Potatoes are called second bread for its beneficial properties and the content of all the necessary substances. This crop has long been classified according to various characteristics, and primarily by varieties, which are determined depending on the maturity of the potato.
Historical reference
Currently, potatoes are not only a common food product, but also the main vegetable on our table. He was brought to Russia by Peter 1 from Holland, where the emperor tasted a huge number of dishes from it. They came to his taste, and Peter 1 ordered the delivery of a bag of potatoes to Russia. Here she gained incredible popularity. They began to use it instead of bread. She saved people from death in the lean years of grain.
Ripening time
What varieties of potatoes are best planted in your garden, the owner decides. Moreover, the choice is very large: there are three and a half thousand. Varieties are divided according to the time of tuber ripening.
- Early varieties of potatoes give mature root crops in 50-60 days.
- 65–80 days are enough early for ripening.
- Mid-season gives a harvest in 80-95 days.
- Medium-late varieties are harvested 95-110 days after planting.
- Late potatoes ripen in four months.
Potato varieties are selected depending on many conditions. Their growth is influenced by soil and climatic conditions. So, for example, later varieties are more productive, tubers taste great. However, this potato is more prone to various diseases. While early varieties of potatoes are characterized by poor productivity and practically do not contain starch.
How to choose seeds?
In order to get a good crop, you need to prepare seedlings for planting. They should be without any signs of disease. The size of the potato variety does not matter, but it is better to take the average size of the tubers, 20-50 g. Cutting them is not recommended, except with a lack of seeds. But in this case, there is another way to propagate it. Need to sprout tubers in the light. When they sprout, they are planted in a mixture of sawdust with sand and watered with complex fertilizer. Shoots will appear very soon, they are separated from the tuber and planted in the soil. They continue to germinate further, and the procedure repeats. For a season, one tuber can give up to a hundred shoots.
Seed potatoes are selected immediately during their digging from the beds. For 2-3 weeks it is placed in a dark, cool, well-ventilated room. After that, the seeds are washed and dried in the sun for 3-5 weeks. Once a week tubers of this potato variety need to examine, turn over, remove the unhealthy. Now you can lay planting material for storage. It can be a cellar or a cellar with an air temperature of 1-3 degrees above zero. In early March, seed potatoes rise from the cellar into a warm, well-lit room with temperatures up to 15 degrees. Here it warms up and sprouts. He is planted in the land by the end of April.
Potato Nevsky: description
This vegetable is famous for its good harvest and unpretentiousness to the soil. Potato variety Nevsky is characterized by a medium early ripening period. Therefore, in our country it grows everywhere. The bush is notable for its small growth and compactness. Inflorescences of white color are formed on numerous straight stems. The plant blooms profusely for a short time. Under each bush grows up to 15 large root crops weighing 130 g each. The tubers are oval and have small pink eyes on a yellow peel. The Nevsky potato variety has a creamy pulp that does not darken when sliced, does not boil during cooking and tastes good.
It does not reduce productivity even in drought and rainy weather. Potato Nevsky is resistant to various diseases of this type of culture. It is well stored in rooms with a low temperature. For better germination, seed tubers warm up and germinate. But cutting them, picking sprouts and planting in unheated soil is not recommended. Hence the conclusion: Nevsky potatoes are appreciated by the excellent taste of root crops, high yields, attractive tubers and many other advantages.
Yellow potato
This vegetable is a valuable and indispensable product in the traditional cuisine of Russian people. The most favorite is yellow potatoes. The flesh acquires its color due to the carotene content in the tubers, which are well-digested, sweet in taste, without acid and bitterness. The root crop is good for preparing any dishes that always look appetizing and aesthetically pleasing. Varieties of yellow potatoes are the most diverse, consider some of them.
- Veneta is an early variety, characterized by the yellow color of tubers and pulp. The peel is mesh-like. Starch accumulates early, and its vegetable contains 13-15 percent. Veneta - the most delicious potato. The variety is resistant to drought.
- Symphony is a vegetable crop with a mid-term ripening period. It has an exquisite taste and attracts attention with an aesthetic appearance. The tubers are red and yellow in flesh. They are not very large in size, but the starch in them is enough, up to 19 percent.
- The pace is late variety, the tubers are yellow and the flesh is cream. The starch content in it is the highest - 22 percent. This variety tolerates infectious diseases better than others and is therefore suitable for long-term storage.
Red potato
Such a vegetable provides the human body with all the necessary substances. It contains vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates and amino acids. Red potato varieties are especially useful. They are ideal for dietary nutrition and have a balanced composition and low fiber content. The tubers of the red vegetable of this culture remove toxins from the body, slow down its aging, and reduce the risk of cancer.
