Common potato planting schemes. Distance between potato rows The usual method of planting potatoes distance depth

Among the many options for planting potatoes, the most popular is planting under a shovel. This method can be called classic. It is used in small areas with predominantly loose soil. On clayey areas This scheme for planting potatoes is impractical due to the complexity of further processing of seedlings. Let's talk in more detail about how to plant potatoes under a shovel.

Preparation of planting material

Potato tubers are prepared for planting in the fall. At the same time, rotten and damaged root crops are excluded. At this stage you should remember: strong, healthy potatoes will bring big harvest. In turn, rotten tubers can contaminate the soil and cause rotting of root crops in neighboring holes.

To increase the resistance of tubers to diseases in the fall, they are kept under sun rays. In this case, the tubers acquire a green tint and become unfit for consumption. Planting potatoes put away in a dark, cool place until spring.

In spring, potatoes are taken out and transferred to a bright room for germination. Immediately before planting, all tubers are inspected for rot. Sick root crops are disposed of.

Potatoes are considered ready for planting when sprouts are present. They should be strong, but not long. Otherwise, the sprouts may be damaged during planting.

Potatoes for planting should be medium in size. Large tubers can be cut in half. In this case, there should be a sprout on each half of the potato. The sections must be well dried to avoid rotting of the planting material. After this, the sections are treated with wood ash. This method allows you to reduce potato consumption and is quite popular among experienced farmers.

Soil preparation

In autumn, potato beds are plowed and humus is added. In the spring, before planting potatoes, the soil is plowed again, disinfected and fertilized. Ash, compost, urea or saltpeter are used as fertilizer. Fertilizing the soil allows you to increase productivity.

If the soil on your site is clayey, but you plan to plant potatoes under a shovel, take care of high-quality and abundant fertilizing of the soil. Fertilizer application not only increases productivity, but also directly affects quality characteristics soil, making it lighter and looser.

Potatoes have good germination and yield rates if they are planted in beds previously sown with sunflowers, beets or pumpkins. Also you can plant potatoes after cucumbers and corn. The area chosen for planting potatoes should be well lit and accessible for watering.

Scheme of planting potatoes under a shovel

It is necessary to start planting potatoes when The night temperature will be around 10 degrees. There is no point in planting earlier - the first shoots will appear after the soil has warmed up well.

There are two ways to plant potatoes under a shovel:

  1. Linear landing - the holes are located on the same line;
  2. Staggered landing.

The distance between the holes must be at least 30 cm. When planting linearly, it is necessary to maintain an interval between rows of 60 cm. The soil between the rows will be required for hilling potato seedlings. U late ripening varieties Potato tops are thicker, so the distance between rows must be at least 70 cm.

The hole in which the seed potatoes are placed should not be too deep. In the lower layers of the soil the ground is much colder; therefore, deep planting increases the time of emergence of seedlings. The optimal depth is 10 cm.

If you decide to plant potatoes at a later period, when the weather is warm and dry enough, reduce the depth of the hole to 4 cm. The same depth is necessary when planting tubers in clay soil. Its dense structure does not allow heat and moisture to pass through well and increases the time for the first shoots to appear.

After we have decided on the planting pattern and distance, we proceed directly to the planting work. We dig a hole and place the potatoes in it like this: so that the sprout looks up. We cover it with earth. We plant the rest of the potato tubers in the same way.

If you use a linear fit, then to facilitate the work process, you can use a board. To do this, measure the width of the bed and select a board of the appropriate length plus 10 cm. The width of the board can be arbitrary, but you must take into account: a board that is too narrow can break from the weight of your weight, and a board that is too wide is inconvenient to work with. We place a suitable board on the ridge similar to the line where the holes are located. Standing on the board, start digging holes. After digging one row of holes and placing potatoes in them, move the board to a distance equal to the row spacing and fill the holes with soil. Make the next row and repeat.

Using a board for linear planting of potatoes has its advantages. The ground is not trampled down during work; the holes are located on the same line. As a result, you will get even potato rows.

After the potatoes are planted, it is necessary to level the surface of the ridge. This is done using a rake. This will give your garden a more well-groomed appearance and prevent excessive evaporation of moisture from the soil.

Caring for potato seedlings

After the first shoots appear, it is necessary to take proper care of them. In addition to watering and systematic weeding, it includes hilling.

Hilling of potatoes is carried out once every two weeks. Using a hoe or a large flat cutter, the soil from the rows is raked up to the potato tops, forming piles around it. Hilling has a beneficial effect on the formation of potato tubers and also protects seedlings from late frosts.

