A hassle-free vegetable garden: planting potatoes under straw

Do you know how to plant potatoes? No, not in the traditional way into the ground. And under the straw. So much so that in the summer not to huddle and not break through the weeds, and in the fall to collect a rich harvest.

Experienced summer residents are able to talk about their methods of planting tubers endlessly. But if you ask them how much they managed to dig, you can hear a plaintive tale. After all, diseases also affect productivity, and the year turned out to be unsuccessful, and there were many pests. If you are tired of listening to country stories, try new technologies.

For example, planting potatoes under straw guarantees a hassle-free vegetable garden.. You can spend less time caring for a potato bed, you will be spared from hilling, loosening, weeding. As a result, you will harvest directly from the surface of the earth without digging.

And, using the Dutch technique, you can harvest a surprisingly bountiful harvest of elite potatoes. True, you will be required to comply with the rules of agricultural technology and have certain knowledge. Which way is better, you choose. But it's worth experimenting, because the result promises to be positive.

Potatoes under hay and straw video

Planting tubers for hay is a long-standing method that has lost its popularity in Soviet times. The cult of labor did not recognize easy ways. But today many farmers in Siberia, in the middle lane and in the Urals have begun to plant potatoes under straw, gradually recalling and implementing the old methods of growing bountiful potato crops with minimal use of physical labor.

There is no need to dig up the earth before planting. Tubers are staggered on the soil surface. After they are crushed with nutritious humus or compost and covered with straw. If it is not available, hay (regular dried grass) will do.

Planting is complete as soon as all tubers are covered with a 20 cm layer of straw. Under normal weather conditions, no more work will be required until autumn. To make planting potatoes under straw more understandable - the video at the end of the article is for your attention. Russian farmers share their experience.

When can I start planting?

Agronomists recommend planting when the average daily air temperature has reached +8 degrees. According to folk signs, they are planted at a time when the bird cherry blossoms. In any case, this happens in the spring, when the soil is slightly damp and already warmed up. Therefore, after placing the potatoes and covering them with a thick layer of hay or straw, there is no need to worry about watering and fertilizing. the time will come and you will be able to see good results for yourself.

Do not worry that seedlings do not appear for a long time. They need time to break through the hay. But after the sprouts appear on the surface, they quickly get stronger and begin to grow.

Growing benefits:

• Many weeds cannot lift a layer of straw and break through to the sun. Therefore, they die, saving them from weeding work.
• The straw creates an optimal balance of temperature and humidity for the growth of tubers. Exception: too rainy or dry summers.

If it rains too often, moisture will remain under the straw and encourage discussion. It is better to replace part of the cover with a dry one. In hot, dry weather, watering the garden will be useful.

• And one more undoubted advantage is the harvesting process. All you need is a rake.With their help, the top layer of hay is removed, and tubers can be harvested directly from the ground. They do not require cleaning of soil. It is enough to dry and sort them.

Yield

In autumn, when the tops turn yellow and dry, the harvest begins. Those who have tried potatoes under straw leave the most positive reviews. It is noted that from a plot of 10 sq. m. you can collect 5 - 6 buckets. If farmers grow vegetables for sale, then in warmer regions they can plant potatoes at the end of winter. To do this, you just need to double the cover layer. The harvest will be in early summer.

Growing potatoes using Dutch technology

This method will be appreciated by those who, in the struggle for a high-quality and bountiful harvest, will spare no time or effort. Dutch technology mainly used in fields and large lands. It differs from the usual method by special attention to the selection of planting material, providing access to the roots of air and moisture.

Growing potatoes using Dutch technology, it is necessary to prepare even rows in loose soil up to 10 cm deep. The distance between them is about 70 cm. It is also important to comply with all technology conditions. Those farmers who use a simplified growing scheme get a lower quality result.

Important Factors

• Certified potatoes are suitable for planting. Which was tested for pests and infections. Elite Dutch varieties guarantee an excellent harvest.
• During the growth and development of tops and tubers, treatment against diseases is necessary, as well as regular fertilization.
• Compliance with the rules of crop rotation. That is, it is unacceptable to plant culture in the same place for three or four years in a row. It is good if cereals were growing in the field a year before the potatoes.
• An important factor is the planned loosening of the soil and hilling bushes by creating ridges.

How to plant correctly using Dutch technology

The site begins to prepare for planting in the fall. It is dug up with compost or humus. Often add superphosphate or potassium salt. After wintering, nitrogen fertilizers are applied. The soil is loosened to a depth of 20 cm and leveled. When the soil is ripe, planting begins. To plant a hundred square meters, you need 400 - 500 tubers.

The procedure is as follows:

• first, rows are formed, which are pulled out, if possible, in a north-south direction;
• sprouted potatoes are placed in them at a distance of 30 cm from each other;
• after the rows are buried and ridges with a height of 10 cm are formed above them;
• after two weeks, soil is wrapped on the ridges from the row spacing, loosening them a little.

As soon as shoots appear, they carry out preventive treatment for late blight.

Useful activities

• The ridges must be watered at least three times over the summer. Moisture should saturate the ground up to 15 cm deep.
• When the Colorado potato beetle appears, processing is mandatory. Do not use chemicals during flowering.
• The tops can be removed two weeks before digging. If you cut it, the risk of rotting tubers will be reduced. Their ability to survive in winter will increase many times over.

The choice is yours: Dutch technology or potatoes under the straw. You know how to plant. And you can get the results only by trying the technique yourself.

Potatoes under straw, hay, mulch - video