour in a solution of one of the following drugs: Maxim, Copper oxychloride or Bordeaux liquid.

6 landing rules

Rule 1 Potatoes do not like acidic soils. Land overgrown with horse sorrel or horsetail is not suitable for potatoes without prior liming.

Rule 2 Grow potatoes in one place no more than once every 3-4 years. Divide the garden into 3-4 plots and annually occupy only one of them with “second bread”. Move it to the next compartment annually.

Rule 3 Potato is a light-loving crop. It must be grown in the brightest place. Do not plant potatoes in the shade or under trees. Furrows should be oriented from south to north, but not from east to west, so as not to provoke competition between plants.

Rule 4 The soil for potatoes should be dug up to a depth of 22–28 cm. But this depends on the type of soil: it is enough to dig up heavy soil to a depth of 18–20 cm without turning the clay layer under the fertile layer.

Rule 5 When digging a potato field before planting, it is advisable to add rotted compost or humus (up to 4 kg per 1 sq. M). Fresh manure is not recommended, as it provokes scab damage to young tubers, and is also a breeding ground for weeds. One of the complex mineral fertilizers (azofoska, or nitrophoska, or nitroammophoska) is added to the humus - about 30 g per square meter.

Rule 6 The depth of planting tubers is chosen depending on the type of soil. On heavy soils, it should be no more than 7–8 cm, on light soils - 10–12 cm, on peaty soils - 13–14 cm. In low areas with close standing ground water potatoes are best planted on ridges or beds about 25 cm high.

The average planting pattern is 70 × (25-30) cm. Large tubers are less common: the step in the row is increased to 35–40 cm.

Questions and answers

Unusual technologies

I read about the original ways of growing potatoes. Some plant it without digging - they lay it directly on the ground and fill it with straw. Others plant the tubers not in the garden, but in a bag, barrel or can with holes for draining water, then, instead of hilling, pour the earth into the container. How do experts feel about these inventions?

L. Kryshkina, St. Petersburg

Potatoes can be grown in a variety of ways - both on different nutrient substrates and in containers. But be aware important detail: leaves and stems of plants need plenty of light (do not put them in the shade), while the underground parts should be reliably darkened. Without this circumstance, the tubers may turn green and become unsuitable for food.

under protection

Is it possible to protect potatoes from the Colorado potato beetle and late blight without poisonous spraying?

T. Solovyova, Dmitrov

Getting rid of the Colorado potato beetle with natural methods is not easy. You will have to regularly remove pests and laying their eggs by hand (take a closer look at the leaves from below). Folk remedies can be relatively effective only until the first rain. At the same time, there are many effective chemicals control of the Colorado potato beetle in personal subsidiary farms: Ivanhoe, Tsunami, Inta-Vir, Sharpei, Prestige and others.

It is impossible to defeat potato late blight with home remedies, but there are non-poisonous biological preparations(Fitosporin, Sporobacterin, Alirin-B, Albit). You can protect plants and fungicides (Bordeaux mixture, HOM, Homoxil and others). If late blight affects 25–30% of the tops, it must be mowed.

Flowers - down?

Is it true that potato flowers take crops from plants and need to be cut off?

V. Plotnikova, Myshkin

Flowers do not affect the potato harvest at all! At the same time, if people want to breathe air, move around, let them remove the inflorescences, it won't get worse either.

Ash and more

Is it true that there is scab on potatoes from adding ashes? If so, what do you feed her?

A. Chashchina, Smolensk

Ash has nothing to do with scab damage: it is an infectious disease whose pathogens are found in the soil. It can be intensified with the simultaneous introduction of fresh manure and liming of the soil. Ash is a valuable source of potassium necessary for potatoes, and it is not only possible, but even necessary, to introduce it into the soil when digging or into a planting hole (in addition to organic and mineral fertilizers). In the process of growth, potatoes will need additional nutrition. It is rational to carry out top dressing with one of the complex mineral fertilizers: they “powder” the soil (according to the instructions) before the second hilling. Foliar top dressing with a weak solution of fertilizer with microelements is also useful - this contributes to the good development of plants and, accordingly, an increase in yield.

By the way

Many foreign gardeners have long been fond of ornamental potatoes. It blooms very beautifully and smells pleasant - just like French perfume! These plants decorate flower beds, and sometimes even balconies. It is difficult to grow it. To get seedlings, you need a greenhouse. But you can’t eat this potato: the nodules are bitter and contain a lot of toxic substance - solanine.

New

Tell us about potato novelties - ours and foreign ones. Which of them do you recommend trying?

G. Lipkina, Serpukhov

In 2015–2016 in the State Register of Breeding Achievements approved for use, there are new varieties of potatoes - foreign and Russian. Pay attention to the ones that are created in your area. For the Central region, these are the Vympel and Grand varieties. But the "foreigners" are poorly adapted to our conditions.

New varieties of purple potatoes Northern Lights, Amethyst and Lekar are now undergoing state tests. Wait: their tubers are very healthy.

Does it make sense to take up space in the area for potatoes? And if so, how to get a crop without extra effort? What varieties should be chosen, how to prepare tubers? These and other questions will be answered by Stepan Kiru, Dr. biological sciences.

Once, while in the USA, I told the seller in the store that I grow potatoes myself. He was surprised and asked: do you really not have it in stores? When I replied that there is and at an affordable price, he was even more surprised and wanted to know what was the point of starting this fuss.

But really: why do I grow potatoes? First, I want to get a safe and healthy product. Now the whole world is moving towards growing organic vegetables and potatoes. Such products are sold separately from the usual ones and cost 1.5-2 times more (I myself saw this in Germany).

And secondly, I want tasty potatoes. The fact that tubers from your garden are tastier than purchased ones is not self-hypnosis, but the truth! Tastes really differ as day and night. And this applies not only to potatoes, but also to any vegetable.

Solid benefit?

Potatoes are not only tasty food! I'm sure being around his plants is good too. They highlight in environment physiologically active substances in small doses, which positively affects human health (if he is not allergic). By the way, it is they who protect the potato itself from many diseases - maybe people too?

