7 Ways To Grow Potatoes That Will Increase Your Yield Photo

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7 Ways To Grow Potatoes That Will Increase Your Yield Photo
7 Ways To Grow Potatoes That Will Increase Your Yield Photo

Video: 7 Ways To Grow Potatoes That Will Increase Your Yield Photo

Video: 7 Ways To Grow Potatoes That Will Increase Your Yield Photo
Video: Growing Potatoes - All The Tips You Need 2024, March
Anonim

The ingenuity of our amateur vegetable growers knows no bounds. They come up with more and more options for potato beds. As a rule, the most interesting ideas are born in the process of solving a specific problem. For example, in the spring someone got a plot on virgin soil, and they want to try their potatoes this season. Or there is not enough space in the country, but you want to fit everything at once. And of course, the main reason for innovation is our constant striving to simplify and facilitate work on the personal plot. It is interesting to figure out what are the advantages and disadvantages of alternative methods of growing potatoes. Do they really make life easier for the farmer?

7 ways to grow potatoes that will increase your yield
7 ways to grow potatoes that will increase your yield

1. Landing in trenches

Potatoes in trenches have been grown for a long time, this method gives good results in small areas. Experts say that the harvest of potatoes in trenches can be twice as large as when using traditional technology. However, this method is quite time consuming, and, apparently, therefore, it has not yet become widespread among vegetable growers.

Preparation for planting in this way begins in the fall. A trench about 50 cm deep is dug along the entire length of the bed. It is filled with organic matter - a mixture of peat, humus, sawdust, fallen leaves, straw, etc. In this form, the bed is left until spring, and with the onset of the first warm days, it is covered with a black plastic wrap for better warming …

A large amount of planting material will require not one, but several trenches. They are made, retreating to a distance of 70 cm. Unused soil is left in the aisles, it may still be needed during the season.

Sprouted potato tubers can be planted in a trench when the substrate temperature reaches + 6… + 8 ° C. Sprinkle the potatoes on top with a layer of earth or compost and cover with a film. When shoots appear, holes are cut in the film shelter so that the stems can grow freely upward. This technique allows you to retain moisture around the bushes and get rid of weeds along the way. You can not use the film, but simply sprinkle the grown stems with earth left on the sides of the trench.

Planting potatoes in trenches is completely unsuitable for areas with high groundwater levels. There is a high probability that in conditions of high humidity, potatoes may suffocate and rot. In this case, you need not to bury yourself in the ground, but, on the contrary, raise the beds higher.

Preparation for planting potatoes in trenches begins in the fall
Preparation for planting potatoes in trenches begins in the fall

2. Potatoes in boxes

Even on the most useless soils, you can grow an excellent crop of potatoes by planting them in high beds. For this purpose, boxes up to 30 cm high and about 1 m wide are constructed. The length of boxes depends on the desired size of the beds. The bottom is filled with small branches, tops and other plant residues, and fertile soil is added on top. Potatoes are planted in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of 30 cm and sprinkled with a layer of soil 5-7 cm thick.

As the bushes grow, you need to add earth to the box. This technique allows you to grow potatoes without unnecessary weeding and hilling. All the plants in the box are well lit by the sun, it is very convenient to care for them. You can add to the advantages of the method also the ease of watering.

The biggest disadvantage is that it will take a lot of time and effort to put together the boxes. You also need to find suitable materials. But in the future, such a bed can serve for more than one year.

Both of the above methods work on the principle of "warm beds", which are known to use organic filler. During the season, organics gradually rot, releasing heat and stimulating the growth of potato bushes. Thanks to this heating, planting potatoes in the beds can be started a couple of weeks earlier than usual. Consequently, the first tubers will appear faster, and the yield will be higher.

Even on the most useless soils, you can grow an excellent crop of potatoes by planting them in high beds
Even on the most useless soils, you can grow an excellent crop of potatoes by planting them in high beds

3. Potatoes under the straw

This method will soon be one hundred years old, it was first tried by the Russian scientist and vegetable grower M. V. Rytov. Recently, such plantings have gained popularity again, because you can plant potatoes under straw, even on virgin soil, without preliminary soil treatment.

Sprouted potatoes are laid out in small holes, furrows or just on the ground and covered with a layer of moist chopped straw 15-20 cm thick. As the shoots grow, straw is added, increasing the height of the shelter to 50 cm.

Weeds hardly germinate through a thick layer of mulch, in addition, during the season, the structure of the soil improves markedly. Also, straw protects potatoes well from frost and overheating. Tubers on "straw" beds are large and clean, they are easy to harvest.