After the potato tops grow and become strong enough, hilling can be omitted and limited to watering. Watering should be done once or twice a week. Two weeks before harvesting, watering should be stopped. If you plant potatoes according to the rules, following the advice of experienced farmers, the harvest will delight you with abundance and large, healthy root crops.

With the onset of spring, many people begin to garden again, because the spring season is the most suitable for caring for their plot and planting new crops. As you know, potatoes, which are almost the basis of the diet, are also planted in the spring. We'll talk about how to do this correctly in our article.


Peculiarities

Despite the fact that potatoes are a traditional agricultural crop, and usually planting them does not cause any difficulties for gardeners, it should be noted that this crop has a number of features that should not be forgotten.

It is necessary to pay great attention to the timing of planting potatoes, which are not limited to certain dates, but are calculated according to the weather. If you came early spring, then potatoes can be planted just as early. This is due to the factor of warming the soil; if it is warmed up well enough, it will be able to provide seedlings with opportunities for development and growth. Experienced farmers advise planting potatoes in early May, since by this time quite warm weather has established itself in most regions. According to them, the ideal temperature for planting is +8... 10 degrees. If you plant a crop earlier, it will most likely freeze and will not be able to germinate.

Another feature of planting this crop is that the distance between the rows must be very accurately calculated, because this affects the size of the tubers and the development of their root systems. The farther the beds are located from each other, the better. We will say more about the distance between the rows below, but for now we note that too small a distance not only makes it difficult to step, but can also harm the fruit.



Tools

Planting potatoes on your own is a rather difficult task, since the gardener must only perform the entire range of agricultural work with his own efforts: plow the land, fertilize it, hill it, plant the crop, weed it. Modern technologies help solve this problem: by using a walk-behind tractor, you can reduce the labor intensity of the work performed, making the process of planting potatoes faster and more efficient.

The walk-behind tractor is a small copy of a tractor, which is designed to make it easier and faster country work, for example, it can be supplemented with a mower, plow, hiller, and irrigation system. Depending on additional tools and units, you can expand the range of capabilities of the walk-behind tractor. Sometimes it is even used as a cargo carrier, with a trolley attached behind it.

Depending on the type of site and its dimensions, it is recommended to use different types walk-behind tractors, for example, for standard plots of 6-7 acres, devices such as Neva, Carver, Huter are suitable. You can also turn to cultivators, but they have less power, and are also used only for narrowly targeted actions: loosening the soil and pre-planting it.

For territory with larger area Walk-behind tractors from the following companies are suitable: Profi, Viking, Caiman. They are more powerful and are more suitable for professional farmers than for summer residents.

How to plant correctly?

Most gardeners tend to plant as many potatoes as possible, placing them fairly close together. They hope that this way they will be able to harvest a larger harvest using a small planting area. However, this belief is erroneous, because practice demonstrates the importance of the potato planting scheme. For example, the distance between potato beds can directly affect the size of the fruit. That is why there are rules showing how to plant potatoes correctly.

Before you start directly planting this vegetable, you must first remove the grass from the area, dig up the soil and fertilize it, after which you just mark out the area. Often, several special pegs are used for this, between which a cord is secured. The stakes must be driven into the soil at the edges of the proposed ridge.

Experienced gardeners advise making pegs of such a height that they are equal to the width of the path between the planting rows. Thanks to this action, you will not need to use a centimeter several times to calculate the distance between the beds.

After completing the above-described manipulations, you can proceed directly to planting the potato crop. There are several ways to do this correctly.


Row planting of potatoes under a shovel is one of the most common, popular and time-tested methods. As part of this method, you need to use a shovel to create holes in the ridge, which will be 25-35 centimeters apart from each other. In order not to calculate the distance between holes each time, it is necessary to use a marker, which can be a special peg.

It is important to understand that there is no ideal distance between holes, because each potato variety requires different fruit parameters. Thus, crops with sparse tops can be planted at a distance of 25 cm, while for more late varieties with thick tops, you need to increase this parameter to 35 cm. The distance criterion is important, since not a single potato seedling should be obscured by the bushes of another: the amount of harvest depends on the level of illumination.

The depth of the holes also depends on the density and “heaviness” of the soil: they are made shallow for dense soil - about 5 centimeters for loamy soil, for example.

After digging the holes, you need to put the potatoes and fertilizers in them, this must be done very carefully, since the planted sprouts are very fragile and can be broken. If eyes are planted as seedlings, then it is necessary to add half a liter of water to each hole for additional irrigation. After planting the crop, it is necessary to sprinkle the hole with soil from the subsequent bed.


The distance between rows should be about 70 centimeters, depending on total area plot, if it small sizes, then you can reduce this parameter to 55-60 cm. However, this is fraught with great difficulties: you will have to use potato hillers twice as much to maintain the sprouts in good condition.