- Borodyansky pink is an early variety. Has tubers of rounded shape of the corresponding color with numerous small eyes. However, their flesh is cream or yellow. They are large, some weigh up to 140 g. The starch content is from 14 to 19 percent. For information: the less starch is found in potatoes, the less it is digested and becomes more crumbly.
- Simpli Red - late variety, different red tubers. The pulp is creamy in color and contains up to 19 percent starch. Tubers of medium size have an excellent taste, they do not boil during cooking.
The best varieties of potatoes
The taste of potatoes directly depends on the content of various compounds in it. The best varieties have more amino acids, the ratio of which determines the taste quality of the tuber.
- Rosalind is one of the best early vegetable crops. It is characterized by excellent taste and ripening friendly. Oval tubers are covered with smooth red peel. The pulp is yellow in color and contains 17 percent starch. The tubers are even, there are few peepholes, and this facilitates their processing.
- Romano is a mid-early Dutch potato variety. The flesh of large oval tubers is creamy white and contains 19 percent starch. This variety has a high yield regardless of weather conditions. From each bush you can collect up to a kilogram of vegetables. Their surface is flat, and their taste exceeds all expectations. For many, Romano - the most delicious potato. The variety is very popular in our country.
Winter potatoes
This vegetable is not a perishable product. But improper storage of root crops in winter will bring additional troubles. Potato quickly reacts to moisture and with its increased content begins to rot. High or low air temperature does not make storage conditions comfortable. In order to better maintain the harvest in winter, you need to responsibly approach the selection of potato varieties. Here are some of them that are ideal for wintering in storage.
- Lorch is a medium-late variety, has a high yield and is slightly susceptible to disease. But scab and cancer can harm him. The beige tubers are smooth, their light flesh has good taste. Lorch - the best potato for the winter. Varieties late ripening are ideal for long-term storage.
- Asterix is a medium-late-ripening vegetable. Red tubers are elongated and medium in size. The flesh of light yellow tastes good. This potato variety is suitable for the production of chips. It does not differ in high productivity, but is resistant to many viral diseases. This feature allows the use of Asterix potatoes for long-term storage.
- Olev belongs to the late ripe harvesting varieties of potatoes. White tubers are distinguished by a high content of vitamin C and excellent taste. Eyes on them are few, the flesh is yellow, crumbly. This variety is resistant to scab and black leg affection. Perfect for winter storage.
- Reliable Bryansk - medium-late potato with light beige tubers and white pulp. It tastes good, gives a good harvest and is resistant to viral diseases and defeat by bugs. Tops and tubers are moderately susceptible to late blight. Scab almost not affected. This attracts gardeners, and they are happy to grow potatoes for storage for the winter.
Pests
Pests and diseases cause a lot of trouble, they reduce productivity. To prevent this, it is necessary to regularly carry out preventive measures aimed at protecting plants from damage and disease.
The wireworm, living in the ground, damages the roots and tubers. Its larvae are brightly colored. Digging the soil, they need to be collected and burned. This pest likes grass grass, in which it quickly multiplies. Therefore, we must fight this weed. For this, beds with potatoes should be often weed and loosen. After each digging, lime.
The Colorado potato beetle harms tops and tubers. Beetles and larvae feed on leaves and young shoots, and when they eat all the greens, they switch to tubers. To combat this pest, you need to collect and destroy it. With a strong spread of the beetle, plants are sprayed with chlorophos for technical needs. Any spraying stops a month before harvesting.
Disease
Late blight is the most common fungus of any kind of potato. A photo afflicted potato fungus you see below. It covers the defeat of the vegetative part of the plant and tubers, which become infected from diseased leaves and stems during the digging of potatoes. If a disease is detected, it is better to immediately cut off the tops, and spray the plant with a solution. Now in stores there is always a large selection of chemicals. Two weeks before harvesting, potato processing is stopped.
Common scab is a disease of tubers when they are covered with ulcers and warts. Sick vegetables are poorly stored and have an unsightly appearance. Scab is transmitted through soil and infected tubers. It spreads rapidly when a large amount of humus is added to the well. A good prevention is the change of garden crops in the garden.
The black leg is one of the diseases of potato. It is easy to distinguish by yellow and folded leaves. The root and stem rot and blacken, and the plant can be easily pulled out. Potatoes are infected from other diseased plants with strong moisture in the soil and air. The disease manifests itself during storage or after planting tubers. To combat this disease, diseased plants are removed from the beds in a timely manner. Before storage for the winter, the tubers are well dried.