With the first warm enough days of spring (this favorable period falls on the end of April - beginning of May) it is time to plant vegetables. It is at this moment that every gardener begins to think about how to plant potatoes correctly in order to get a good harvest. At the same time, some of the summer residents in the Moscow region use the lunar calendar to choose a good day. This is due to the fact that, in addition to traditional methods, new ones appear that can significantly reduce crop care, while increasing yields.

Potatoes

The benefits of this vegetable lie in the composition of its beneficial properties. Baked, boiled, stewed, fried potatoes are served to the table. It is believed that dishes made from this culture are high in calories, but in fact, a small tuber that is baked with salt contains no more than one hundred and sixty calories. Moreover, it contains neither fat nor cholesterol, unlike other products. The content of four grams of protein and the same amount of fiber ensures a person's feeling of fullness.

Planting potatoes

According to the results of many studies, potato dishes are significantly healthier than pasta and even bread. It also saves your appetite better.

Note! If in the process of cooking you add a large amount of oil to the potato or season it with mayonnaise, cheese, cream and butter, then it will cease to be so useful.

In addition, by eating boiled potatoes, you can reduce high blood pressure, it will help improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system, and help to avoid a stroke.

To get such a healthy vegetable, gardeners need to know how to plant potatoes correctly.

Planting potatoes

There are many ways to plant this plant. Traditional methods include:

  • smooth fit,
  • ridge landing;
  • landing in trenches;
  • growing potatoes using Dutch technology.

Important! The application of these landing methods should not be arbitrary, since each of them is designed for specific conditions.

The main, as well as general, planting conditions are that you need to plant a crop in a vegetable garden, which is located from south to north. Moreover, he should be brightly illuminated by the sun's rays. Also, the plant must be planted in the correct pattern, keeping a certain distance.

Fertilizing the soil is mandatory. Ash and compost are best suited for this, it is recommended to add onion peels, thanks to which you can prevent the appearance of the Colorado potato beetle on the bushes.

Planting potatoes, regardless of which method is chosen, is done according to the following step-by-step instructions:

  1. For early varieties, it is customary to make the distance between the rows at sixty centimeters, the distance between the tubers - twenty-five or thirty centimeters.
  2. For later varieties, the rows are made at a distance of seventy centimeters; at least thirty or thirty-five centimeters must be left between the tubers.

Its useful to note! This scheme is used when medium-sized tubers are taken for planting. For comparison, the tuber should be no less and no more than a chicken egg.

To determine the planting depth, you need to know the type of soil:

  • On light soil, roots are placed at a depth of ten to twelve centimeters;
  • Heavy soils and loams make it possible to deepen the planting material by eight or ten centimeters;
  • The clay soil allows you to plant potatoes four to five centimeters deep.

In addition, the depth directly depends on the size of the tuber.

All the traditional methods of planting potatoes should be considered in more detail. Moreover, many people want to know how to plant potatoes so that there is a good harvest.

Ridge landing method

This method consists in the fact that before planting the planting potatoes, ridges are made, the height of which is fifteen centimeters, and the row spacing is seventy centimeters. Only then can the prepared potato tubers be planted in them.

Planting potatoes in combs

Similar planting methods are used in cases where groundwater is practically near the soil surface. In this case, the soil is constantly waterlogged. This method is also used if the soil is too heavy. Plant potatoes in this way using a walk-behind tractor.

Planting crops in trenches

In fact, this method is the same landing in the ridges, but just the opposite. This planting is used on sandy soils. In such soil, moisture does not linger for a long time, so the potatoes are buried in the soil. The planting material is laid in the same way as in the first case.

Important! The use of this method is widespread in places where the soil is heavy or with high humidity, that is, there is a high risk that the planting material will simply rot in the soil.

Smooth fit

In this case, before planting potatoes, you need to prepare the material and use a shovel for this process. It is best to plant the tubers by hand together.

Note! The first participant in the process digs a hole, the second puts a tuber there. After that, the hole is covered with earth.

Unconventional methods of planting potatoes include:

  • Planting under straw;
  • Landing under a black film;
  • Landing in a box;
  • Potatoes planted in bags, barrels and boxes;
  • Landing in the mound.

