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Potato has been the main ingredient in Slavic cuisine for many centuries. Usually, the largest part of the land is left in the garden for planting it. The traditional way of growing potatoes takes a lot of time and effort even for experienced gardeners. This is due to the fact that you need to start preparing for planting in the fall.
So, you need to fertilize, dig up the ground for the fall. Dig up the soil in the spring and level it. And this is just the beginning. After that, you need to dig holes for tubers, carry out hilling during the growing season, etc. A simpler, but very effective method, invented by peasants back in the XNUMXth century, is planting potatoes under straw.
From the pages of history
In different regions of Our Country and Ukraine in the century before last, planting potatoes under straw was the main way to grow everyone’s favorite root crop. Not only straw, but also hay, etc. could serve as a covering material.
The fact is that the peasants did not have much free time, and watering, hilling and caring for the crop required a lot of time. That is why enterprising peasants have found a new and very effective method of planting. You will learn about the benefits and features of growing crops under hay by reading this article and watching the corresponding video.
Potato yield under straw
Harvesting begins in the fall, after the tops have already dried. Before deciding on a method for growing potatoes, it is important to understand what the yield is when planting potatoes in hay. According to gardeners from a plot of 10 m2 you can collect about 5-6 buckets.
To get a crop at the beginning of summer, you can plant tubers at the end of winter. But this is only possible if you live in warm regions of the country. So that the planted tubers do not freeze, the covering layer is doubled.
A good result is achieved due to the fact that planting potatoes under straw in the garden provides the tubers with the necessary temperature. This is very important, because at temperatures above 22oC culture growth stops. Due to the high yield, you can reduce the amount of planting material.
The benefits of planting in straw
The main advantage of planting technology is high yield, but there are still some advantages that are worthy of attention:
- Preservation of temperature balance. Straw and hay maintain a certain temperature, so that the tubers do not burn out and do not stop their growth prematurely.
- Straw and hay are loved by many so-called Colorado potato beetle predators, so there is little to no need to fertilize.
- Weed growth retardation. Through a thick layer of straw, weeds can hardly grow, so the need for weeding the beds is also minimized.
- Before planting potatoes for hay, you do not have to dig up the ground.
- Simplifies the harvesting process. For this you will need a rake. By removing the top layer of hay, you can collect tubers from the surface of the earth. Since cleaning from the soil is not required, after harvesting the potatoes, it only needs to be dried and sorted.
What to do if there is nowhere to get straw
If you find it difficult to get the straw and deliver it to the site, then you can use an alternative option. If you have a large plot of land, then you can grow straw on it yourself.
To do this, you need to divide the area that you have allocated for planting the root crop in half. On one half, you will plant potatoes, and on the other, immediately after the snow melts, you should plant a mixture of vetch, oats and peas. In this case, the earth does not have to be dug up before planting.
Oats should be left for the winter. So, in the spring you will have a beautiful even layer of straw on your plot. Right on it you will plant potatoes. To do this, dig shallow holes through the straw and sprinkle with earth or humus with a layer of 5 cm.
On half of the land on which potatoes grew last year, you need to sow peas, vetch and oats already according to the method familiar to you. So, you will prepare the straw for the next season. As a result, crop yields will increase, and labor costs will decrease.
When to board
Agronomists recommend implementing methods of planting potatoes under straw when the air temperature reaches +8оC. It is popularly believed that the best time for planting is the flowering of bird cherry. We can say that potatoes are planted in slightly moist, warm soil. The planting technique allows you to grow a crop with minimal care.
If it rains a lot in your area, the wet straw will need to be replaced. Since the wet covering material contributes to the debate. Conversely, if you live in a hot, dry climate, then the crop will need to be watered from time to time.
Planting potatoes
To begin with, the soil should be slightly loosened to a depth of 5 cm. The soil should be moist when planting. But if this is not the case, then to activate the growth of sprouts, after planting, you need to water the ground.
The thickness and density of the covering material is very important, because if you lay it in a thin layer, the soil will dry out and the culture may disappear. And too thick a layer of straw will not allow the sprouts to break through in time. A compacted dense layer will lead to disruption of gas and water exchange, which will lead to a decrease in the yield or complete death of tubers.
One of the planting options is to form shallow trenches with a depth of about 10 cm. Then potatoes are laid in them and lightly sprinkled with loose soil, and covered with straw 15 cm thick on top. Due to faster heating of the soil, shoots will appear faster. After the emergence of seedlings, a layer of straw of 15–20 cm should again be laid between the plants. In this case, it is important to ensure that the sprouts are not damaged. That’s all it takes to care for potatoes. The difference in temperature in the soil forms condensate, which contributes to the development of healthy and useful tubers.
We also invite you to watch a video on how to properly plant potatoes for hay, because it is better to see once than to read many times:
Pest Control
After sowing, pests, most often slugs, can hide under the straw from the heat. They can ruin your crops, so it’s important to learn how to deal with slugs. They do not tolerate sharp objects, so the ground near the potatoes should be sprinkled with crumbled shells. For these pests, the shell is tantamount to broken glass. So, you can save the amount of planted potatoes.
Slugs generally dislike rough surfaces. Therefore, you can spray the soil with lime or fine gravel. Mulch made from husks or sawdust will also make it difficult for slugs to move to plants. Another effective barrier is copper wires. Garden centers have copper self-adhesive tapes or covering material that has a copper coating.
Collect slugs by hand. The easiest way to destroy them is in a solution of soapy water. You can set traps near plants from flat stones or pieces of cardboard. Check the traps every morning and remove the slugs. This is the easiest way to control pests.
As a top dressing for slugs, you can use a non-toxic product – iron phosphate granules with the aroma of wheat. After they are eaten, the slugs dry up within a few days. However, from time to time, the feeding procedure should be repeated.
Conclusion
So, whether to plant potatoes under hay or in the traditional way is up to you. This article provides comprehensive information on the issue of planting crops in straw. It is worth noting that if you have little time for the garden, then this technique is suitable for you. You can try at least one year, so you can evaluate the technology in practice.