The distance between the rows should not be made too narrow, since soil from the rows is used during hilling. If they are narrow and small, then there is a great threat to the tubers, since their root system may be damaged.

Note that this system is only general scheme potato planting: it can be individually modified, taking into account regional climatic features, potato crop variety, soil type.



For regions with a dry climate, there is a separate method for planting potatoes, namely in a trench. It involves creating special long depressions (or trenches) in the fall; their depth should be about 30 centimeters. The bottom of this ditch needs to be filled various fertilizers organic properties, including ash, compost, manure or hay. This cushion of fertilizer will settle and give its nutrients to the soil; this method of fertilization is good because no additional feeding will be required during the entire period of growing the crop. After some time, potatoes can be planted in the spring.

A very non-trivial way to plant potatoes is to plant the crop in specialized containers. They need to be filled with fertilizers such as straw or manure. There are 2 rows in one box, and the seedlings must be arranged in a checkerboard pattern so that they root systems did not intertwine with each other. The interval between tubers should be maintained at about 30-35 centimeters. This method, as gardeners note, is very effective, since the fruits are saturated with a large amount of useful substances: in particular, nutritional components and ultraviolet radiation. Of course, this allows you to improve the quality of the harvest and increase its quantity.




At what distance?

Knowledge of the characteristics of a particular potato variety, as well as methods of its cultivation, makes it possible not only to facilitate the care of the crop, but also to obtain bountiful harvest in the fall. An important criterion when planting is the distance between rows.

If you follow the planting rules, you can make the most of your garden space. A properly placed bed allows you to get a bountiful harvest without encountering any problems, such as difficult access to the bed.

Changing the distance between them can have a detrimental effect on the quantity of the crop and its quality. For example, densely planted potatoes will be deprived of nutrients due to lack of sun, moisture and space, so the tubers weaken and produce a small number of very modest-sized fruits. On the other hand, excess space in the garden can also negatively affect the quality of the vegetable: it becomes too large, which makes it difficult for neighboring tubers to germinate.



As noted above, in the shovel planting system, the optimal spacing between rows is 70 centimeters, and the distance from tuber to tuber is about 25-35 cm. Moreover, one cannot ignore the number of shoots on a tuber; if their number is small, tubers can be located somewhat closer to each other. And vice versa: than larger number there are processes, the more extended the distance should be.

The trench method is similar in its parameters to the “shovel” method: in particular, the distance between the beds is standard and is 70 centimeters, and the tubers themselves should be 30 centimeters from each other.

If you approach potato seedlings using the container method, you need to understand that there are separate parameters. So, the boxes should be located at a fairly impressive distance from each other: up to 90 centimeters. These passages must be mulched, that is, covered with mulch, in order to provide the soil with additional protection. The height of the containers must be at least 30 centimeters and the width must be one meter.


An important planting factor is the depth of the bed; it affects the size of the fruits and their saturation with nutrients. There is no optimal depth suitable for all potato varieties: the most favorable depth is calculated depending on the type of crop and soil.

Professionals advise focusing on the expected size of the fruit: smaller ones can be planted in a hole 10-12 centimeters deep. At the same time, large tubers should be planted on the so-called raised beds, 20 centimeters high. However, this technology is practically not used in domestic cultivation, but is actively used in Western cultivation.

In addition to calculating the gaps between beds and tubers, gardeners need to take into account such a criterion as depth. Sprouted tubers can be planted in a special separate hole, which will not interfere with the germinating fruits.

In general, we note that for different types of soil there are their own regulations indicating the optimal depth for planting seedlings. There are several main types of soil: clay, loamy and sandy loam. For the first type, a hole with a depth of up to 6-8 cm is suitable, for loam - about 10 centimeters, and for the last type of soil it is worth creating a hole exceeding 12 cm. Understanding the characteristics of the soil and the variety will allow you to preserve maximum amount useful elements in the fruit, saturating it required quantity moisture and heat.



How to make a furrow?

Planting potatoes in a furrow is the most effective method cultivation of potatoes for black soil regions, because it increases the volume of the harvest and is suitable for heavy types of soil.

Furrows are created in the fall manually by digging at a depth of 20-30 cm, which corresponds to a full bayonet of a shovel. You can also use a hoe to make manual labor easier.

If the farm has a walk-behind tractor, you can use it to create furrows, but for this the device must be supplemented with special attachments. The distance between them should be about 75-80 cm. During the winter, the soil will have time to loosen due to rain, snow, and thaws, after which it will warm up well in the spring.