In addition to the listed methods, there are more, but consideration of these will be enough to understand how exactly to grow a crop in an unconventional way. With these methods, good results can be achieved where traditional planting of potatoes is not possible.

They are used in the following cases:

  • The site is completely overgrown with weeds, there is neither strength nor desire to fight them;
  • The plot in the country house is small, and there is no place to grow potatoes there;
  • Gardeners love to experiment.

Potatoes under the straw

Many gardeners are increasingly beginning to use this method of planting crops. This can be explained by the following reasons:

  • In the process of cultivation, the farmer does not have to make an effort to care for the plant, unlike conventional methods;
  • This is a quick method that allows the stems to rise up when adding new balls of straw.

Important! This method does not always justify itself, since, depending on the growing conditions, the yield can be different.

There is no need to prepare the soil before planting potatoes. It is enough to spread the potatoes over the area and cover it with a layer of straw. As soon as the first shoots appear, they need to be covered with new straw.

This method is good on an area that is overgrown with weeds - you do not need to dig. But the weeds will not be able to break through the thick layer of straw, which will eventually rid the area of ​​weeds.

Potatoes under the straw

Using this method on heavy soil, next year it will be possible to improve the soil structure with the help of straw.

To preserve moisture around the potatoes, it will be enough to dig holes, put the potatoes there and cover them with straw. In addition to straw, you can use the mowed grasses.

Interesting. The advantage of this method is that when harvesting, you do not need to dig out bushes, just open the tubers and select them from dry grass or straw.

Potatoes under a black film

This method will require a large amount of black film, which is spread over the site. Cuts are made on it, under which holes are made, where the cut tuber is laid and sprinkled with the selected earth. Thanks to this method, the gardener does not need to weed the garden bed or huddle the plants. This method is most often used for growing early potato varieties.

Planting crops in bags

In order to plant potato tubers using this method, you will need fertile soil and several bags. Landing can be done in two ways:

  1. The bags are filled with soil, holes are made and tubers are planted in them.
  2. A pillow is made of soil in a bag, potatoes are spread on it, then sprinkled with a layer of soil. After the first sprout appears, the soil is added. This is done until the bag is completely filled. Harvesting is even easier: simply pouring out the contents and picking tubers from the soil.

Potatoes in boxes

Potatoes in boxes

In this case, you need to build boxes. The dimensions should be as follows:

  • Height - thirty centimeters;
  • The width is one hundred, one hundred and twenty centimeters;
  • The length of the box can be any.

There should be a distance of eighty centimeters between the boxes. The boxes should be filled with organic fertilizers. After that, you need to plant the tubers in a checkerboard pattern. A big plus in planting in this way is that in this case you do not need to weed the beds. In addition, such a bed can be used for more than one year. To do this, you need to constantly add organic fertilizers and, after harvesting, use siderite sowing.

Diseases and pests

In order to get a high yield of potatoes, it is necessary to take measures to protect the crop from pests and diseases that can affect the crop. The best way to protect the plant is by doing prophylaxis. For this, drugs are used that are made for these purposes.

Note! You need to apply only those of them that are completely harmless to the human body.

The plant can be damaged by:

  • Colorado beetle. Devours both stems and tubers of the plant;
  • Wireworms and false wires. They eat the tubers of the culture and do not disdain the stems;
  • Stem nematode. This pest is in the form of a microscopic ball that feeds on tubers;
  • Medvedka. The pest is very similar to a cricket and feeds on young shoots and tubers of the plant.

In addition to pests, potatoes are affected by diseases caused by:

  • Fungal spores;
  • Bacteria;
  • Viruses.

Diseases occur when there is an excess of moisture, potassium and calcium in the soil, or a lack of mineral elements such as:

  • Potassium;
  • Phosphorus;
  • Manganese;
  • Bor.

In order to grow potatoes and subsequently enjoy dishes prepared from tubers, you need to make a lot of effort. The main thing is to fully adhere to all the rules of soil cultivation, growing and caring for the plant.