Potatoes

Planting potatoes in the open ground in spring: the timing of planting tubers and growing technology

Many people find planting potatoes as easy as shelling pears. However, it is safe to say that after reading this material, you will surely find nuances that you did not know before.

Well, then an amateur potato planting guide will be presented to your attention, in particular, the main questions about the planting depth and the distance between tubers, as well as the rules for the preparation and processing of planting material, including the beds themselves (what fertilizers should be applied for digging or directly upon landing).

When to plant potatoes outdoors

Do not rush with planting potatoes.

Potatoes can and should be planted only in well-warmed warm ground. And no matter how warm it is during the day, the main thing is that it was the soil that warmed up (to the planting depth).

Advice! More details on choosing the optimal timing for planting potatoes You can find out from this material.

How to plant potatoes correctly: rules for planting tubers in open ground

So, to plant potatoes you need:

  • choose a suitable variety;
  • prepare and pickle tubers;
  • choose a place and make a bed (dig holes or cut grooves);
  • plant the tubers correctly (at the recommended depth and distance).

Next, we will analyze each step in detail and in detail.

How to pick a good potato variety

Note! The site already has a number of detailed review articles on the most popular and best potato varieties:

Important! You should not neglect buying a good and expensive variety if you want to get a rich harvest of large and tasty tubers.

Preparing potato tubers for planting: selection, germination, processing and dividing

«From bad seed not wait kind tribe ".

Simply put, by planting only initially high-quality potato tubers, you can expect a generous harvest (of course, subject to further competent planting and adherence to the basic rules of cultivation).

Advice! About, how to choose high-quality planting material, you can learn fromthis paragraph of the detailed article on preparing potato tubers for planting.

Of course, ideally it is better not just to buy the variety you like, but grow his seed by yourselfso that get your own elite potatoes.

By the way! This is not so difficult to do if you act according to of this manual.

After you decide on the best variety and purchase the tubers, you will need them correctly prepare for landing, namely germinate and process from diseases and pests (and, if desired, can be dipped in one of the growth stimulants).

Advice! The site has a detailed articleabout the methods of germinating potato tubers before planting.

Also, in case you have very large tubers or there are few of them and these are expensive (elite) varieties of potatoes, then if you wish, you can divide into parts.

About, how to properly cut potato tubers, read here.

Video: preparing potatoes for planting

Preparing the garden for planting potatoes

Another important step on the way to planting potatoes is the direct preparation of the site for planting it, namely: choosing a place (in accordance with the preferences of the crop for lighting, as well as according to the predecessors - the rules of crop rotation) and improving its fertility, digging and fertilizing.

Seat selection

The bed should be located as flat as possible, without tilting.

You should not choose a place in the lowlands where melt and rainwater collects.

Also, the place should be open, in other words, the sun should illuminate the potato bushes all day.

Predecessors

Correct crop rotation is the key to good and healthy yields every year.

So, it is advisable to grow potatoes in a new place every year, or thoroughly disinfect and fertilize the soil. This is done in order to prevent its depletion, as well as not contribute to the accumulation of pests and diseases in the soil.

As for the predecessors, it is recommended to plant potatoes after the following crops:

  • onions, garlic and any other root vegetables;
  • cabbage and other cruciferous vegetables;
  • pumpkin (cucumbers, pumpkins, zucchini);
  • corn and other cereals;
  • legumes (beans, peas);
  • cereals (rye, wheat);

In other words, the best precursors for potatoes are siderates (especially mustard, oil radish).

Not recommended plant potatoes after nightshades (tomatoes, physalis, eggplants, peppers), which include potatoes, because they have the same diseases (the same late blight).

Direct preparation of the beds and fertilization

Potatoes love loose and fertile soil.

If you have soil heavy (clay), then it is necessary to prepare a bed for planting potatoes in advance, because it takes longer to warm up, in other words, grooves should be made at least a week before planting the tubers. It is even better to dig up the area on a shovel bayonet in the fall, and in the spring only make grooves or holes.

By the way! Landing in grooves or ridges is nothing butDutch potato growing technology.

It's another matter if you have light soil (sandy). In this case, you do not even need to make combs, but plant directly out of the blue, as they say, "Under the shovel".

But on peat soils it is better to plant potatoes in high beds (again, ridges can be made) in order to avoid excessive waterlogging of the soil (so that the moisture quickly leaves).

Interesting! There is also a fairly productive way of growing potatoes.under the straw and rather unusual than effective -in bags.

Now, as for how improve soil fertility, in other words, than can fertilize a bed for planting potatoes.

Actually, you can do it in 2 ways:

  • apply all fertilizers for digging;
  • either directly in each hole or row.

In the fall, it is advisable to add 30-40 grams for digging for 1 square meter of the garden superphosphate and 25-30 grams potassium sulfate (potassium sulfate), as well as more humus or compost... And in the spring to bring urea (urea) or ammonium nitrate - 20-30 grams. Or just 30-40 grams nitroammophos per 1 square meter (complex mineral fertilizer, in which the equal content of macroelements, 16% each).

If you practice organic farming, in other words, do not use mineral fertilizers, in under digging or even better in a hole, or a row can be poured wood ash (a handful for 1 tuber) and compost (humus), and eggshell and onion skins (from wireworm).

