When to plant potatoes: tips
Most gardeners are now “at a low start”: very soon they need to start planting potatoes, the main crop in any garden bed.
April 16 2021
How to understand that it’s time
It’s time to start planting potatoes – at the beginning of May. There are several landmarks that make it clear that it is already time to take up the shovel and the hoe.
The soil warmed up by more than 10 degrees and dandelions bloomed.
The bird cherry blossomed.
The first leaves hatched on the birch.
At the same time, it is time to sow crops in open ground that are not afraid of possible frosts. Until May 10, you can transfer early seedlings and cauliflower to the beds. It is important to add compost or rotted manure and ash to the holes. A couple of days before the move, it is useful to feed the seedlings with a solution of potassium sulfate.
It is better to use pre-prepared potatoes. We keep the tubers in the light for 10 days. Then we spray it once a week. Good results are obtained by spraying tubers with stimulants (for example, “Epin-extra”, “Ribav”) and bacterial preparations: solutions of humates (for example, “Gumi”, “Ideal”), algae extract. Before planting, immerse the tubers for 30 minutes in a warm solution with potassium permanganate (1 g), copper sulfate (10 g), zinc sulfate (10 g) and boric acid (10 g) (per 10 liters of water) or spray from a spray bottle.
We plant the tuber as a whole, but you can also save money – divide it into 2-3 parts, but so that each part has at least three eyes. When cutting tubers, dip the knife into a solution of potassium permanganate. When planting, add ash to the hole. The planting depth should be equal to two sizes of the tuber (6-8 cm of soil above the tuber), with the growth buds up. We plant at least 25-30 cm from each other, row from row – 50-70 cm.
One way of planting is in a mixed culture. It can be used in small areas – another crop is planted in the aisles, thanks to this neighborhood, the potatoes are less sick and can grow longer in one place without reducing the yield. Good partners for potatoes are spinach, bush beans, and beans. Legumes enrich the soil with nitrogen. Potatoes are also combined with cabbage, especially with kohlrabi and cauliflower, salad, radish, corn. It has a good effect on the future harvest and horseradish, especially if you plant it in the corners of a potato plot.
To get a good harvest, we carry out hilling at least 2-3 times (potatoes like it when they stir the ground: the stems under the ground give additional tuberous shoots). In addition, hilling saves from morning frosts. It is more correct to huddle in the center of the bush, in this case the yield increases by 1 kg per bush. With center hilling, the collapsed bush receives more light and nutrients.
If fertilizers have not been applied since autumn, we carry out top dressing when watering with nitrogen-phosphorus fertilizer in combination with humates before the buds appear in the plant, and after – with potash complex fertilizer. In dry summers we water regularly.
If it is not possible to water and fertilize the garden, freshly cut grass will help out. It can be sprinkled or folded around the bush every time the lawn is mowed. This method will retain moisture in the soil and provide nutrients to the sprouting tubers.
To scare off the Colorado potato beetle, coriander, nasturtium, tansy, tagetes (marigolds), nasturtium are planted nearby in the field – now such ecological methods are in vogue. But insecticide preparations can also be used. Prestige has proven itself well – when soaking tubers before planting, beetles fly around your field.
There are other means – “Aktara”, “Senpai”, “Bankol”, “Decis extra”, “Regent”, “Confidor”, “Corado”, “Sonnet”, “Mospilan”. Adhere to the consumption rate specified in the instructions. Exceeding the dosage will not give the best effect, but it can lead to the accumulation of harmful substances in the tubers and in the soil.