Potatoes are probably the most common root crop on our plots. Many people are engaged in its cultivation, because delicious and hearty potato dishes - casseroles, pancakes, and even ordinary purees - feed us all winter. And in summer, no one will refuse to taste fresh potatoes in oil with dill.
Before every trucker who has at least a minimum experience in growing this crop, the question is how to plant potatoes in order to get a good harvest. Let's find out about some peculiarities of caring for this root crop.
Secrets of growing potatoes
Timely planted potatoes are already a good start to its successful cultivation. This should be done, focusing on weather and, in particular, temperature conditions. As soon as the earth warms up to 10-12 ° C and the threat of recurrent frosts passes, one can take on a shovel. Usually it happens during the May holidays, and in the northern regions - a little later, in the second half of the month.
Choose a quality planting material. Potato tubers intended for planting, approximately the same size, are neither small nor too large. There should be no seeds and signs of infection. For this, when selecting carefully inspect the potatoes and select for planting only the best tubers.
If the garden area allows, try to plant potatoes of different varieties. It is possible to grow early and late ripening varieties of root crops in order to be able to eat a young potato, and to save vegetables for the winter. In addition, keep in mind that it is possible to give birth on your land, for example, "white" potatoes of a particular variety, and "red" from year to year will upset a poor harvest. It depends on the type of soil, its acidity, fertility, etc. By experimenting, find your "own" ideal variety - and then success is assured!
Use various progressive agricultural techniques. You can grow potatoes in warm beds on the principle of organic farming, in a barrel or under a straw. It is also popular to plant in wooden or concrete boxes. Each of these methods allows you to get a good harvest of potatoes at the cottage, both on a large and a small plot: the culture develops better and starts to bear fruit earlier.
A classic technique for caring for potatoes is the hilling of beds. Following the advice of seasoned vegetable growers, we hibernate twice or thrice a season to loosen the soil, remove weeds and stimulate the growth and development of tubers. But there is also the opposite opinion, which says that hilling only harms the culture, and without it the chance to grow a good harvest is much greater. One way or another, this nuance is best tested in practice - for example, during the season, try to hunt only half of the garden planted with one potato variety, and in autumn to assess the difference in the crop.
The fight against pests is one of the most important moments in the cultivation of potatoes. A bear, a nematode and, of course, a Colorado beetle will necessarily destroy the fruits of your efforts, unless, of course, they are not protected. For this, there are a variety of ways, from the use of various modern chemicals to liming soil and manual collection of pests.
No less important is soil fertilization. You can feed the potatoes both before planting (for example, to add nitrofuscus, wood ash or bone meal to the hole), and during the growing season. A good result is provided by a two-day aging of the seed material in the manure solution, as well as the introduction of the latter during the autumn plowing of the potato plots. But, anyway, you can get a good harvest of potatoes without manure - you can safely use a mixture of rotten compost with peat.