Potatoes with tweaks

I call on only not to offend those whose recommendations have not approached you.

After all, we all have different lands, different solar regimes, different groundwater levels, different possibilities for watering and fertilizing, etc.

Everyone has his own head in order to decide whether or not it will fit. And if it's not clear, maybe it's worth the risk? Finally.

Who does not take risks, he does not drink champagne!

That's about the potato, it would seem, so much is said, retold. In every issue of her, dear. Therefore, I hesitated for a long time to lean out with my experience. And then she decided: what if someone came up to me? By the way, I want to thank the authors of many comments for inexhaustible optimism and good humor, thanks to which it is not only useful but also pleasant to read.

On the eve of the new horticultural season, I would like to share some of my achievements, rather than tricks. Do you know the proverb: is it foolish to invent fictions? So, I also am this "gol" (as well as the majority of pensioners not spoiled by care of the power).

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See also: Planting potatoes and growing them from A to Z - ways and preparation of seeds

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The first "potato" trick

How to keep the potatoes if there is no cellar or cellar? My husband and I gradually developed one way for ourselves, changing or supplementing each year, and we have been using it for at least five years.

We store the potatoes in the entrance corridor in the house in the wooden crates and plastic wasteful laundry baskets.

We plant potatoes as soon as possible, as soon as the snow comes down, and the land dries so that it can be dug up, but without waiting for the soil to warm up, as it should be "according to the rules." Early sowing, on the one hand, allows young shoots to be protected from the Colorado beetle.

When the first years of the pest begin, our shoots are already grown and bogged down. In addition, we pollinate them generously with ashes while they are the most tender, so this cunning American "gift" flies by, hoping to find something more tasty. And we, seeing him off with tears of joy, give him his wishes to die as soon as possible from someone's chemicals or, as a last resort, to be deported to their homeland!

On the other hand, early planting allows the use of spring moisture and does not bother with potato watering (for a long time for us, suffered from phytophthora, this operation was forbidden). Of course, the year is different, but on average our plantings are timed to pecking birch buds (from 20-th of April on 1 May). If you do not get into this period, waiting for the warming up of the soil, then often the rains that fall in May do not allow to get into the garden. So it was last year, when in our district the majority of truck farmers planted potatoes at the end of May.

We don’t have funds for a tractor or a cultivator, therefore, as far as we can, we plow the garden with pitchfork in parts: we dug up a little, planted 2-3 rows of potatoes, dug up another how much (we could, - planted more.

Previously planted potatoes mixed, not sorting by variety. Now - strictly by grades: we start from early (we like Luck, Zhukovsky, others didn’t ask something: they are less productive). Further rows of later - Blue eyes, Vineta, Hermes. Finally, the last rows are marked by redskins Bullfinch and Red Scarlett.

Dig up gradually, starting with the first rows of success: we are eating a young potato. For current needs, we dig in early, and the digger for winter laying lasts from September to October: as the weather permits, and dig out the 2-3 row, put it in one layer to dry in the open air, after which, sorting, we remove into containers according to grades. By the way, we dig fork, and punctured tubers are spent first.

At the bottom of the drawer or linen basket, we pour a layer of ash about 5 cm. We shift each row or two potatoes with fern or rowan leaves, lightly sprinkle with ash. Top - a dense layer of fern and ash, a pair of solid apples (wild can be). Apparently, ash and apples help maintain moisture levels: potatoes do not dry out and hardly germinate. Sprouts appear only at the end of February - March, due to the fact that the early varieties (they germinate earlier) are selected. In March, I spend the only bulkhead to cut off the sprouts and remove low-quality tubers. Thanks to the layers of fern and ash, the infection does not spread over the entire volume, and from all harvested potatoes (30-40 buckets), no more than 5-10 spoiled tubers must be thrown out. Last year, it somehow happened that the March bulkhead was not needed, they cost one pre-landing in April.

Landing is carried out with our own preserved potatoes, the only thing is that we buy a bucket two early (Good luck). Experience shows that it is better to plant cut by 2-3 parts of large tubers than small ones entirely. Cut the peeled potatoes in the ashes.

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Reference by topic: Growing potatoes - a lot, tasty and without chemicals

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The second "potato" trick

Another misfortune in growing potatoes is the American “drone”. Few he did not pester. Previously, in our country the number of colorado was measured in clouds, and hands fell from impotence. It happens that in the evening you’ll take off a dozen or two, and in the morning you go out and grab your heart with one hand, with your other hand for chemistry, because everything is strewn with bugs, and a delicious crunch is heard throughout the district.

I am a professional chemist, and therefore an opponent of excessive chemistry in the garden. To collect manually is no longer within the power of a sore lower back, and it is not good to trample our already heavy clay soil. For many years, everything that was possible was tried - they planted a potato patch with lupine, watered with elderberry broth, tinctures of elecampane, chamomile, garlic, needles, sprinkled ash with young sprouts ... Everything helped, the number of beetles decreased, but they could not be completely cleaned. Long experience was needed for the "purity of the experiment" to exclude annual cycles of fluctuations in the number of insects. And for myself, I came to the following conclusions about getting rid of the "striped streak":

As early as possible planting potatoes.

We leave the first (June) summer colorado. With the threat of recurrent frost, young shoots were covered with a full roller of the ground or covered with the most dense nonwoven material (it stands up to -5-6 °).

At the threat of a beetle attack early in the morning it is necessary to spray (with the help of a broom or a whitening brush) a decoction of decoction with addition of laundry soap so that dew or rain does not wash away.

I didn’t write what broth - experience shows that) anyway, only 6 odorous (elecampane, chamomile, needles, garlic, dill, citrus peels). All that is at hand, just to interrupt the smell of potato tops for a flying colorado.

