Potatoes are practically the second bread we have. Few families do not consume this nutritious vegetable. Many summer residents grow potatoes themselves to obtain a crop free from pesticides. But many of them are worried about how to grow a large potato crop so that its reserves are sufficient for most of the winter.
How to grow potatoes - the standard way
First of all, it is important to prepare a quality planting material. It is selected in autumn from those bushes that yielded a good harvest. It should be tubers 4-6 cm in size, beautiful round or slightly oblong, without damage or rotting areas. As for how to grow early potatoes , that is a little secret - from the middle of March its tubers are placed in a warm place for germination.
If you are thinking about how to grow potatoes, remember the importance of choosing a suitable site for planting. It must be sunny and open. Autumn is well digested, cleaned of weeds, fertilized. Planting of tubers is made to a depth of 7-8 cm and then, when the earth at a depth of 10 cm warms up to 8-10 degrees. When sprouts appear, the surface of the earth around the bush is congealed. The secret of how to grow large potatoes is to timely watering, loosening the soil, destroying the Colorado potato beetle and, of course, applying fertilizers. As the latter, a humus water diluted in a bucket or a mixture of 5 g superphosphate, 3 g potassium sulfate and 2 grams of saltpeter per bush is used.
Crop harvesting is carried out when the potato tops dry and wither.
Non-standard ways of cultivation of a potato
In addition to the usual way of growing potatoes, there are many unusual ways. Let's consider some of them.
An interesting method is how to grow potatoes "in a barrel" . A "barrel" is a pit or a container with holes on the sides 40-50 cm deep or at the bottom of which a layer is placed from a mixture of compost and earth 10 cm thick. A few potatoes are placed on top, which are then covered with the same mixture. When the shoots reach 3 cm in height, they also fall asleep.
As for how to grow potatoes in bags , the method is suitable for those who do not want to mess with beds. In polyethylene bags filled with fertile soil, diamond loops are made, where the tubers are planted.
It is also unusual how one can grow potatoes under a straw . The germinated tubers are placed in staggered order on a loose and moistened earth and covered with a layer of straw or hay for 25-30 cm. When the potato tops completely dry, the straw is simply cleaned.