True, every medal has two sides. It has long been known that green tubers are not affected by diseases and do not rot. This is because the potato produces solanine in the light - an antiseptic that protects it from "ill-wishers". At the same time, tubers "with greens" should not be eaten. They are poisonous, and the toxin is not removed or destroyed either by cooking or by other types of cooking. Cases of severe potato poisoning are known, one even fatal (paradoxically - in South America). Therefore, even slightly green potatoes should be thrown away. It is not enough just to cut off the green barrel, because solanine is easily carried with juice throughout the tuber.

It is interesting

Scientists of the Department of Potato Genetic Resources of the All-Russian Institute of Plant Industry named after V.I. N. I. Vavilova always spend a lot of time among the plantings of potatoes. It is interesting that among them there were many centenarians - many employees successfully worked up to 85–90 years old, and one scientist lived well up to 97 years old. With foreign experts the same story. The most famous potato grower in the world (English scientist Jax Hawks) lived to be 92 years old. Peruvian experts working with potatoes are very long-lived. Possibly recipes. traditional medicine with potatoes - not an accident?

Difficult or easy?

Growing potatoes is not that difficult if you know how to handle them. First of all, it is desirable not to fall under the power of common misconceptions.

Misconception 1: there are varieties of potatoes that do not need care - you just need to plant, and then come and dig.

In fact, few living organisms can be grown without doing anything with them. Any plant or animal during the growth period requires nutrition and care. If your resources (health, free time) are limited, then you need to plant exactly as many potatoes as you can “pull”.

Misconception 2: there are no storage conditions - it makes no sense to grow potatoes at all.

In an ordinary closet or in a pantry in an apartment, you can keep a bag or two of potatoes (mid-ripening varieties) until the New Year.

Misconception 3: to feed a family for a year, you need to occupy a whole field with potatoes and spend a mountain of seed material on planting.

good variety and competent agricultural technology allow you to easily get 200 kg of potatoes from one hundred square meters. This harvest is enough for two people for a whole year. For planting, you need 400 tubers.

By the way

An interesting pattern - if Western Europe they love potatoes with yellow flesh, in the East they still prefer white. Poland is divided in half: those living in the west of the country love yellow, in the east - white. In Germany, the same thing: lovers of white pulp come from the GDR, and yellow pulp from the FRG. But now this situation is changing. People learned that yellow potatoes contain more carotene and vitamin C - they began to eat it more often, tasted it and got used to it.

Three secrets of success

Potatoes are not the simplest, but far from the most complex culture. The main thing is to know only three secrets of success: this is the right variety, optimal nutrition (soil) and competent agricultural technology (which includes protection). If one of the points is not fulfilled, nothing will work. With a bad variety, you can do anything - the result will not please you anyway. Against the background of poor nutrition, not a single variety will show its capabilities. A good variety, good nutrition and excellent soil mean little if you do not follow the agricultural practices.

seed potatoes

It is very important to know: if you yourself reproduce the same variety of potatoes from year to year, then its quality and yield properties are reduced. The main reason is the accumulation of tubers infected with pathogens of fungal, bacterial and viral diseases.

In this regard, there are two ways to obtain a stable annual crop:

Annually select seed tubers only from the most productive and healthy bushes. This is within the power of anyone who loves to grow this crop and has the conditions for storing seed potatoes.

Update the "seeds" of potatoes. Acquire elite material of a variety you have already tested (if you are used to it) or a new, more promising variety, which has complex resistance to diseases and pests in combination with high yield and good taste.

Where could I buy? Do not purchase potato planting material in markets, grocery stores, from cars, on roadsides highways or in the villages! The fact is that in the last decade, due to the weakening of quarantine control, the most dangerous pest potato plantings - golden potato nematode.

Alas, going to a store or farm that produces seed potatoes is also not always a guarantee of quality. When buying, do not hesitate to demand a certificate (or certificate) for seeds or an act of tuber analysis issued by the city or regional (district) seed inspection. Visually evaluate the tubers: they should look healthy, without dark spots, scab spots and other defects.

How many seeds will you need? Before you go for seed potatoes, you need to decide: how much crop does your family need and what will it be used for? If you grow potatoes not only for food, but also for seeds for next year and have the conditions for storing them, you need to take this fact into account in your calculations. Having decided on the quantity, carefully study the descriptions of the varieties.

The variety decides the success of the business

Over the entire history of potato breeding in the world, more than 11,000 varieties have been created, including in our country (since 1924) - more than 400.

Ripening time is important. If you plan to serve your own young potatoes to the table from the middle of summer, then you can not do without early ripe and medium early varieties. For stocks for the whole winter, mid-season, mid-late and late varieties are suitable. Their tubers tend to accumulate more nutrients, vitamins, amino acids, starch and protein and taste better when young. In the garden, it is desirable to have two or three varieties different terms maturation (their ratio is set according to the needs of the family).

True, northerners have less choice. For gardeners in the Far North, where the growing season does not exceed 70–75 days, it makes sense to grow only early ripening potatoes, in extreme cases, medium early ones. In the North-West region, you can grow varieties from early to mid-ripening, but for the Chernozem region, all options are suitable.

Regionalized = Verified in a given region. The entire territory of Russia is divided into 12 soil-climatic regions for zoning crop varieties. Breeders are trying to create varieties for specific soil and climatic conditions. You have found new variety, recently recommended by the State Register of Breeding Achievements of the current year for use in your region? This means that it has successfully passed two years of state testing in your area.

"Cosmopolitans". Varieties that perform well in various climatic conditions can be counted on fingers. There is a "record holder" - the Nevsky potato. He is already about 40 years old, but he still remains the leader of our country in terms of area occupied (growing from Kaliningrad to Far East). None foreign country There is no such "universal". In terms of taste, Nevsky is inferior to many varieties, but in terms of crop stability and unpretentiousness to growing conditions, it still has no equal. Its closest rival is the early variety Luck, which shows excellent results in many regions of the country and has field resistance to late blight.