As for the depth of the holes, experienced farmers note that it should be the same throughout the entire planting area. Let us remember that it is determined based on the type of soil and the variety of cultivated potatoes. If it is planted in parts, it is recommended to make a small depression to avoid rotting of the seedlings.


To learn how to plant potatoes correctly, watch the following video.

Potatoes are an unpretentious crop. Given suitable soil, it can be grown successfully even in cold climates. Productivity can be significantly increased by strictly following the rules for planting potatoes. Let's consider at what depth and how many centimeters deep to plant the crop.

Despite the existence of hundreds selection varieties plants successfully cultivated in our relatively cold climate, all they are demanding on the amount of light, moisture and soil quality.

Black earth rich soil is suitable for growing potatoes by default

The best option for planting potatoes is black soil, characteristic of the southern regions, partly also for temperate zone. It is in the black soil that the potato root system, located in a layer at least 25 cm deep, feels most comfortable.

Correct depth

There are three options for placing potatoes in the ground, varying in planting depth:

  • Small– no more than 6 cm; The method is used when the tubers are still placed in cold soil, or the soil is of a heavy, loamy variety that is difficult for the sprout to overcome.
  • Average– from 6 to 10 cm; optimal for areas with sandy soil.
  • Deep- 12 cm or more; well suited for high-quality soils with high fertility, as well as for regions with a lack of natural moisture.

In chernozem regions, medium and deep planting of potatoes is more common. This is explained by the sufficient looseness of the earth (the sprouts will easily find their way to the top), and the early warming of the earth.

The depth for planting is also determined by the size of the tubers. If they are small (less than 50 g), then they should be placed a little higher.

Average depth

Distance between bushes when planting

The main task is to determine the optimal depth of the holes - give the plant's root system enough space to develop. The distance from neighboring tubers plays no less important here.

At the same time, it is desirable to use the space as efficiently as possible.

The optimal size of tubers for planting is no less than 50 g and a little more than 100 g. Seed material must be selected and prepared for sowing long before work begins.

To correctly determine the distance between bushes when planting, you should focus on the future root systems of the plants - they should not interfere with each other. We pay attention to the size of the tubers: the larger they are, the greater the distance between the holes we leave.

  • Potatoes weighing less than 50 g - every 20 cm.
  • Potatoes weighing 50-100 g - every 20-28 cm.
  • Potatoes weighing more than 100g - every 28-40 cm.

The scope of the root system is influenced not only by the size of the tuber, but also by the development of the “eyes” from which the roots grow. If there are many of them, and the location is spaced apart, then the structure of the root system will be especially lush. Each seed should have at least 2-3 eyes.

Distance between rows when planting

The distance between the rows of plants is the same as the distance between the holes - plenty of space ensures fast development plant, the weight of the stem increases, and as a result, the yield.

The minimum acceptable row spacing is considered to be 60-70 cm, but here you should focus on the potato variety:

  • Early ripening– 70-80 cm.
  • Late ripening– 80-100 cm.

The rule applies to the most common planting schemes - along ridges and in trenches. For the first option, maintaining the distance is especially important, since if the rows are close to each other, difficulties will arise with hilling, which sometimes needs to be done 2 times per season.

Although placing potatoes in a garden bed is in all cases done in rows, they themselves can be arranged in different ways. Popular experimental method– planting in double rows with increased intervals between them.

With this scheme “half-rows” are located close to each other- some 20 cm, but the row spacing is meter-long instead of the usual 60-80 cm.

The pattern can be further diversified by arranging the bushes in a checkerboard pattern.


Double rows

It can be calculated that the density of crops per hundred square meters remains the same as with classic version, but we get many advantages - better access to light on one side of the bush, ease of processing the bushes, and finally, aesthetic appearance beds.

Not all gardeners know that it is permissible to plant potatoes not with whole seeds, but cut into pieces. This is done either when there is a lack of seeds or when individual tubers are too large.

You shouldn’t abuse this opportunity, because the viability of plants from cuts weakens. It is also important to remember the following rules:

  • Each part of the tuber should have at least 2-3 “eyes” of future roots.
  • Chopped seeds are planted only after the cuts have been roughened - this way they are less likely to get sick.
  • The minimum weight of a cut tuber for planting is no less than 30 g.

When planting potatoes, it is important to maintain even rows, otherwise some of the plants will inevitably have less living space. This is difficult to do by eye.


You can resort to two not in complex ways:

  • Marking the bed before planting– first mark the first row, and place a marker in its place; Measure subsequent rows from the row, marking the landing zone on each furrow.
  • As a guide use an ordinary board the length of a garden bed; As the next row is planted, the board is moved, trying to maintain the required distance by eye.

The methods are simple but effective. With even planting, one acre of black soil should accommodate from 350 to 500 bushes, depending on the size of the tubers.