But this growing method also has its drawbacks. Mice often get in the straw, they can destroy part of the crop. In addition, during dry periods, additional watering will be required, because the straw does not hold moisture well.

You can plant potatoes under straw even on virgin soil, without preliminary soil treatment
You can plant potatoes under straw even on virgin soil, without preliminary soil treatment

4. Landing in a cone

Viktor Prokopchik, a well-known amateur vegetable grower from the Belarusian city of Bobruisk, suggested another unusual way of growing potatoes in mounds (cones). According to the reviews of gardeners who have tried the method in practice, the yield of potatoes with such a planting can reach up to 1.3 tons per one hundred square meters.

Potatoes are planted in cones as follows:

  1. On a site previously dug up and filled with fertilizers, circles with a diameter of 1.5-2 m are outlined.
  2. Tubers are laid out around the perimeter of the circles at a distance of 20-25 cm from each other.
  3. As the stems grow, the earth is raked towards the center, forming a low hill. At its top, a small depression is made for watering.

When grown in cones, potatoes develop a strong root system on which many tubers develop. However, during the season, it is necessary to add soil more than once so that the roots do not bare, and a favorable temperature regime remains inside the cone. This method can give a good effect only on small areas, where the use of small mechanization is very difficult.

When grown in cones, potatoes develop a strong root system on which many tubers form
When grown in cones, potatoes develop a strong root system on which many tubers form

5. Potatoes under a film

This method does not require hilling and, according to its supporters, allows you to get the first crop of potatoes much earlier than usual. The essence of the method is as follows:

  1. On the prepared area, spread a black film (or agrofibre) and securely fix its edges with metal staples or pegs.
  2. Cross-shaped cuts are made in the film in those places where it is planned to arrange the tubers (in rows or in a checkerboard pattern).
  3. Potatoes are planted in small holes dug at the incisions and lightly sprinkled with soil.

And that's all, no more weeding and loosening is required, you just need to protect the potatoes from the Colorado potato beetle in time. The black cover material will prevent weeds from growing and will accumulate heat, contributing to a rapid increase in green mass and root development.

But this method also has a downside - if the summer turns out to be hot, the tubers under the film will overheat, and with a large amount of precipitation, on the contrary, moisture will linger. Film cover may be a good option for early harvests in cool summer regions. But you have to constantly monitor the condition of the soil under the film in order to avoid overheating and fungal diseases.

If the summer is hot, the tubers under the film will overheat
If the summer is hot, the tubers under the film will overheat

6. Potatoes in bags or barrels

If there is very little space on the site and there is nowhere to arrange beds, it is quite possible to limit yourself to large plastic bags, iron barrels and even buckets. In this way, some amateur vegetable growers grow potatoes not only in the country, but also on the balcony of a city apartment.

Polyethylene bags are filled with light fertile soil, cuts are made in them and sprouted tubers are planted. The bags can be placed around the edges of the lot, in the backyard of the house, or anywhere else you like. The main thing is that the plants are well lit by the sun.

They take care of such potato plantings, as usual - they water, feed, protect against diseases and pests. And to get a crop, you just need to shake out the contents from a bag or other container and collect the tubers.

When planting in a barrel or bucket, it is recommended to spread the potatoes on a small layer of soil, and then gradually add soil, bringing the height to 1 m. Some people argue that almost a bag of potatoes can be collected from one barrel with good care. But it should be remembered that potato tubers are formed only at the beginning of the growth of the bushes, before flowering. And no matter how high the plant is covered with earth, this will not lead to the formation of new underground shoots.

This method has one serious drawback - small containers are strongly heated by the sun. And if you place bags or barrels in the shade, then the bushes will lack sunlight, which will affect the amount of the crop.

Potatoes can even be grown in plastic bags
Potatoes can even be grown in plastic bags
Small containers with potatoes are strongly warmed up by the sun, and this is the disadvantage of growing them in containers
Small containers with potatoes are strongly warmed up by the sun, and this is the disadvantage of growing them in containers

7. Growing potatoes in a pit

This method is similar to the previous one, the only difference is that a pit serves as a container for growing potatoes. The size of the planting pit can be arbitrary, the depth is at least 40 cm. A layer of compost is poured on the bottom, tubers are laid on top of it, they are slightly covered with another layer of compost. Next, the soil is poured in the same way as when growing potatoes in barrels.

Landing in a hole is possible only if the groundwater is deep. Otherwise, the potatoes may grow poorly or completely rot.

All alternative methods of planting potatoes work well in small areas. However, unconventional methods are not suitable for planting tubers on 10-20 acres, and even more so for growing crops on an industrial scale. The labor costs in this case will be much higher than with a normal planting.

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