Potato loves the light

Reference

Potato varieties are divided into five groups according to the ripening time:

early ripe (early) with a growing season of 60–65 days (from planting);
medium early - 70–75 days;
mid-season - 80–85 days;
mid-late 90-100 days;
late - more than 105 days

Carefully!

According to the latest data, today more than 30% of arable land and garden plots in Russian Federation infested with golden potato nematode. The trouble affected both large agricultural firms and garden plots.

It is very difficult to deal with this pest. As soon as she gets into the garden (with planting material, on wheels or on shoes that have been in an infected place), the damage will become noticeable in the second year. But it will be possible to get rid of this pest only after 10 years - and only on the condition that all this time there will be no potatoes on the site! To protect your garden from quiet uninvited guests, we advise you to pay attention to nematode-resistant varieties.

Where is the ideal?

Most often, most amateur gardeners want to have universal variety: productive, tasty, resistant to diseases and pests, not very late. However, you need to know: the more positive qualities in a variety, the more difficult it is to create and the less durable it is.

Do not grow potatoes in the same place

Preparing for landing

It is advisable to spread the tubers for germination a month before planting. If you do this earlier, the potatoes will lose too much moisture and germinate less vigorously.

First of all, the seed material should be carefully checked for signs of diseases. It is impossible to plant tubers with a shape atypical for this variety - pear-shaped or elongated. Such material usually low yield. If you take potatoes out of cold storage already with sprouts 4–5 cm long or more, these sprouts must be broken off. Do not worry: if you follow the rules of germination, new sprouts will definitely appear on the tubers.

To "wake up" the tubers, they are placed for a couple of days in a bright room with a temperature of 20-22 ° C, and then transferred to a well-lit, but cooler place (10-14 ° C) - on a veranda or on a windowsill in a not too hot room.

The ideal tuber, ready for planting, is dark green in color and has strong sprouts. If the tubers are large, it is permissible to cut them into two halves a day before planting in the direction from the top to the base. In this case, both parts should remain with sprouts.

Another important point - preplant treatment of tubers. They are soaked for half an hour in a solution of one of the following drugs: Maxim, Copper chloride, Bordeaux liquid, diluted in accordance with the instructions.

Landing Rules

It is undesirable to grow potatoes in the same place - pests and pathogens accumulate in the ground. Divide the plot into 3-4 sectors and occupy only one of them with potatoes. Plantings annually move to the next sector.

Potatoes do not like acidic soils. The acidity should be at least pH 4.5-5, otherwise do not expect a good harvest. One of the external signs of a very acidic soil is the abundance of horse sorrel or horsetail on it. The rest of the soil requirements are very dependent on the variety. Some grow well on light sandy soils, others are able to produce a good harvest even on clay soils, and for others, only black soil is needed. Therefore, carefully read the characteristics of the variety.

Potatoes are very photophilous and do not tolerate shade. Therefore, in no case do not place it under the trees, otherwise everything will go into the tops, and not into the tubers. Furrows should be placed from south to north, but not from east to west. Otherwise, you will provoke competition between plants, the struggle for the sun, and in this case a rich harvest is also not expected.

old and new

Not all varieties have a long life. Only a few stay "afloat" up to 100-130 years (Russet Burbank, Early Rose), others - 20-40 years, and many - no more than 2-3 years after they are approved in the State Register. The most durable are resistant to numerous diseases (especially to viral ones that contribute to the degeneration of potatoes) varieties.
How to deal with the wireworm?

Many summer residents complain: they would be happy to grow more potatoes, but the wireworm interferes. To defeat this pest, you must first get rid of weeds, especially perennials, and most importantly, wheatgrass.

In addition, liming the soil and adding phosphate rock to it is necessary, but this is undesirable before planting potatoes, as it can affect the quality of the tubers. In autumn, it is useful to add ash (up to 1 l / m 2) for digging the soil.

It is impossible to get rid of the wireworm without autumn and spring digging and loosening of row spacing.

If a wireworm is in the garden, strict adherence to crop rotation is necessary: it is advisable to plant annual legumes before potatoes and root crops. The cultivation of white mustard or rye on green manure helps to defeat this pest ( green manure). Rye suppresses the development of weeds, especially couch grass, which attracts wireworm like a magnet.

Sometimes you have to select the larvae manually. To do this, use baits from pieces of potatoes, carrots or beets, into which twigs must be stuck and buried to a depth of 10–12 cm. After a day or two, maximum three, the baits must be inspected and the pests gathered there must be destroyed. After the destruction of the wireworm, you need to renew the sections of the baits again, sprinkle them with water and bury them in other places to the same depth. In early spring, small bundles of straw and leaves can also be laid out on the site. The beetles gathered there should be caught and destroyed.

Are colored ones better?

Exactly 20 years ago - in 1995 - American breeders, together with biologists and nutritionists, drew attention to potatoes with colored pulp, which the North American Indians have been eating for centuries. Analyzes have shown that the antioxidant properties of such potatoes are not inferior to those of the most useful vegetables - broccoli, peppers, tomatoes, or even exceed them! Pigments that impart purple, red, orange, or yellow, have a high value for the human body.

But the most beneficial for health was potatoes with purple flesh. By the way, these are not transgenic plants at all. There is evidence that colored varieties appeared at least 2000 years ago among people living in the Andes around Lake Titicaca (this is Bolivia and Peru), while the potato was introduced into the culture there more than 9000 years ago. After the discovery of America, colored tubers were brought as exotic to the courts of the kings of England and France, but they were appreciated all over the world relatively recently - after scientific research.

American scientists conducted clinical studies on numerous volunteers - people with the initial stages of cardiovascular diseases, oncological diagnoses in the early stages and eye diseases. All of these patients regularly ate purple potatoes for two years.

