Potato in our latitudes is considered the main vegetable crop. It can be found in every garden plot. But few pay due attention to this vegetable. But, as the famous saying goes, what you sow, you will reap. In order for the crop to be of high quality, you need to correctly select good potato seeds.
How to choose the right seed potato
When choosing seed potatoes, you need to carefully consider the appearance of the tuber. Proper potatoes should be of the following form:
- The tuber should be about the size of a chicken egg, but you can take a little larger.
- There should be no damage.
- Potato seeds should be disease free.
- It is allowed to plant potatoes that have already sprouted. This will help him climb faster.
It is also worth correctly calculating the number of seeds. It is customary to take about 20-30 kg per one hundred square meters of land. If the potato is too large, then before planting it is divided in half. So, if you figured out the quantity, it is worth considering all the most famous varieties, their features and characteristics.
Carlena variety
Potato Carlena is a mid-season crop. Suitable for cooking, frying and storage. Regular tubers grow round oval with a thin skin. It tastes soft and pleasant. When planting, potato tubers are protected from the nematode. From one hectare of land you can get about 45 tons of such potatoes. One tuber in weight can reach 100 grams. The peel and pulp of a ripe yellow fruit. Karlen potatoes in the bush can be tall. It is recommended to plant at a distance of about 40 cm from each other. During tuberization, constant and plentiful watering is required. Before planting, in order to avoid various putrefactive diseases, it is required to pickle Karlen seed potatoes.
Variety Romance
Next, consider the variety of Romance. The potato grows oval in red. The peel is thin, the flesh is yellow inside. The eyes are not deep on the surface of the tuber. By weight, one fruit grows about 130 grams. Seed potatoes are unpretentious. In the land, this species is resistant to all diseases and viruses. This variety is suitable for long-term storage. It is recommended to plant tubers from each other at a distance of 30-35 cm. For early planting, the Romance variety is suitable. Potatoes take root and grow in any climatic latitude. Before planting the tubers can not be processed. This potato variety is an early-ripening species, ripens in about 90-95 days. Tops grows quickly in a tall bush with lilac flowers. From one such root, you can get from 35 to 40 pieces of tubers. It tastes good. Suitable for cooking in any form.
Variety Riviera
This potato variety is considered early. It is suitable for cooking and short storage. The tuber can be round or oval. His skin is red in small scales. The color of the flesh is pale yellow. The weight of one fruit of potatoes can reach 150-170 grams. Riviera seed potato is rated by breeders for taste by 5 points out of 5. Its bush grows of medium height, with a lot of lilac flowers. Tubers of this variety are not susceptible to diseases such as cancer, golden nematode, rot, and various viral infections. Potatoes are resistant to long droughts, so you can not be afraid for the quality of the crop.
Vega variety
This is another representative of early potatoes. The tuber has a circular oval shape with a yellow peel and pulp. There are practically no eyes on the fetus. Suitable for cooking in any form. Vega potatoes love moisture, therefore, before flowering, bushes need to be watered. The weight of one tuber reaches 85-100 grams. From one hectare of sown area, you can dig up to 400 centners of the crop. Tubers are able to withstand cancer and the golden nematode. Potato tops are high. His flowers are large, white. Potatoes are resistant to droughts and excessive moisture. This variety can be stored for a long time. Like any other variety, potatoes need to be treated with tubers before planting in order to increase their protective properties.
Variety Inara
This potato variety appeared recently - in 2013. Refers to an early ripe species. It takes 95-100 days to mature. Until some time it was used only in the central part of Russia, but gradually the variety began to gain popularity in other regions. The weight of one tuber reaches 120 grams. The tuber is long oval with small eyes. The peel and flesh are yellow. From one bush you can get 10-12 pieces. The shape of the potato is oval, with a yellow peel and pulp. Suitable for storage, and also has excellent taste. This species is considered the fastest digestible. The Inara potato variety is resistant to various pathogens. The bushes grow medium length, bright green and with white flowers.
The varieties considered are relatively new. In order for the harvest to bring joy, you need to know how to plant potatoes and take care of them.
