How to plant potatoes before winter

Planting potatoes before winter is possible in many regions of Our Country, including in the middle lane, the Volga region, the Black Earth region. This method allows you to get an early harvest in May and June. In addition, plants suffer less from pests and are not affected by late blight. But there are also disadvantages – the main pros and cons are described in the article.

Is it possible to plant potatoes before winter

As to whether it is possible to make a landing before winter or not, there is still no consensus. We can definitely say that this method is quite risky and is not suitable for all regions. You can safely experiment only in the southern regions and in the Black Earth region. It is also realistic to grow winter potatoes in the middle lane.

When planting before winter, several important points are taken into account:

1. Carefully choose the dates – you need to focus on the weather forecast, since it is difficult to name a specific time for a particular area.
2. The tubers are carefully prepared so that they do not rot and do not suffer from infections.
3. Dig holes of a certain depth from 12 to 20 cm.
4. Be sure to use mulch. Moreover, the layer must be very high in height – at least 30 cm.

Advantages and disadvantages

The autumn planting of potatoes before winter has its pros and cons.

Planting before winter allows you to get a crop in May

The undeniable advantages of such cultivation include the following:

1. The main advantage is that already in May – early June, you can try young potatoes. It will be no worse than the one that will ripen from July to September after spring planting.
2. Potatoes will not suffer from drought, they will receive enough moisture in spring and early summer. This is especially important in regions with hot, dry climates.
3. Planting before winter allows you to save potatoes from Colorado potato beetles and a number of other pests. There will be more harvest, you will not have to treat the bushes from insects.
4. It often rains in the spring, which is why planting has to be postponed all the time. If you grow winter potatoes, there will be no problem.

Although landing before winter also has disadvantages:

1. This method of cultivation is not suitable for every region.
2. In autumn and winter, bears and rodents pose a particular threat.
3. Quite a lot of labor – you need to dig holes of the desired depth and lay a lot of mulch on the surface.
4. Even with good shelter, part of the potato can freeze and rot.

Potato varieties for autumn planting

If a decision is made to plant potatoes before winter, special attention should be paid to the choice of variety. In summer, you can grow almost all crops, including late ones, but when planting in autumn, medium-early productive varieties are chosen:

• Svitanok Kyiv;
• Sycamore;
• Volzhanin;
• Breeze;
• Agria;
• Lily;
• Adretta;
• Lord;
• Impala;
• Lapis lazuli;
• Call;
• Velvet;
• Karatop;
• Neva;
• Sturdy;
• Horizon;
• Haze;
• Margarita;
• Radic;
• Talovsky 110 and others.

Ultra-early varieties definitely cannot be used. They germinate quickly, sprout even before the first frosts, so they will die during the winter, even if the temperature is relatively high. For example, for planting before winter, you can not take such common potato varieties as Gala, Zhukovsky early and Nevsky. When grown in winter, they did not produce a crop.

In what regions can you plant winter potatoes

Winter potatoes can be grown in regions where the following conditions are possible in winter:

• the temperature never drops below 3-5 degrees;
• stable snow cover with a height of 10-15 cm falls;
• snow melts early or moderately late.

Not every region meets these requirements. The southern regions are optimally suited, including:

• Krasnodar, Stavropol Territory;
• Crimea;
• North Caucasus.

You can plant potatoes before winter in the southern regions

Pre-winter planting of tubers is also allowed in the middle lane (including in the Moscow region), in the Volga region and the Chernozem region. In the North-West and the southern Urals, cultivation is not always possible – some of the tubers will die. As for Siberia and the northern regions, the winter method is completely inapplicable here due to extreme frosts and temperature changes.

When to plant potatoes before winter

Potatoes are planted before winter in the fall, around the second decade of October. It is impossible to determine the exact dates, since they are highly dependent on the weather, as well as on the climatic conditions of a particular region.

It is necessary to start planting potatoes before winter at the moment when the first frosts have already come (the temperature is about 0 and slightly lower). You can determine the optimal time by external signs – at night the soil is already beginning to freeze, but during the day it thaws, becomes wet and soft, as if spring had come.

If in the middle lane such weather is usually observed in the second decade of October, then in the Volga region, Chernozem region – towards the end of the month. As for the North Caucasus and other southern regions, the right time for planting potatoes before winter is the first half of November. You can plan work until the middle of the month, while the weather is relatively warm.