Without prejudice

I regularly treat my guests with colored potatoes. I often hear the phrase: “I like white potatoes more.” I urge you to try. If the guests refuse, I suggest tasting this dish with your eyes closed. After that, everyone is usually surprised: “What, it tastes like an ordinary potato!” Let's think about whether it is necessary to refuse useful new products only because of habits or conservatism? Remember: after all, 20 years ago, we didn’t see kiwi or avocado in our eyes, and then we tasted it - and began to eat these healthy fruits more often. Is it bad?

The results were amazing. Oncological diseases of the first stage stopped their development. State of cardio-vascular system and the eyes improved significantly.

After this became clear, the US Congress allocated large funds for research and development of varieties with colored pulp - about $ 200 million. Already after 2-3 years - in 1998-1999 - such varieties were created and entered the consumer market.

It must be said that new potatoes the population really liked it - it was literally swept off the shelves. True, such demand did not arise from scratch: the general public was first introduced to the results of scientific research. Now 5-6 new varieties are grown in the USA, plus there are also old ones brought from South America(actually, such potatoes were known 100 years ago, they just didn’t pay much attention to them before). The area under colored potatoes in the world is constantly increasing.

Our country has not remained aloof from global trends either. So far, one variety has been included in the State Register, medium-yielding, but with purple flesh - Violet. It is also on sale, but so far the demand does not match the merits of this potato. Many have not tasted it yet or experience visual antipathy - and completely in vain!

Plot for growing potatoes choose in advance, taking into account the crop rotation and with a high agricultural background. Be sure to alternate crops: potatoes should return to their original place no earlier than 3-4 years, which gives the release of the soil from pathogens of many fungal and bacterial diseases.

Preparing to plant potatoes

The best precursors for potatoes are leguminous crops (beans, peas, etc.), cereals (for example, winter rye grown as green manure), beets, and virgin soil (in the latter case, wireworm is possible). Crops such as cabbage, carrots, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes are undesirable, as they are affected by the same diseases as potatoes (soft rot and late blight).

Some gardeners, in order to obtain a very early harvest of tubers, specially select a well-heated piece of land from which the snow melted early.

High-quality preparation of tubers and timely planting of potatoes largely determine the future harvest of this crop. The best option for planting, when the soil of the site has been dug up since autumn, with the incorporation of a full rate of manure (up to 10 kg per sq.m.). On heavy soils, you can also apply 2/3 in autumn phosphorus-potassium fertilizers- superphosphate (it will dissolve for a long time even in wet soil), potassium chloride (so that chlorine, which is undesirable for potatoes, is washed out).

If in the autumn digging was carried out on a shovel bayonet, then in the spring it is done at 1/2-3/4 of the previous depth, so as not to turn the weed seeds planted to the depth back to the soil surface. Mineral nitrogen and 1/3 of phosphorus-potassium fertilizers are applied for spring digging of the site or during planting. On light soils, it is preferable to apply both organic and mineral fertilizers in the spring. It is advisable to use both mineral and organic fertilizers for planting.

The soil is prepared as it matures, when it warms up to +6 ... + 8 ° С at a planting depth, and a lump thrown from a shovel will crumble. When digging, carefully choose the rhizomes of weeds (especially perennials - wheatgrass, which is a favorite "dish" for the larvae of beetles - click beetles, pink thistle and thistle field) and wireworm larvae, remove stones.

The dug up earth is left for 1-3 days (depending on weather conditions) “breathe” so that the layer of earth turned outward “warms up” before planting, but it should not be allowed to dry out seriously so that the moisture necessary for the initial germination of tubers does not evaporate. The prepared soil should be loose (finely cloddy), well permeable to water, air and heat in order to create optimal conditions for tubers in the first growing season. rapid development powerful root system and above-ground mass.

So that the potatoes do not fall into the cold soil, it can be covered with a black film for heating. It can also be covered for a week and an already planted area. Furrows are placed from north to south.

Planting tubers

When planting at an earlier date with well-sprouted material, the tubers are covered by 4-5 cm so that the potatoes do not fall into unheated soil. During normal planting, the depth of planting potatoes in the soil is 7-8 cm - the distance from the top of the tuber to the soil surface is considered, and on light (sandy and sandy) soils it is increased to 8-10 cm. Small tubers are planted to a depth of 4-5 cm The distance between rows is 70 cm, in a row - 30 cm. If the variety is characterized by large tubers, but it is necessary to obtain a sufficient amount of seed material for future planting, the distance between the tubers is reduced to 20 cm.

For effective reproduction of an interesting variety of potatoes, strong greened sprouts of tubers (preferably 7-8 cm in size) can be planted in open ground(in well-fertilized soil) with a slope of 30 degrees to the soil surface, leaving their top 1-2 cm long above the soil. They are shaded from direct sunlight for 3-5 days (you can make a small frame - wire arcs and cover with plastic wrap) and water abundantly.

Planting potatoes in open ground seedlings do when the possibility of damage to it by recurrent cold weather is excluded. Such small plants immediately begin vegetation and quickly adapt after planting to field conditions. Bushes grown from cuttings form up to 3-5 tubers with a total weight of up to 0.5 kg, and contain a significantly lower amount of bacterial and viral infection than the crop obtained from whole tubers.

It should also be mentioned planting potatoes in segments (division) of the tuber, but, in my opinion, it is better to avoid this, as the tubers are seriously injured). Before planting, large tubers are divided into 3-5 parts so that at least 2 buds or sprouts remain on each piece. The cut points are dusted with ash and dried in the shade until a crust forms. After cutting each tuber, the knife should be disinfected in a strong solution of potassium permanganate to avoid the possible transfer of bacterial and fungal infections.

However, in some cases, it is still not possible to avoid rotting of the tuber cut before planting or in the soil. But it is still better not to use chopped tubers as planting material - such potatoes are more affected by diseases and damaged by pests, it is even preferable to plant them with sprouts.