When to plant potatoes
In order for the crop to be good, you need to correctly determine the variety of potatoes. There are species that take root only in a certain area with a characteristic climate. As already known, all varieties are grouped by early maturity. Based on this, determine the timing of planting seed potatoes:
- Early potatoes are planted in early April. Harvesting is possible on average after 55 days, but these varieties are not suitable for storage.
- Medium early potatoes. Also planted in April. Dig the crop after 60-65 days. But there is one small nuance in planting this variety - you need germinated seed potatoes.
- Mid-season can be planted from April to May. Ripening occurs in early August. For this, potatoes need 85-90 days. Tubers of these varieties must be treated for diseases and viruses.
- Medium late and latest varieties. They plant this species from May to June. It takes 120 days to ripen such a crop. Such potatoes are harvested at the end of September.
Many gardeners plant several varieties of potatoes at once to get a good harvest, which will ripen gradually for food and storage. It is not recommended to plant this crop until the soil temperature reaches 8 degrees above zero. The optimal depth for planting in the spring is not more than 10 cm.
Basic rules for planting potatoes
The presented rules will help to plant seed potatoes correctly, and in the end get a good harvest.
- Rule 1 The soil for planting potatoes must be prepared in advance. It is disinfected with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, and then dried.
- Rule 2 It is better to grow potatoes in a sunny place.
- Rule 3 Choose the optimal depth for planting seed potatoes. It depends on the territory of planting. In northern cold regions, potatoes are planted at a depth of 10 cm, in arid regions - 20 cm, and in areas with clay soils - 8 cm.
- Rule 4 Planting density. It all depends on the variety: the early ones are planted denser than the late and medium late ones.
- Rule 5. Calculate the rate of quantity of seed potatoes. So, for example, for 100 square meters for planting whole medium-sized tubers, about 600 pieces will be needed, small tubers - about 750-800 pieces and planting of potato seedlings - 1000 pieces.
Knowing the basic rules of landing, you still need to decide on the method. There are several of them.
Potato planting methods
You can proceed directly to planting by selecting seed potatoes. Varieties are different and need an individual approach. Consider several ways to plant potatoes:
- Method 1 The traditional square-nested method. To do this, divide a piece of land into squares measuring 50 x 50 cm and make rows in which seed potatoes are planted.
- Method 2 A kind of tape planting, it only happens in 2 rows at a distance of 30 and 100 cm. The tubers are not buried, but sprinkled on top with a layer of earth no more than 3 cm. A wide distance helps to properly care for the potatoes. This method increases the efficiency of the crop by an average of 30%.
- Method 3 Trench method. Dig trenches with a depth of 20-25 cm and a width of 35 cm. The remains of plants and weeds are laid on the bottom, and they are covered with a layer of humus, ash and fertilizer. Sprouted tubers of seed potatoes are laid on top and sprinkled with soil. The distance between the trenches is about 70 cm.
- Method 4 Growing in separate flower beds. In this way, each potato tuber is planted in a separate flower bed from tires or barrels. Inside, they fill up all the necessary nutrients and plant potatoes.
- Method 5 Landing under the straw. In this way, you can plant any seed potatoes. Any sort is suitable for this method. Straw helps retain moisture and prevents weeds from growing. Potatoes do not need hilling.
Cost and place of purchase of seed potatoes
Potatoes need to be bought only from trusted suppliers. There are specialty stores that sell potato seeds. Varieties are quite diverse, they can be easily confused. Therefore, unaware gardeners must first get a quality consultation. When buying in the market, you should be extremely careful, as they may give incorrect information about what kind of seed potatoes are on sale. The price starts at 20 rubles per kilogram.
Potato is the most unpretentious vegetable crop that does not require additional care. Having bought seed potatoes, you can choose your favorite planting method. Today, there are a large number of species of this vegetable. The above is only part of the list of early and mid-ripe vegetable crops. If there is no possibility of additional watering and care, this seed material will in any case give a good harvest.
In the article, we examined seed potatoes. The varieties presented above are adapted for planting in any territory of the Russian Federation. The considered methods and rules of planting will help to get a good and high-quality crop.