Growing of winter potatoes

It is realistic to grow winter potatoes and harvest a good harvest if you choose the right place for planting before winter and organize good care. The basic rules of agricultural technology are described below.

Site selection and preparation

For planting potatoes before winter, it is recommended to pay attention to the selection of a place. The site must meet several requirements:

• good lighting;
• lack of stagnant water (not in the lowland);
• without solanaceous predecessors (tomatoes, eggplants, peppers).

The soil should be fertile and loose, loam with a pH of 6-7 (slightly acidic or neutral reaction) is optimal. The preparation of a place for landing before winter begins in the summer. The soil is dug up and compost or humus is added at 10 kg per 1 m². If it contains a lot of clay, close up sand or sawdust in the amount of 3-5 kg ​​for the same area.

Potato preparation

Before planting potatoes for the winter, it is necessary to prepare the tubers. For 2-3 weeks they are laid out on the floor in a bright, cool room (temperature 10-15 degrees Celsius). Periodically turn over and spray with water.

During this time, the tubers will sprout, and it will be easier for them to take root when planting before winter. In addition, due to exposure to light, solanine will form in them. This is a green poisonous substance that protects potatoes from dangerous pests – bears, rodents.

Potatoes are pre-sprouted

Depth of landing

When planting potatoes before winter, it is very important to plan the depth of the tubers. It depends on the size and type of soil. The denser the soil, the smaller the depth, but on the other hand, it should still be at least 12 cm.

Up to 20 cm can be planted in sandy, sandy loamy soils. Large potatoes are placed at the same depth. If they are medium, it is enough to deepen them by 15 cm, if they are small – by 12 cm, but not higher. It is no longer possible to plant 20 cm or more – layering may not grow to the surface.

The process of planting potatoes before winter

Planting winter potatoes is carried out in different ways, depending on the type of soil. If the soil is sandy or sandy, it is necessary to make double beds 70 cm wide. An interval of 80 cm is left between rows. Between holes – 30 cm each. Landing before winter is carried out in a checkerboard pattern. The sequence of actions is as follows:

1. Compost with a pinch of ash is placed at the bottom of the holes, you can also add a little onion peel.
2. Lay the potatoes in the holes and sprinkle with soil.
3. Cover with spruce.
4. Lay a large layer of sawdust, hay or straw on top – at least 30 cm.
5. Then cover with a dense white spunbond.

If the soil is clayey, landing before winter is done according to a different scheme. The sequence of actions is as follows:

1. Holes are formed using a wooden stake – they should be narrow (up to 10 cm) and deep enough (30 cm).
2. Compact hay or straw, breaking through to the maximum depth.
3. Lay out fertile soil, add compost and ash.
4. Put potato tubers for planting before winter.
5. Sprinkle soil on top, lay dry grass, forming a flagellum.
6. Before the first snow falls, cover the beds with a dense black spunbond.
7. After the formation of a cover of snow, remove the canvas.

Landings must be mulched with straw

Thanks to the shelter before winter, potatoes are reliably protected not only from freezing, but also from rotting. From above it is protected by snow cover. During the winter and spring, the organic matter will overheat and create additional heat. Two weeks after the onset of stable positive temperatures, shoots will appear, and after another 1,5 months you can harvest. The same planting method is suitable for areas located in the lowlands, where there is a high probability of flooding.

Winter potato care

In autumn and winter care as such is not required. It is enough to lay out a large layer of mulch, and cover with non-woven material on top. If there is little snow, it is advisable to lay as much snow mass as possible in order to get a reliable layer.

In early spring, the mulch is gradually removed, arcs are installed and the non-woven fabric is stretched. With the onset of stable positive temperatures, it is removed. Further care is standard – if the soil is dry, the weather is hot, give watering. In the spring, nitrogen fertilizing is applied to accelerate growth, and superphosphate and potassium are added during flowering.

Conclusion

Planting potatoes before winter has its pros and cons. In general, we can say that this is a risky method, the success of cultivation is highly dependent on weather conditions. Therefore, it is recommended, as an experiment, to grow a small bed of winter potatoes, and then draw conclusions on your own.