Potato varieties

Now the trading network offers for sale to the population at least 60-65 varieties, including Dutch, Finnish, Polish, German and others, as well as Belarusian and Ukrainian selection. By the way, according to Leningrad experts, most Dutch varieties are very strongly affected by late blight, Finnish varieties show very weak resistance to this disease (it’s not for nothing that the Finns “bought” the Nevsky variety from us for breeding), and German ones are clearly inferior to Russian ones. By the way, domestic experts believe that the offensive of foreign varieties on the domestic market has the character of aggressive expansion, and the entrepreneurship of exporting farmers is actively encouraged by their governments, while no one supports our producers.

The gardener should use 4-5 varieties for planting (two of them must be nematode-resistant), preferably zoned and of different early maturity. If several tubers are purchased especially valuable variety for reproduction, I advise them to plant in a separate place.

Tubers for planting should be 30-50 mm in diameter, of high varietal purity and germination, recovered from viral and bacterial infections. The tubers must be warmed up or vernalized, they are planted with well-formed eyes, with short and strong sprouts.

To obtain food and seed batches of the crop, the planting density of potatoes and the subsequent stalk are calculated. To do this, tubers are selected for planting, on which at least five eyes have sprouted, which means that five main stems will develop.

For a full harvest row spacing for early - mid-season varieties recommended 65-70 cm (for late 75-80 cm) with a distance between tubers of 30 cm, i.e. 450-500 tubers per 100 m2. For the sake of insignificant land savings, row spacings of 45-50 cm should not be made too narrow: this makes it difficult to hill up loose soil, and developing roots are pruned during hilling, as a result of this, plants lag behind in growth and development, form a crop later and weaker. In addition, due to lack of soil, the tubers are exposed and green, which is unacceptable when obtaining ware potatoes.

You should not use random or your own low-quality (degenerated due to many years of use) potatoes for planting. It is better to purchase planting material of high reproduction or use tubers from the autumn single selection.

Since the majority of Russians are forced to meet their needs for potatoes by planting on their plot, it is possible to approximately determine the area under potatoes and calculate the future "theoretical" harvest (at the same time, serious planting care during the growing season and pest and disease control are required). Depending on personal needs, 2-4 acres are allocated for potatoes on their plot, and sometimes up to 10-20 acres or more. In principle, a family of 3-4 people needs about 500 kg of potatoes per year. This is taking into account the stock of seed stock for next year(with an average yield of 120-180 kg per hundred square meters).

It must also be taken into account that potato - photophilous plant , which is not planted between perennials fruit trees to get a fairly full-bodied crop. You can try to approximately calculate the potential harvest needed by the family, which can be obtained from 1-1.5 acres and even from fifty. High-quality (elite) planting material productive variety allows you to get a crop of 4-8 centners per hundred square meters or more. Even when growing potatoes on sandy soils with a good agricultural background, but using a virus-free, elite, well-vernalized material, you can get 500 kg or more from a hundred square meters. When calculating the needs of mineral fertilizers, you should know that 500 kg of tubers "take out" 2.5-3 kg of nitrogen, 3.5-5 kg of potassium, 1 kg of phosphorus from the soil.

If you are planning to get early potato harvest, it is preferable to use early crop varieties than early landing. It has been verified by experiments and practice that potatoes planted in an unheated soil sit in it for a long time without signs of development, then slowly germinate, and its sprouts are more often affected by rhizoctoniosis (the tips of the sprouts turn black and often die without leaving the soil surface). Often potatoes planted much later than this overtake early plantings.

To early varieties include the varieties Zhavoronok, Priekulsky early, Belarusian early, Zhukovsky early, Isora, Spring, White spring, Bullfinch, dutch varieties: Fresco, Latona, and to the middle early ones - Detskoselsky, Elizabeth, Nevsky, Reserve, Svitanok Kyiv, Rozhdestvensky, from foreign ones - Adretta, Romano, Sante, Nikita, Lisetta and others.

For enthusiastic potato growers who want to get second potato harvest(two-yielding culture) on the same area, early and medium-early varieties are better suited, in which the production of marketable tubers (economic precocity) is 55-65 and 65-80 days, respectively. Then, when planting potatoes, the row spacing is 80 cm, the distance between the tubers is 30 cm. When the plants reach the beginning of flowering and the second (last) hilling is carried out, rows of tubers of the second crop are planted in the middle of the row spacing. When harvesting spring planting potatoes, the plants of the second planting period are simultaneously spudded.

Optimal time According to the folk calendar, the end of planting potatoes is considered to be the formation of a full sheet of poplar.

But fight against colorado potato beetle it is advisable to start from the end of April - the beginning of May, i.e. long before planting potatoes. In the area where they are going to place potatoes, pre-sprouted tubers are planted. Overwintered hungry beetles greedily pounce on young shoots - they are easy to collect and destroy. Before and after planting potatoes, you can spread out (in low containers, on the bottom of which a little water is poured) potato peelings or tubers cut into pieces along the potato beds. Being highly sensitive to the smell of freshly cut potatoes, nearby beetles fly and gather in this container, from which they are then selected and destroyed.

A. Lazarev, Candidate of Biological Sciences, Senior Researcher, All-Russian Research Institute of Plant Protection, Pushkin - St. Petersburg

Potatoes are famous for their high yields, which makes it possible to survive in today's food shortages. In addition, most food products are far from natural in quality. Therefore, everyone is interested in getting bountiful harvest, but here's how to plant potatoes in order to get good harvest and will be discussed in this article.

It is difficult to imagine a person who would not know how potatoes are planted. Moreover, there are many sources of information about this, including on the Internet. The technique of planting this root crop has been written in many books and magazines. At the same time, the information is different and finding really useful information is quite difficult. Often, summer residents gain experience as a result of their approaches, which do not always end successfully.

Quality planting material is the key to success

How to get a good potato harvest in the country, this should be taken care of in the fall. As a rule, immediately after harvesting, selection is carried out planting potatoes. Seed potatoes are selected according to a special algorithm: potatoes are selected from bushes that have given a bountiful harvest. At the same time, planting material should have a diameter of 4-5 cm. The use of smaller potatoes is not desirable, since the crop may not ripen, as a result of which the yield of bushes will suffer.