Planting patterns: ridge and trench, furrow size

Various potato planting schemes can help to more fully realize the quality of the soil and minimize its deficiencies. There are several of these:

  • – the bed is formed in the form of rows of ridges, elevated by 10-30 cm; thus, the tubers are located above the soil level.
  • In the trenches– potatoes are planted in shallow (5-10 cm) trenches, filled with a fertile layer of humus, peat, and sawdust in the fall.

Planting potatoes on organic matter in a container– an analogue of “smart” beds; the container is made about a meter wide, the walls are formed from boards or bricks; the fertile layer is laid in layers (humus-compost-soil), otherwise the incorporation proceeds as usual.

These schemes are an alternative to the most common method - under a shovel. Although more labor-intensive, they have a number of advantages.

Scheme of how to plant potatoes in the garden and at the dacha

In addition to a richer harvest, complex schemes make it possible to take into account the climatic features of the region as fully as possible.

In their upper part, shallow furrows are drawn into which potatoes are planted. Wherein it is important that the comb:

  • was hilly, with rounded sides;
  • in no case should it be triangular, otherwise the plant will grow towards the sides and not up;
  • Such planting is easier to hill; excess moisture does not accumulate on it in rainy climates.

In the trenches

Up to 30 cm deep, they are filled with fertile humus, into which the tubers are placed; Water accumulates better in trenches, which is why the method is optimal for regions with dry summers.


Nutrients are better preserved in the box, the fertile layer can be changed every year; the soil warms up faster in the spring, so the scheme allows for the planting of early ripening varieties; the scheme is indispensable for cold northern latitudes.


Planting depth when using complex patterns

The depth of seed placement also plays an important role when complex schemes. The process can begin when the soil temperature warms up to 8°C. Let's consider the nuances and what is the depth of the hole:

  • On the ridge - in hills heated on three sides, the temperature rises faster; The depth of the tuber depends only on the soil - on loam no more than 6–8 cm, and on chernozem and sandy soil – 8–10 cm.
  • In trenches, it is important to correctly maintain the depth of the trenches themselves, wait for the fertile layer filling them to shrink and form a depression of no more than 5 cm; We put the seed in it.
  • On organic matter in a container - as well as on beds in the form of ridges, can be planted in containers earlier, the depth is small - 6–8 cm.

How to plant potatoes under a shovel

Despite the growing interest in more complex methods of forming beds, planting potatoes under a shovel has been and remains the most common option. This “grandfather’s” method of planting by hand, although simple, also requires certain knowledge from the gardener.

How many centimeters deep

The method is simple shovel operation– a hole is made in the ground for embedding, with a depth of half the length of the blade, that is, the same 10-12 cm.

When growing potatoes under a shovel, the tubers are laid at the very bottom of the depression, sprinkled with earth either flush with the surface, or form a mound 5 cm high.

The classic pattern for placing tubers using the shovel method is 70 cm between rows (borers) and 30 cm between holes.


A bayonet shovel is best suited for this method.

What kind of shovel is needed for planting potatoes?

Most convenient for working in garden beds type of shovel - bayonet. Its blade is made in the shape of a rounded petal. The material used is high-strength metals - tool steel, or even titanium. Standard blade sizes:

  • Length – 32 cm.
  • Width at the base – 23 cm.

There are also non-standard options, as a rule, their size varies larger than normal.

How to plant without a shovel

When preparing beds, you can completely do without an entrenching tool. Firstly, excavation They can be done faster using a garden plow, but the method is only good if you plant potatoes in furrows.

Subsequently this will require labor-intensive hilling.

An alternative option for planting potatoes is surface. It resembles the same “smart” beds. The tubers are not buried in principle, but placed on the surface of the ground, sprinkled with a layer of straw or mulch (a mixture of peat, sawdust, humus, etc.) on top. This design retains heat well and does not require digging.

Gardeners have many options to choose from, whether to plant potatoes professionally or at the dacha. Although the plant is one of the most common and tolerant of harsh conditions, it no less than others requires effort and diligence from a person during cultivation.

Potatoes are a delicious root vegetable that is grown by all Russian gardeners. But in order to reap a high-quality harvest, the crop must be planted correctly. This will require serious time and technical costs. We'll tell you in more detail what you need to do after purchasing. seed potatoes.

Landing

The procedure seems to be very simple. However, if you do it yourself, you need to know a number of subtleties. Vegetable growers gain experience in growing potatoes after several successful or, conversely, weak harvests.

The main factor on which the development of a vegetable depends is the quality of the seedlings. Seed preparation should begin at autumn time when the harvest is harvested. The fact is that they are collected from bushes that produced the best tubers. The size of the potatoes should be at least 4-5 cm. The larger the material for planting, the faster the vegetable will ripen, and the fertility of the bushes will be higher.

