Potatoesare plants with edible tubers, commonly grown and eaten in our country. From an economic point of view, due to the low price of potatoes in stores, growing potatoes on the plotindependently is not profitable. However, it makes sense when we want to get tasty and chemical-free spring vegetables in the form of new potatoes. See whichpotato varietieschoose what it looks likegrowing potatoes on the plot , what are the requirements of this plant and how to harvest.
Potatoes from a plot of land
Potatoes(Solanum tuberosum) are plants up to 100 cm tall with edible tubers. The average potato tuber is about 7 cm long and 4 cm wide, with a whitish or pinkish skin, white or yellowish flesh. Tubers can be eaten cooked - freshly harvested or after a period of storage. They are an excellent source of starch, vegetable protein and minerals. They have a deacidifying effect on the body. Potatoes are often wrongly thought to be the cause of obesity. However, boiled potatoes do not become fat until we add fat and s alt to them - these additives are unhe althy for our body, not the potatoes themselves. So let's avoid eating potatoes in the form of French fries or crisps. The he althiest will be new potatoes from our own plot.
Potatoes - plot varieties
Potatoesare plants of moderate climate, therefore perfectly suitable for cultivation in our country.Depending on thepotato variety , the growing season can last from 90 to 140 days. Depending on the period from sowing to harvest - potatoes are divided into very early, early, mid-early and main (late) yield. In home gardens and on the plot, it is worth growing early potatoes, as early vegetables. Late varieties are good for winter storage.
When choosinga potato variety for the plot , apart from the taste and shelf life of the tubers, it is also worth taking into account the highfertility of the potato varietyto obtain a satisfactory harvest from a small cultivation on the plot, as well asresistance of a given potato variety to diseasesIt is mainly about resistance to the most common and most dangerous diseases of this vegetable, such as late blight and alternariosis. This is especially important if we want to avoid the need to spray with chemical plant protection products. It is also worth choosingPolish potato varieties , which in our climatic and soil conditions usually cope better than foreign varieties.
Following these criteria,from very early varieties it is worth choosing potatoesIrys, Miłek or Orlik, from early varieties: Gracja, Owacja or the very popular Irga, from medium-early varieties - Bartek , Finesse, Typhoon. Of the late varieties the most useful seems to be Zeus or Ursus, which is quitehighly resistant to late blight
Note!
To avoid the need for spraying against potato blight and blight,choose only very early varieties for garden cultivationintended for harvesting about 60 days after planting, for the so-called new potatoes. Then we will harvest before the disease develops.
Growing potatoes in bags is also a certain alternative. In amateur cultivation, this method is gaining more and more popularity. The bags with growing potatoes can be placed under a roof, which protects them from intense rainfall, and thus excessive moisture, which is conducive to potato blight.Thenthe choice of a late blight resistant variety is no longer as importantas it is when grown in beds.
Potatoes - growing requirements
Potatoes are quite sensitive to low temperatures , which should be remembered when deciding to grow these plants. Even with slight frosts, the above-ground parts of the potatoes freeze, and although they rebound later from the side shoots, growth and yielding are delayed. Potatoes are best grown at a temperature of 14 to 18 ° C in open positions that heat up easily and in sufficiently moist, nutrient-rich, airy and permeable soil. The soil should be quite acidic (pH 5 to 6). Potatoes should not be grown on the same site year after year, because then they yield much worse and suffer from diseases. So we plant potatoes in the same plot no more than every 4 years.
Potato soilshould be prepared in autumn. We then perform deep plowing or dig the soil with a spade on small beds and remove the weeds and their roots.You can also give fresh manure. If manure is not used in the fall, composted or composted manure can be added in spring. Before planting potatoes, it is worth digging the soil with a pitchfork and then raking the bed. As a result, the soil will dry out faster and will be fluffier.
Planting potatoes on the plot
Forpotato plantingsmall ( 50 to 80 g) virus-free tubers (so-called seed potatoes). To speed up the harvest, seed potatoes should be properly prepared by sprouting. This treatment begins in March and takes about a month. The seed potatoes are placed in flat boxes in one layer, and then the boxes are placed on top of each other, so that they have access to light, in a room with a temperature of 10 to 14 ° C.
In order for the tubers not to wilt, they need to be provided with adequate air humidity and even access of light - for this purpose, they are sprinkled with water and covered with a transparent foil, and from time to time the boxes are rearranged on top of each other so that there is some light to each.In the right conditions, sprouts will grow strong - thick and short. Insufficient light will make the sprouts white, thin and long - such sprouts will break when planted. Forplanting potatoes , select only those potatoes that have produced at least 4 sprouts.
Potatoes - sprouted seed potatoes
Sprouted seed potatoes can be planted in the ground from mid-April. It is important that the soil warms up to 6-8 ° C. We plant them 4 to 8 cm deep (deeper on lighter soils) with a spacing of about 30x60 cm.
Planted potatoesdo not need to be watered immediately, because the tubers have a large amount of water. water supply. Later, we water it moderately, remembering, however, that excess moisture is conducive to the occurrence of fungal diseases. Watering is especially important during periods of drought. From the beginning of the growing season, it is necessary to regularly remove weeds and loosen the inter-rows.After approx. 2 to 3 weeks, ridges to a height of approx. 30 cm must be created. Cover flower beds with perforated foil or fleece. This treatment will not only speed up the harvest date, but also protect the plants against cold and bloom from the Colorado potato beetle.
Wgrowing potatoes on the plotusually no additional mineral fertilizers, especially those containing nitrogen, are used, because the tubers will accumulate nitrites that are hazardous to he alth, and the plants themselves may become hypersensitive to diseases.
Harvesting potatoes on the plot, i.e. when for excavation works
In the case of early varieties, as a rule, at the end of June you can startpotato harvestcommonly referred to as picking up. When starting to harvest, let's first carefully clear away the soil. Then take out the largest tubers and backfill the hole. As time goes on, the yield of tubers will increase significantly.
Early potatoesare best eaten right after harvest, because they quickly wilt, turn green and lose their flavor during storage.On the other hand, potatoes for the main crop are left in the ground as long as possible, as long as they are not infected with potato blight. In late summer the haulm is cut, the tubers are left in the ground for two more weeks to harden their skin. Always dig out potatoes intended for storage on dry and sunny days. They are left for about 2 hours in the sun to dry, and then packed in openwork bags or boxes. They can be stored in a frost-free room (e.g. in a basement) for up to 6 months.