There are many technologies. Some owners plant sprouted potato eyes or potatoes cut into two parts. This approach allows you to have a good harvest, but there is a risk of rotting cut potatoes, especially during rainy periods. Chopped potatoes may not sprout at all or they will, but very weak ones.

Soil preparation

Potatoes prefer light and medium loams, as well as sandy loams. In addition, prepared sod-podzolic and gray forest soils, as well as drained peat bogs, can serve as excellent soil.

More recently, many believed that potatoes grow and develop wonderfully in acidic soils. AT recent times scientists proved that acidic soils contribute to the rapid defeat of potatoes by diseases and pests.

During the formation of tubers, the bushes spend a lot of useful substances.

A vegetable garden is prepared for planting potatoes at the end of this summer. For this, the site is dug up with the introduction the following fertilizers: ammonium nitrate- 13 g per square meter, urea - 10 g per square meter, potassium salt - 10-13 g per square meter, double granulated superphosphate - 15 g per square meter.

Preparing tubers for planting

It is very important to know how to plant potatoes in order to have a good harvest. Next year's crop is prepared after the current crop has been harvested. After selecting seed potatoes, they are placed under a canopy in a bright place for landscaping. The tubers will turn green, which will allow the potatoes to continue to survive, thanks to the poison of corned beef. This poison is produced in potatoes by exposure to light.

Somewhere 20-30 days before planting, potatoes begin to germinate. Before this procedure, the tubers can be washed in potassium permanganate. After that, the planting potatoes are laid out in boxes in one or two layers and placed in a bright place with a temperature of +20°C-+22°C. At the same time, the direct rays of the sun should not be allowed to fall on the potatoes. Planting material is mainly germinated in a dark place, after which weak sprouts also appear. In fact, you need strong, green sprouts, no more than 1.5-2 cm long. After 2-3 weeks, the boxes with planting material are moved to a cooler place, with a temperature of no more than + 14 ° C .

In the process of germination, potato tubers are regularly moistened and turned over. This procedure is carried out every other day. Spraying is carried out with ordinary water, ash solution and mineral fertilizer composition in turn. This minimizes the chance of infection of the tubers and also encourages their growth. The mixture is pounded just before use.

A greenhouse is considered an excellent room for sprouting potatoes. In this case, the potatoes are laid out on a bed of straw and covered with plastic wrap. This is an ideal environment for the emergence of young healthy shoots.

Before planting, it is better to pickle the tubers in the composition boric acid(20 g per 10 liters of water). Pickling seed helps protect tubers from various infections. To do this, the tubers are placed in boats or baskets and immersed in the solution for a short time, after which the potatoes are dried.

The tubers are ready for planting, what's next?

Sometimes, due to late spring, it is not possible to plant potatoes on time, despite the fact that they have sprouted and are ready for planting. The reason can only be the fact that the earth did not have time to warm up. To save planting material, it is placed in grooves prepared in advance in the ground. Potatoes are covered with earth, where they can lie for a couple of weeks without any damage.

Currently, there are many ways to plant a vegetable that is popular with us, a second bread. You can experiment, plant in several ways, but each in a small area, see which piece will yield better, then plant the entire area for planting in this way next year. This article will allow you to learn about what should be the potato planting technology. Here we will deal with all issues in more detail.

Under a shovel

Planting potatoes under a shovel is a classic of the genre. It is also called a smooth landing. Humus, ash, manure (rotted), in short, organic fertilizer are first poured into holes 20-25 cm deep. The inter-ridges are left up to half a meter, so it will be easier to maintain the beds. Sprouted tubers are laid in wells with fertilizers and covered with earth. Now you can level the ground with a rake.

Pros:

The simplicity of the method.
Add. materials are not required.
The technology is also not involved.

Minuses:

The yield is modest.
Labor costs for planting and care.
The potatoes are at the mercy of the weather.
If the soil is heavy and clayey, you will be left without a crop.

Regular watering, hilling and weeding with the destruction of pests are the three pillars in potato care. Sometimes water is poured into the holes themselves before planting. So now you know how to plant potatoes under a shovel.

Mitlider landing

Pros:

Labor-intensive soil preparation.
Good harvests.
Minimal care during the growing season.
Improves the structure of the area.

Minuses:

Compliance with crop rotation.
Mulch tracking.
Inter-row weeding.

put on narrow beds with large distances between them. With a width of the bed itself of 70-80 cm, at least a meter of distance must be left between them.

In autumn, the ridges are dug up and fertilized. The aisles are not touched, only if the weed is removed.

It is necessary to alternate and change the planting site every year, and from vegetables it is best to interchange places with legumes.

If you think that weeds can be left in the aisles, then this is not so. Weed roots grow very quickly and will sprout on the potato beds themselves. In addition, potatoes will have to be shared with neighbors. nutrients, and this will not necessarily affect the crop in the best way.

Weeds are usually fought like this:

Use herbicides.
Weeded.
They mow.

The easiest of these is to use herbicides, but many are afraid of their harmful chemical effects on the soil. Spend a lot of energy, time and health on weeding. The electric mower will easily and quickly mow the tops of weeds, while the roots remaining in the ground, on the one hand, will give new growth, and on the other hand, they will not allow new brethren to germinate.

In Chinese

Chinese potato planting also deserves your attention. Yes - yes, do not laugh, there is such a way of landing. It's also modern. This is a mixture of different ways and utilities that are used immediately and contagiously.

Pros.

high yield method.
Economical.
One potato variety can be propagated immediately and quickly.
Landings do not suffer from heat.
Suitable for all soils.

Minuses:

Quite a labor intensive method.
Not suitable for the north.
It requires a decent level of agricultural technology.
Not suitable for wet areas.

They begin to prepare for planting in advance, in the fall. Right in the fall, they dig a hole a meter by a meter. There, various organic matter is poured to the bottom. Anything will do - foliage, grass, food waste, manure, etc. Add 2-3 cups of ash to one hole. We leave the earth from the pits directly in the mounds.