Some gardeners plant sprouted eyes or cut potatoes. The second option after a short drying under sunlight and dusting the cut with ash will help you get a decent harvest. But for this you need heat and humidity. In cold and rain, potato wedges may rot before sprouting or produce weakened shoots.

How is the soil prepared?


Ideal environment for germinating potatoes: sandy loam, loam (light and medium), soddy-podzolic soil, gray forest soil, dry peat bog.

Previously, it was believed that the crop could develop successfully in soil with high acidity. But experts have found that vegetables growing in an acidic environment are affected harmful insects and infections.

The culture needs vitamins and minerals, especially during the formation of tubers.

Preparing the land for planting potatoes should begin at the end of the previous summer. The following mixtures are used for feeding:

  • 13 g/sq. m ammonium nitrate;
  • 10 gsm m urea;
  • 10-13 g/sq.m. m potassium salt;
  • 15 g/sq. m double granular superphosphate

Tubers taken for planting seed potatoes must be greened in the light, in order to produce corned beef poison inside the planting material. It is this that helps the seeds survive for a long time. Direct rays of the sun are undesirable for them.


Potatoes are germinated approximately 20-30 days before planting. Before this, the tubers are treated with potassium permanganate. After this, 1-2 layers of tubers are placed in boxes, which are located in a bright room at a temperature of 20-22 degrees. Since the seedlings are initially kept in the dark, the first shoots are weak and often break off when planted. “Correct” seedlings are green, strong, and their height does not exceed 1.5 cm. After 2-3 weeks, the boxes with seedlings are transferred to colder air, the temperature of which is 10-14 degrees, for example, to a loggia.

When sprouting potatoes, they must be moistened by regular spraying. As a result, the crop begins to grow more actively and is less susceptible to diseases. The solution is prepared just before spraying.

It is best to germinate potatoes in a greenhouse. The tubers should be laid out on a bed of straw and covered with polyethylene. Then they will receive warmth, light and the right level of humidity, which promotes the formation of seedlings.


Before planting potatoes, they are treated to protect them from the influence of aggressive soil. After treating the tubers with special chemical compounds, they on for a long time covered with film. But few people follow these recommendations, so gardeners often encounter various infections that affect the crop. Do not be afraid of “chemistry”; it does not enter the vegetable. Planting material is etched with a solution boric acid: 20 g per 10 l. water. Tubers in shopping bags or baskets are briefly dipped into the mixture and then dried.

What to do if the soil is not warmed up for planting?

Often, gardeners find themselves in circumstances where seed potatoes can already be planted, but due to frost it is not possible to properly till the soil. To preserve planting material, it can be placed in specially made grooves, adding humus, sawdust or ordinary land, and cover protective film. The tubers can remain in this shelter for a week or 2, after which they are planted in the garden.

Time and place of landing


The most important thing is to choose an area for potatoes. Gardeners often make this mistake: they plant potatoes on the same ridge for more than one year in a row. According to the rules, the place must be changed.

A good harvest can only appear on fertilized soil. If there is not enough sand in the ground, the crop will not be able to grow normally. Then, to supply oxygen to the tubers, the soil needs to be loosened with sand.

It is best to plant potatoes during the period when birch leaves are blooming. Then the soil can warm up to +9 at a depth of up to 10 cm. There is even a popular belief that the vegetable is ready for planting when the birch leaves become the size of a penny coin.

The tubers are lowered to a depth of 8-10 cm, placing the ridge from north to south. The most common planting pattern: 80*35 cm. With an arrangement of 60*60, the stems touch each other. If plants are too close, they have poor ventilation and the risk of developing late blight increases. The gardener will not be able to hill them correctly, so the tubers will be green, and such a vegetable cannot be eaten.

It is advisable to plant plants leaving 90 cm between rows. Then it won’t be difficult to hill them. The larger the tubers, the more convenient it is to plant them. Regardless of the chosen scheme, planting material must be placed at the same depth, creating even rows. Loose soil should remain under the tubers. Such conditions contribute to the active growth of the culture.


You can make a separate hole for each tuber and fill it useful substances. After planting, the holes need to be filled with soil and the surface leveled.

Standard and rare methods of planting potatoes

Today, vegetable growers have a choice, since new and unusual ones have been added to the known options for growing vegetables. There are three common methods: smooth and ridge planting, in trenches. Each of them is suitable only for certain conditions and may not produce results in another environment:


This method is used when planting potatoes in recently plowed virgin soil. After heavy equipment work, large layers of earth remain, so it is impossible to dig trenches or ridges in this place.