Or you can add 4-5 grams of nitroammophoska to each well just before planting the potatoes, or 3-4 grams superphosphate and potassium sulfate.

At the same time, you do not need to put the tuber directly on the fertilizer (otherwise there is a danger of getting a burn of the tuber peel), the granules must be sprinkled with fertile soil or, even better, put into the hole humus or compost (about 2 handfuls - about 50 grams).

There are also special complex fertilizers for potatoes, for example, Fertika "Spring" for potatoes or Fasco "Potato".

Important! Naturally, in addition to the main macronutrients, potatoes should be fully provided and microelements, which are also necessary for plant nutrition, especially boron, molybdenum, zinc, honey, calcium and manganese (they can already be added during foliar dressing during the growing season).

Instructions for planting potato tubers in open ground: depth and distance (diagram)

Next, we will analyze the basic planting rules, namely, at what depth you need to plant tubers, as well as at what distance to place them. At the end, a step-by-step mini-instruction for direct planting of potato tubers will be presented.

Planting depth

“To what depth should potatoes be planted?” Is perhaps one of the main questions (along with distance) that novice gardeners often ask.

Typically, potatoes are planted to a depth of 8 to 12 cm (maximum 15 cm).

First of all, the depth of planting potatoes depends on soil type, its composition and structure (in fact, as well as the timing of its preparation and the method of planting).

So if the soil loose (for example, sandy), then you need to plant deeper, and vice versa, if heavy (clay), then strongly should not be buried.

Thus, if you have a very light and loose soil (sandy loam), then the optimal depth is about 10-12 centimeters, if it is more clayey (loam) - 8-10 cm.

Also important the fraction (tuber size) matters potatoes. The dependence here is direct: the more, the deeper, and vice versa - the less, the shallower.

The note! Why is it necessary to plant at this depth?

The fact is that when new tubers begin to form, it is very important that they do not end up outside (come out of the ridge), but are constantly in the soil. Otherwise, they will simply turn green and lose their entire presentation.

But also you cannot deeply deepen, especially on clay soils, the same medium loam.

Planting pattern: distance between furrows and tubers

The most optimal distance between rows (furrows, ridges) - 70-80 centimeters. This will be quite enough so that in the future it will be convenient to spud the growing potatoes.

Concerning distance between tubers in a row (furrow), then it primarily dependson the size of the planting material... So, small tubers (30-40 grams) should be planted at a distance of 20-22 cm, medium (60-90 grams) - 25-27 cm, large (90 grams or more) - 30-33 cm.

By the way! Large elite tubers, as you know, can be divided into parts.

Thus, observing the recommended planting schemes, you will create an optimal feeding area, which means you can get the maximum yield.

Note! Some "especially cunning" gardeners mistakenly believe that if potatoes are planted often and densely, then in the end you can get a good harvest. However, under such conditions, competition for food will surely begin between the plants, and as a result, you will simply get a large number of small tubers.

Direct landing

Step-by-step instructions for planting potatoes in spring in open ground:

  • Purchase quality tubers.
  • Prepare them correctly: germinate, process (pickle) and cut, if necessary.
  • Prepare the bed in advance, apply the necessary fertilizers.
  • Choose a sunny weather day and cut furrows at a distance of 70-80 cm from each other if you want to plant into the ridges.

  • Or make landing holes of the required depth (8-12 cm) and at the required distance (20-33 cm).

We repeat! The planting depth depends on the type of soil, and the distance depends on the size of the tubers (their fraction).

  • Pour fertilizer into the holes.

Advice! First, spread and fill the tubers (make ridges) in the first furrow, moving along the bottom of the adjacent, not yet planted furrow. Then plant the second, third and all subsequent ones in turn.

Important! Do not walk on ridges so as not to tamp or shower them! But you do not need to be afraid to trample the furrows, since moisture from the lower layers of the soil is better supplied to the tubers lying on compacted soil.

  • Arrange the tubers, sprouts up.

It is not necessary to plant 1 small tuber in one hole, you can also 2, but no more.

  • Sprinkle with earth.

Video: planting potatoes on the site along the furrow (in the ridges)

Rules for the care and further cultivation of potatoes

This article is primarily devoted to the planting technique, the features of care and cultivation agrotechnology (watering, feeding) will be discussed in future materials.

However, you should still dwell on some the nuances of growing potatoesespecially on hilling.

Hilling

Hilling is perhaps the most important agricultural technique for successfully growing potatoes.

Important! The site already has detailed material aboutwhen and how to spud potatoes.

Pests

Certainly the main pest of potatoes is the Colorado potato beetle.

But, unfortunately, it is by no means the only one, since tubers are quite often also affected wireworm (click beetle larva).

Important!About, how to get rid of the Colorado potato beetle, described in detail in this material, a about methods of protection and effective fight against wireworm toldin this article.

Harvest timing and storage methods

Note!About, how to tell if potatoes are ready for harvest (when to dig them out), you will find all the informationhere, a about the ways of its long-term storage - here.

Thus, if you follow all the basic requirements and recommendations for planting potatoes, as well as properly care for them in the future, you will definitely get a decent harvest.

Video: when and how to plant potatoes correctly

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