In the spring we look, if the edges of the pits have crumbled, then we deepen them in a new way. We are waiting for the soil to warm up to 7-8 degrees and start planting, before that we have cultivated the land from the bear.

Now we select a hefty tuber of at least 200 grams in weight and cut it transversely, the cut must be treated with an antiseptic to avoid decay. Such an incision activates dormant eyes and sprouts then it will turn out several times more.

We keep these tubers prepared in this way in the light and wait for their sprouts to grow to 10 cm. Then we plant them in pits, right on the bottom, from above we throw soil from the mounds that were left in the fall when digging these pits. But first we mix this earth with sand, sawdust, humus, ash. The layer of such earth above the potatoes should be at least 30 cm.

With the advent of sprouts, we immediately process them with potash fertilizers, and add another 30 cm of prepared land. Thus, we gradually fill the pit in several stages. We alternate potassium and magnesium fertilizers every week.

With this method, you just need a large number of fertilizers, otherwise you won’t get a good harvest.

But with nitrogen fertilizers be careful, their large number stimulates the set of green mass to the detriment of the formation of tubers.

So, after filling the pit to the brim with earth, we wait for the sprouts to grow by 30 cm, then we bend them to the ground and fix them, then we dig in. Remove the bottom leaves. We build up the hill above the bushes along with the growth of the bush itself. And don't forget to fertilize.

We remove the flowers immediately when flowering!

Square-nest method

Here we present you ways of planting potatoes. The essence of the following technique is to provide as much space as possible for the tuber and its subsequent bush, and, accordingly, more space for good nutrition.

Pros:

High yield per tuber.
It is used on any prepared soil.
Hilling is not necessary.
Bushes do not cast shadows on each other.

Minuses:

Needs weeding.
Humus needs a lot.
Frequent watering is also needed.
One bush needs a lot of space.
Unprepared soil is not suitable.

The entire plot is divided into squares with a width of 70-80 cm. Holes 40x40 cm are prepared at the corners of the squares. Humus is first laid in each, then 1-2 potatoes are thrown.

With the growth of tops by 20-30 cm, they are carefully first bred to the sides, and then humus is poured between them. With the growth of the bush, you need to repeat the process of pouring at least 3 times.

Humus practically does not retain moisture, so soil moisture should be controlled by yourself.

barrel potatoes

Planting potatoes in barrels also deserves your attention. And we will also tell you about it in great detail. It is better to choose a barrel for this without a bottom in order to avoid stagnant water, but if there is a bottom, make good drainage. The method is suitable for small areas, if it is impossible to plant a whole plantation with potatoes.

Pros:

Economical in terms of space.
Gives good protection from pests.
You can get early harvests.
The problem of weeds is irrelevant - they simply will not exist.

Minuses:

Not suitable for southern areas in the summer.
Landing care requires painstaking manual labor.
Roots can be easily waterlogged.

The soil must be prepared very carefully, do not take your time on this, everything will pay off handsomely. The soil should pass water and air well, not give in to caking. Be sure to dilute heavy and clay soil with sand and humus.

So, at the bottom of the barrel we fill up the drainage by 20-30 cm, then the same layer of soil, then lay the potatoes and cover them with earth by 20 centimeters. With the growth of the bushes, periodically fill up the ground until the barrel is completely filled.

From care - watering and protection from pests.

In the event of unexpected frosts, you can easily wrap each such barrel in a film and save the crop, it will be impossible to do this on a plantation.

Combs instead of beds

According to observations, more oxygen and heat are stored in the ridges, so it is perfect for the northern regions. But in the south, this method can overheat the landings.

This method has a lot of variations that are accepted for new methods. But in essence, they differ only in the methods of mulching, row spacing and the timing of fertilization.

Pros:

Suitable for wet soils.
Suitable for heavy and clay soils.
The yield is high.
No need to dig when harvesting.
Early harvests are possible.

Minuses:

Not suitable for southern regions.
Requires manual labor.
A well-prepared site is required.

And you need to cook it from the fall, digging up at least 20 cm. And immediately when digging, we apply fertilizer.

In the spring, beds are planned with a distance between them of 70 cm. For two-row beds, we will increase the row spacing by another 10 cm.

Tubers should be sown in dry weather. Good ridges cannot be made from damp earth.

After laying the tubers in a row and treating them with insecticides, you can cover them with earth until a small ridge forms. A plow or a shovel will help with this.

Potash fertilizers (including ash) greatly improve the taste of potatoes, because they increase the content of starches there.

With the growth of potato bushes, they are periodically spudded, for this we raise the earth from the aisles to the ridges. Hilling is carried out until shoots grow up to 40 cm.

For the sake of saving space, you can grow potatoes in 2 rows, then they should be planted in a checkerboard pattern with a distance of 20-25 cm between them. The comb in this case is made one common.

Planting technique under black film

If you are looking for the answer to the question of how to properly plant potatoes in order to get a good harvest, then the modern methods that are given here should help you in this matter. The following method is suitable for any areas, but not with chronic stagnant water. Since autumn, having dug up the earth, we fertilize it. Need dry and sunny plot. Even very overgrown with weeds will do. For this, we need a black film, it will not allow them to develop and will destroy all the weeds under it.

Pros:

Easy care.
There will be no crust on the soil.
Weeds will die on their own.
For regions with dry summers, this method is just a godsend.

Minuses:

The soil is poorly ventilated.
The film can be damaged by any sharp object.
Requires financial expenses.
Needs drip irrigation.

In the spring, beds are planned and tapes are applied to them for drip irrigation. Outside the beds, it is necessary to mark the boundaries of these tapes.

We especially carefully clean the area from all sharp objects that can break through the film and nullify the whole principle of this method.

A film is applied on top of the tapes and its edges are fixed. In places where they intend to lay the tubers, cuts are made crosswise - crosswise. A hole is dug in the hole and a tuber is lowered there, sprinkled with humus or earth. Leave the edges of the film in the wells. The distance between the tubers is 20 cm, and between the rows - 40 cm.