Here is the random experience of last year: the most distant rows did not have the drug, and splashing broths did not reach them. But the dill on them grew dill from the last year's planting.

I was even afraid that he would score potatoes.

But the “American” didn’t go there, although the neighbor was a fan of spraying with chemistry, after which it happened that the beetle moved together to visit me. Now I’m happy: the enemy was plagued, last year it wasn’t at all, in this - a maximum of a couple dozen. Just in case of fire, I keep an ampoule with the drug, but I never needed it.

In each hole, when planting with potatoes, throw a garlic slice (you can half-dried), a string bean and a glass of ash.

Part of the tubers were treated with a purchased preparation as an experiment. Helps, but alone does not completely eliminate the beetle.

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GROWING POTATOES ON RAINY WEATHER - TIPS

If a bad dancer is always disturbed by a scene, then the negligent trucker-bad weather. She, of course, and the experienced villager can cause many troubles, but the fact of the matter is that everyone is fully able to prepare his garden in advance for possible tests. And these precautions will never be superfluous.

Minus in plus

The potato theme is inexhaustible and very interesting, and all because the good result depends not so much on the characteristics of a particular variety, but on how much it can "make friends" with the land in which it grows. And we need help to find mutual understanding with each other, summer residents. I think that everyone knows the tale of Pinocchio, about how he planted his coins, wanting to grow a money tree from them. That's how every trucker, planting potatoes, hopes to find then under the bushes on the treasure of good potatoes. And it is very offensive when these expectations do not come true. But after all, all the miracles in the garden are man-made. And in order not to feel deceived by Pinocchio, one must understand what and for what it is necessary to do. And since any story is best understood by examples, I will share my story.

The year before last, I planted potatoes in early May in the usual way for me - in double rows and to a depth of 10 cm.

And after a week it began to rain, and such that my beds stood literally "neck" in the water for several days. I was very afraid that planted tubers could rot from such an excess of moisture. And it turned out: about 30% of the shoots were not given. I had to, as soon as the rains had calmed down and the earth had dried out a bit, urgently plug holes in the plantings - plant new tubers.

The focus was a success - all the newcomers came together amicably and their tops went so fast that they soon caught up with the first plantings.

And all would be nothing, but the dampness still made itself felt, because the rains all summer went with an enviable regularity. And although I planted 52 sorts (it would seem, a good insurance), but still about 50% of the crop lost: if on average from two hundred square I collect almost 80 buckets of good large potatoes, then only 37 managed to dig up. And this despite the fact that a lot of little things have grown. And about the rot and say nothing: to sort out the dug up tubers had several times.

If you give a specific grade, then the wet weather is well tolerated Blue, Tuleevsky, League, Bellarosa, Timo, Adretta, Burren, Colombo and the Galaxy. The rest just almost all the marriage and gave. I was consoled by the fact that all these weather anomalies allowed me to decide which potato I need to keep in my collection. Indeed, there is no thin without good.

The most profitable option

And at the same time it became clear to me how to prepare the earth for such tests. After all, it's clayey in the plot, with the addition of chernozem, so frequent rains so tightened it that the shovel could hardly be stuck into it, even mulch did not save it. Therefore, without wasting time, in the autumn I made a digging, to a depth of 15-20 cm, chicken droppings. I had to buy it at a poultry farm, I ordered a whole tractor trailer. I flew it, of course, a pretty penny, but still it turned out cheaper than if I bought a mineral fertilizer.

Bird droppings are better than cow and goat, since it contains much more nitrogen and phosphorus, and potassium is presented in the form of soluble salts, which are better absorbed by the soil. In addition, such an organics also has, so to speak, the effect of a prolonged action, so it can be used every two to three years.

And if you add sawdust to the chicken manure, then it will also loosen the soil very well. Therefore, I add it to the compost heaps, interlaid with earth, waste from the kitchen and fallen leaves. Sometimes I spill it with a solution of a microbiological preparation in order to speed up the processing process. In general, chicken manure significantly improves soil composition and restores its microflora, which increases resistance to diseases. And the harvest after such a fertilization matures as a friend.

But under the root crops, I'm afraid to bring it fresh. I use in this case infusion: 1 kg of litter, I dilute in 20 l of water, mix well until complete dissolution and water on 0,5 l under each plant on a damp ground so as not to burn the roots. You can prepare such a solution of durable use: dilute the chicken manure with water equally, leave for a week in the warmth (but not in the sun), adding nettle to it. After the "swill" ferment, dilute it with water (1: 10) and continue to water them on 0,5 l.

In general, when adding litter, you need to know the extent, because it's not always better. Instead of rootlets, one can get one. It must also be remembered that the chicken droppings in the application "burns" all the weeds and weed seeds. Therefore in the spring it is better to make humus and use infusions. And for example, garlic and onions are better to feed in early June, as they begin the process of vegetation, and the result of such feeding will have to wait.

In autumn, too, it is necessary to close it wisely. I personally will bring it first, I will give him time to lie down for a month, and then just dig. It turns out that I can not do without a shovel, but in the spring I use only a plane and a chopper. It is, by the way, special for me, a crescent and heavier.

Normal, light, it’s inconvenient to use, as your hands get tired. And this one is just a miracle. For some reason, manufacturers of gardening tools don't think much about it. Let them try to work with them! Apparently, they just do not read and either do not have summer cottages, or they just relax there, not growing anything.

And further. Dear fellow gardeners, do not forget that the land is different for everyone, and therefore the yield everywhere “jumps”. There are no the same indicators everywhere. And not always the desired variety is suitable for your region. But you can always try. After all, gardeners are a curious and stubborn people. You always want something new.

© Author: Nadezhda Alexandrova BELYAEVA p. Khruevo, Tula region

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