Now a little about exotic potato planting technologies. They were created to simplify a specific task. For example, if the area is overgrown with grass, and it is not possible to raise the virgin soil. Or there is not enough space, but a vegetable needs to be planted. We list the most popular non-traditional methods:


This planting is well suited for virgin soil, since there is no need to dig, and weeds will not grow through the straw, so the area suitable for cultivation is guaranteed in the next season. The method is also relevant for heavy soil, since digging for planting is not required, and after harvesting the potatoes, you can add straw to the soil, increasing its fertility.

The tubers can be stirred not on a flat area, but in small holes to retain moisture. Instead of straw, cut grass should be used, the main thing is to get it in the right quantity.


The technology is often used for planting early potatoes in order to quickly harvest a crop with a large number of high-quality tubers. However, it is not relevant in every area. In hot weather, the material will become very warm and the tubers will simply “cook”.


There is an opinion that with this planting technology the vegetable yield is very high, and weeding and hilling are not necessary. The beds can be used for several years if you add organic matter as the soil settles. After harvesting, green manure is sown in the box.

Rules for cutting potatoes for planting

If the year turns out to be a bad harvest, gardeners have to cut tubers in order to spend less seeds. It is not advisable to do this. By dividing one potato into parts, you can use the same knife to infect others. Then it is not surprising that there will be no harvest again. If you still need to cut the tuber, the knife must be disinfected by treating it with potassium permanganate or a 5% solution copper sulfate. Another rule: potatoes are cut lengthwise, not crosswise. Otherwise, you will end up with two unequal parts, one of which will germinate normally, and the other, without “eyes,” will lag behind in development.


What kind of potatoes are used for planting?

The best option is to plant tubers the size of egg. If you choose small planting material, it will turn out to be a weakened and low-yielding bush. Why you shouldn’t use very large potatoes with a high content nutrients? You can do this, but the yield will not increase, and much more tubers will be consumed. So it's better to choose a middle ground.

In order to select potatoes from the most prolific bushes in the fall, you need to install pegs next to them. If you follow this recommendation, you will be able to avoid purchasing seed potatoes for a long time and get a stable harvest. But when the bushes stop producing the desired result, it is necessary to purchase planting material. Seeds need to be renewed at least once every five years.


Selection of purchased seed potatoes

Before purchasing planting material, it is advisable to know everything about it.

There are several varieties of seed potatoes:

  1. Super-super elite. High-quality material grown from microtubers. It has all the properties of the variety and is not susceptible to any diseases.
  2. Superelite. Small tubers obtained from the first year's harvest, grown from super-super-elite material.
  3. Elite. Second year harvest from super-elite potatoes. The most prolific and perfect for planting.
  4. Tubers of the first, second, third level. Raised from the elite. They can produce a high-quality harvest, but from year to year they are affected by various diseases. The third potato reproduction is only suitable for cooking.

When purchasing planting material, you must ask the seller to present a quarantine and varietal certificate. You cannot buy seed potatoes without such documentation. In this way, you can bring diseases and harmful insects to your garden. For example, potato moth is common in the Perm region. It is more dangerous than the well-known wireworm, since it eats the entire tuber, destroying the crop.

Before planting, the soil must be treated with insecticides and fertilized.

Kira Stoletova

Knowing the characteristics of plant cultivation allows you to get a bountiful harvest without any problems. How to correctly determine the distance between rows of potatoes during planting? Let's look at the most effective schemes.

Why determine the distance between rows

Root crops are easy to plant, which allows them to be grown both in large farms and on small dachas. Farmers try to achieve maximum output from every square meter.

The distance between potatoes when planting is a criterion that affects volume and quality finished products. If you follow the rules, you can distribute wisely usable area plot. A well-thought-out bed provides easy access to each bush and does not complicate care.

Increasing or decreasing the category has a negative impact on yield. Excessive planting density leads to the fact that each plant does not receive enough nutrients, so the bushes grow weak and do not please with an abundance of fruits. Excess free space is also dangerous: the crop goes to the tops, and the potatoes become huge and few in number.

On the ridge

This is one of the main landing options. According to the method, the seeds are planted according to a 30 x 70 cm pattern. The area is carefully dug up, after which equal grooves are marked with twine and laid to a depth of 50 mm to 100 mm.

Pour 1 tbsp into each trench. l. ash and 0.5 shovels of humus. Tubers are placed on top, after which they are covered with soil. It is important to achieve a noticeable “ridge” on both sides, reminiscent of the letter “M”. The final height ranges from 0.25 m to 0.3 m.

