Do you want to remove a bucket of potatoes from one bush, without spending any effort to dig up the land, without hilling the planting and not weeding the beds? But this is quite possible on any site. Planting potatoes under the straw is an undeservedly forgotten old way that peasants used in the 19th century. Let's get acquainted with this simple, but effective technology.
Growing potatoes under straw
Growing potatoes under straw is very simple. This method is based on mulching - covering the soil surface with various materials. In this case, the agricultural crops are on the surface of the soil, but under a layer of mulch. Thus, several stages of nursing, which are mandatory for the usual cultivation of potatoes, are simply not needed here. Using straw as mulch is the most popular option. It is better to use it on alkaline or neutral soil, but if the acidity of the soil is increased, it is desirable to fertilize the place of planting with nitrogen .
Planting potatoes in straw - the pros and cons
Some gardeners who tried this method, he liked, others from him not delighted. Let's consider such a question as planting potatoes with straw, pro and con. The advantages of this method include the following:
- No hilling of potatoes is required.
- Almost no weeds and Colorado beetle.
- Instead of loosening and hilling you just need to pour straw.
- The harvest increases, but it is easy and pleasant to assemble.
- After harvesting potatoes, straw becomes an excellent fertilizer not for the next year. It should only be slightly prikopat.
There are not many drawbacks to this method, but they seem essential for some:
- Rodents. If there are spikelets in the straw, they will attract mice that can significantly damage the potato crop. To discourage them, they are recommended to plant a few elderberries, rosemary, chamomile, mint, wormwood and other plants.
- Slugs. Under the straw, the ideal shelter for them, they will multiply perfectly. Traps are used to destroy them.
- Taste of potatoes. It will be slightly different from what is present in a root-grown traditional way. This may not like everyone.
- Color of fruit. Under a thin layer of mulch the potatoes can turn green, so the straw should not be small.
How to plant potatoes under straw?
This way of planting potatoes under the straw assumes the presence of a sufficient amount of mulch. Experts advise the planting sites to cover 50 cm of hay. With a smaller layer, the soil will dry up quickly, and with a large layer the earth will not warm up well and the growth of the potato may slow down. Planting seed potatoes under the straw will give a better harvest than those tubers that you bought for food in the store. Some vegetable growers use instead of straw grass with leaves or large shavings. In this case, watering the planting will have to be more frequent.
Potatoes under the straw - where to start?
To grow potatoes on beds under straw is necessary, first of all. prepare a site for this. The soil will be more fertile, and weeds will grow less if we sow this land under the winter by the siderates:
- mustard;
- alfalfa;
- phacelia;
- rye;
- oats.
Two weeks before the planting of potatoes, the overgrown plants must be mowed and prikopat them into the ground. As mulch, you can prepare, in addition to hay and straw, dry lawn grass or even ordinary dried weeds, which must be ripped off before they start to prick. Planting potatoes under the straw will be more effective if the seeds germinate and plant tubers with strong sprouts about 10-12 cm long.
Technology of planting potatoes under the straw
The essence of this technology lies in the fact that the land, which is filled with potatoes, is replaced by a mulching layer. The methods of planting potatoes under straw are different. The classic way is as follows:
- Humidify the selected piece of land without digging it.
- We plan the rows and spread the tubers about 30 cm apart. Between the rows leaves about 70 cm.
- Around each potato, sprinkle 1 tbsp. l. Wood ash, to eliminate the lack of potassium.
- Cover the seeds of mulch with a layer of 25-30 cm, and over each potato layer of straw or hay should be more than between them.
- After the plants grow to a height of 15-20 cm, we cover them with a layer of straw, making small hills above each seedling. This will replace the stage of hilling with the usual method of planting. Since the potato tubers will form above the ground in the straw, then as the bushes grow, they must be regularly filled with straw.
How to water the potatoes under the straw?
Under the layer of a sufficient layer of mulch, the soil will remain wet for a long time. However, in too dry weather, it is necessary to periodically water potatoes. By straw, this is much more pleasant and effective, because the moisture under it lasts much longer, and the feet in the mud will not be smeared. If during the summer there are rains, then you do not need to water potatoes at all.
What can be planted under a straw except potatoes?
If your garden does not have a fertile soil, then the straw bales can be an excellent alternative to the soil. The seedlings are planted in the middle of the prepared straw beds, and for sowing the seeds it is necessary to make holes in the straw and fill them with fertile soil into which to lay the seeds. For those gardeners who want to know what they plant under the straw, experts recommend such plants:
- cucumbers;
- cabbage;
- tomatoes;
- pepper;
- salad;
- spicy herbs: dill, parsley and others;
- some flowers, for example, marigolds.