Planting potatoes

With the arrival of spring, almost every gardener devotes part of his land to planting potatoes. This vegetable is one of the most popular. It feeds us all winter, so it deserves special attention. The future autumn harvest and aromatic dishes on the winter table depend on how we plant and grow the queen of the fields.

Proper planting of potatoes is the key to rapid germination and the formation of good bushes. Before this, the tubers need to be prepared, since they are planted already sprouted. It is best to select medium-sized planting material with sprouts of 1-2 centimeters. If there are not enough potatoes, you can cut them. For this purpose, select larger tubers. The main thing is that you get pieces of at least 20 grams with 2-3 eyes. 5-7 days before planting, potatoes are heated in a ventilated room or in the open air at a temperature of 15 to 25 degrees.

To speed up growth and increase yield, you can pre-soak the tubers in a solution of mineral fertilizers. You also need to treat the hole before planting. Pour a solution of copper sulfate over it, sprinkle with crushed eggshells and wood ash. Ash is a very useful fertilizer that improves the quality of the soil and the potatoes themselves.

When the first shoots appear, it is useful to do hilling. This will protect young shoots from the first attacks of the Colorado potato beetle. In addition, if you planted potatoes early, this procedure will protect you from night frosts.

For convenience, large and small farms today increasingly use potato planters, which completely replace manual labor.