The specified distance when planting potatoes makes it easier to weed the plants from weeds. Under the boletus, the crop is safe from drying out in the heat and does not rot during the rains. Main advantages of the method:

  • early disembarkation;
  • rapid development of healthy bushes;
  • warming up by the sun;
  • increase in yield by 25%;
  • ease of cleaning.

Under the shovel

This is the simplest and most proven method of growing root crops. The distance between the rows of potatoes should not be less than 70 cm, and the distance between the tubers should be a little more than 25. At the same time, pay attention to the number of shoots on the specimens: the more roots, the longer the distance.

Technology requires compliance optimal temperature. It is important that the soil has time to thaw and warm up to 8°C. Early work may result in waterlogging and freezing of crops; late plantings threaten loss of moisture and precious time for formation.

In the trenches

This method is relevant for arid regions. The distance between rows of early potatoes should be standard - from 70 cm to 80 cm. In autumn, ditches 300 mm deep are dug. Organic fertilizers are placed at the bottom:

  • ash;
  • manure;
  • compost;
  • wet hay.

After a few months, the nutrient cushion will settle, after which the tubers are planted. The seeds are placed in holes at a distance of 0.3 m from each other, crushed with loose soil on top. If you apply fertilizer in the fall, then throughout the development season additional fertilizing not required. The surface is mulched and then watered.

The method is not popular in less hot regions because there is a risk of overwatering the crop. To prevent this from happening, it is recommended to dig grooves along the edges to drain moisture.

In a container

What distance is needed when planting potatoes in boxes? Between the boxes there are passages from 60 cm to 90 cm that need to be mulched. The height of the structure should reach the standard 300 mm, and the width - up to 1 m. The container is filled with fertilizers according to the following scheme:

  • straw;
  • manure;
  • priming.

No more than 2 rows are made in one box; the tubers are planted in a checkerboard pattern. The interval from one bush to another is 30 cm. Thanks to the technique, the plants receive a sufficient amount of ultraviolet radiation and retain nutritional components, which allows you to increase productivity.

Planting depth

There is another one important factor, influencing the receipt of maximum output from plants. Depending on the variety and size seed material count on optimal distance depth of potatoes. Small specimens have a small supply of nutrients, so professionals plant them in holes up to 12 cm.

Huge tubers have sufficient quantity energy, which allows you to easily overcome landings over 100 mm. Dutch hybrids are grown in high beds - 0.2 m. Domestic selection is not ready for such experiments.

In addition to calculating the distance potato patch, farmers do not always guess with depth. The germinated material is planted in holes that do not interfere with the shoots. To prevent rotting, when planting in parts, allow a minimum recess.

It is imperative to ensure the same potato planting depth throughout the entire area of ​​the site.

Different types of soil have their own requirements. For clay will do embedding up to 7 cm, and loams and heavy soils require holes up to 10. In sandy loam soils, it is recommended to place more than 11 cm in a hole. Knowledge about the features allows you to retain moisture and heat, and also provide natural aeration of the roots.

Distance between tubers

Having determined how much distance is needed between potato beds, it is easy to figure out the spacing of root crops. According to technology, per 1 sq. m plant about 6 pieces.

If the row spacing is 70 cm, the distance between the holes will be 25 or 30 cm. Professionals call this indicator the width of the spade bayonet. This scheme offers dense planting of bushes, which is not suitable for all farmers. There may be a decrease in yield, and it will not be very comfortable to care for the bushes.

If the tubers are located 60 cm apart from each other, it is important to correctly calculate the usable area. The numbers obtained will not always allow you to get the maximum return. At a considerable distance (up to 1 m), the tops develop well, but form few tubers.

It depends on the varieties what distance to choose between potato rows and root vegetables. For early varieties, a distance of up to 30 cm is relevant. Later varieties are always planted at a large interval - from 35 to 45 cm.

If the crop is not properly cared for, the correct distance when planting potatoes will not save you from crop loss.

Crop rotation in the garden makes it possible to prevent the weakening of root crops. Potato beds are planted where friendly plants grew last season. Recommended crops include:

  • cucumbers;
  • beets;
  • carrot;
  • salad;
  • cabbage

When choosing the optimal distance between rows of potatoes, you need to remember that the line with furrows is directed from north to south. Thanks to this trick, the sun will illuminate the bushes throughout the day. If you change the direction, part of the culture will begin to languish from the heat, and part will starve from the lack of sun.

An important period in the development of crops is flowering. At this time, the plants are provided with thorough watering. Lack of moisture affects the volume of final products. Stagnation of liquid near the furrows and holes is the cause of rotting.

A rich harvest is the merit of an attentive farmer. Knowing the distance between rows when planting potatoes, it is easy to avoid common mistakes in cultivation.