We monitor plantings for the appearance of pests.

Summing up

Soberly calculate your physical and financial capabilities, so as not to be disappointed later and not to give up everything. Indeed, with insufficient observance of technology, it will be difficult not to be upset by a poor harvest.

Harvesting a good crop of potatoes is not possible for every gardener. As a rule, errors occur at the stage of preparation of planting material and at the time of planting. Agricultural technology of culture is simple, and there is enough information in the form of useful articles on the topic and videos. Nevertheless, newcomers in this business fail.

When to plant potatoes

Moderately moistened, warmed soil up to +8…+9°С is an ideal environment for sowing potatoes. Sprouts are able to form only at temperatures above +5 °C; when it drops to +1.5 °C, the tubers are severely damaged. Therefore, for a good harvest, it is so important to observe the timing of planting in open ground. With frosts of -1 ° C and high humidity, the seedlings will turn black and die. Only some frost-resistant hybrids tolerate a short-term decrease - up to -2 ... -4 ° С.

High degrees are also fatal to young plants, the air temperature of + 30 ... + 35 ° С slows down the development of potatoes to a complete stop.

Best of all, the tops grow at + 17 ... + 22 ° С. No wonder potatoes are called "cool summer culture". For the active formation of root crops it is necessary +16…+19°C, and for buds and flowers +18…+21°C.

Attention! When the soil is heated to + 29 ° C, the tubers stop developing.

In the climatic conditions of the middle latitudes of the Russian Federation, potatoes are planted in the first decade of May, the northern regions - in mid-May, in the south - at the end of April.

It is important to observe the timing of planting potatoes

How to plant potatoes

There are several landing schemes:

Trench. Suitable for southern areas, as well as areas with light sandstones. Furrows (trenches) drip to a depth of 10–15 cm, the distance between rows is 0.70–0.75 m. The tubers are laid out from each other by 35–40 cm. shavings or ash. The litter that has rotted over the winter will warm the soil and allow you to plant potatoes earlier than usual.
Smooth. Traditional landing pattern. The tubers are laid in the holes and sprinkled with earth. The depth of the holes depends on the soil on the site. In loose light areas, potatoes are covered by 10–12 cm, in dense areas by 4–5 cm.
Comb. For places with heavy clay soils, for lowlands with stagnant groundwater. Combs are poured 10–15 cm high and tubers are planted. In such conditions, the bushes grow well, there is a small chance of root rotting. The method significantly facilitates harvesting.
Landing "before winter". The site is dug up in the fall, rotted organic matter and complex mines are added. fertilizer. The bed is mulched with straw (8–10 cm), and with the first snow it is covered with agricultural material until spring. For such planting, cold-resistant, early or mid-early varieties are chosen (Adretta, Sante, Lugovskoy, Lasunak, Krepysh, Impala). Landing pattern:

between bushes 20 cm;
between rows 0.40–0.45 m.

Attention! Planting depth of winter potatoes is 20 cm.

Unusual planting of potatoes

fruitful greenhouse potatoes. Early maturing varieties and sweet potatoes are grown in closed greenhouses. This method will ensure abundant tuberization and the absence of pests on plants. The disadvantages include the cost of heating and supplementary lighting with lamps. In the case of early spring planting, these measures can be dispensed with. The greenhouse is oriented from west to east, a gable roof is designed. Inside the bed is additionally covered with breathable agromaterial. After the germination of tubers, the shelter is removed.

Attention! AT greenhouse conditions high risk of activation of fungi and viruses.

Interesting how to grow potatoes in a pit. To do this, dig a half-meter hole with a diameter of about 90 cm. The bottom is covered with humus (10 cm). Several tubers are laid out, which are covered with a mixture of soil and compost (1: 1) with a layer of 10–12 cm. With the growth of tops, the soil is poured until it is leveled with the edges of the pit. The yield with this method is 1 bucket of potatoes from one pit.

Planting potatoes "knoll". A circle with a diameter of 2 m is marked. Holes are formed along the edges to a depth of 10–12 cm. Fertilizer (superphosphate 10–15 g and a handful of ash) is placed at the bottom, tubers are laid. As the top grows, the earth is filled up until a hill with a height of 0.40–0.45 m is obtained. The plant forms an extensive root system, due to which the yield also increases.

Potatoes in a barrel

Potatoes in a barrel or in a bag. The containers are filled with nutrient mixture. 3-4 tubers are lowered into each. Potatoes are regularly watered. To drain excess moisture provide drainage holes. Harvest 1 bucket from one container.

"Chess" sowing potatoes. The layout of the tubers allows you to place 1.5 times more potatoes than when planting in linear furrows. The distance between the recesses is 22–25 cm. The disadvantage of this method is that it is not very convenient to take care of the bed.

Preparing material for planting

Varietal potatoes will degenerate in 5–6 years, noticeably grind, and taste qualities will also be lost. At home, you can get elite seed tubers.

To do this, the healthiest, smoothest root crops are selected in the spring and placed in a cool basement for the summer. Spray every 3-4 days with water. By September, the tubers will grow roots with small bulbs, from which selective seed potatoes are obtained the next year.

Mini tubers can also be obtained from:

cuttings;
the upper cut of the tuber;
from potato sprouts.

Periodically update planting material

The prepared material for planting must be disinfected. This is done to reduce the risk of fungal and viral diseases. Sprayed with a composition of:

manganese (1 g);
copper sulfate (5 g);
orthoboric acid (12 g);
carbamide (40 g);
superphosphate (60 g).

Grams are indicated per 10 liters of water. The mixture will not only pickle the seeds, but also provide additional nutrition to the seedlings. Yields will increase tuber incision by 10–15%. To do this, two months before planting, the tubers are cut with a sterile knife along or around the circumference. Thus stimulate the emergence of buds and sprouts from all parts.

Sprinkling or drip irrigation will add not only the number of tubers, but also improve quality indicators.