Unusual Ways Of Planting Potatoes

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

The beginning of May, in the main part of Russia, is the time of planting potatoes. This root vegetable can be planted in different ways. Consider original methods that are effective in small areas. They will be useful to many summer residents

Why are they using unusual methods?

Every summer resident overcomes the problems associated with a shortage of land. Or, perhaps, with a lack of strength for the development of a virgin land plot or a place overgrown with turf. Each new method was invented by amateur gardeners for specific conditions and increasing yields in small areas. Unusual growing of potatoes helps to solve certain problems, does not require investment and special agricultural technology.

Planting potatoes under straw

The essence of this exotic method is to lay out potatoes on the surface of the ground and cover them with a layer of straw. Ideal for virgin lands, heavy soils, as it does not involve plowing / digging. Promotes the development of "wild" territories, since in the second season after planting potatoes (if you close up the remains of straw in the soil), you will have a plot suitable for gardening. According to the reviews of innovators, the fruits are large, clean, and besides, the crop is harvested quite easily.

Let's talk about the variations of this method. To preserve moisture, some gardeners put the planting tubers not on flat ground, but in small holes. If there is no straw, use the mowed lawn grass, tops, the remains after weeding the beds. At the beginning of the season, dry grass and foliage are collected for the first covering layer.

The essence of cultivation is simple: when the stems grow back, they are covered with straw, covered with the remnants of weeding, freshly cut grass. You only need to leave the tops of the head. The collection is reduced to the selection of tubers from plant residues.

This method allows you to save the energy required for traditional planting of potatoes, and is suitable for people who do not like physical activity. Performance depends on site conditions and climate. Skeptics argue that mice will settle in the straw, moisture will evaporate quickly, and frequent watering will be required. But many people use this fit all the time and are happy.

Planting potatoes under a black film

This method helps to get a high-quality harvest faster, with an increased number of tubers. Ideal for planting early potatoes. It is used in temperate climates, in the southern regions it is unacceptable, since the ground under the film will overheat too much.

For this method, you can use both film and non-woven black material. The prepared, dug area is covered with a film / material and fixed so as not to be blown away by the wind. After that, places for holes are marked in a row or staggered, and cuts are made with a cross.

In the holes formed, the required amount of soil is selected, potatoes are laid in these holes and sprinkled with dug earth. This technology does not provide for weeding and hilling.

Planting potatoes in boxes

Labor-intensive preparation is justified by a bountiful harvest, does not require hilling or weeding, and saves space on the site. Has a long-term perspective. Before planting, you need to build a box-container from scrap materials. The sizes are chosen individually, but the height of all is 30 cm. The length is optional, the width is usually 100-120. When planning several ridges, you need to leave a passage of at least 50 cm.

If you managed to make the structure in the fall, then the soil is prepared like warm beds. In any case, the box is filled with rotted organic matter. The tubers are planted in the usual way, with a 30 cm pitch in a checkerboard pattern. Such structures have been in operation for several years, while after the land has settled, the addition of organic matter is implied, and after collecting it is advisable to sow green manure.

Planting potatoes in mounds

This method gives a fairly high yield. A two-meter circle is made on the site (the diameter can be made smaller). As you understand, there will not be the usual rows here. Holes are dug in a circle with an interval of 25-40 cm.

Then, as usual: put the potatoes, fill them with soil. During the growing tops, we carry out hilling. As a result, a kind of hill is formed. In the middle we leave a "crater" - a depression for irrigation, so it is convenient to use a hose, since the water will be evenly distributed throughout the mound. Such a fit is convenient to handle, and it also decorates the site.

Planting potatoes in bags, buckets, barrels

Growing in containers allows for small plantings anywhere. Take any unnecessary container: an old bucket, a plastic bag, etc. Make holes in the bottom or side to drain excess water. Fill halfway with soil, plant potatoes. Then add the earth as you grow.