What is the correct depth to plant potatoes

Potatoes are an unpretentious culture. With suitable soils, it can be successfully grown even in cold climates. The yield can be significantly increased with strict adherence to the rules for planting potatoes. Consider to what depth and how many centimeters deep to plant the culture.

Potato planting rules

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

Correct depth

There are three options for placing potatoes in the ground, with different planting depths:

• Small - no more than 6 cm; the method is used when the tubers are still laid in cold ground, or the soil belongs to a heavy, loamy variety that is difficult to overcome by the sprout.
• Average - from 6 to 10 cm; ideal 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 black earth regions, medium and deep planting of potatoes is more often practiced. This is explained by the sufficient looseness of the earth (the sprouts can easily find their way up), and the early warming of the earth.

The planting depth 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.

Distance between bushes when planting

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

In this case, it is desirable to use the space as efficiently as possible.

The optimal size of tubers for planting is not less than 50 g and a little more than 100 g. It is necessary to select seed material and prepare it for sowing long before starting work.

• 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 "eye" from which the roots grow. If there are many of them, and the location is spaced, then the structure of the root system will come out especially lush... Each seed should have at least 2-3 eyes.

Row spacing when planting

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

The minimum allowable row spacing is considered to be 60-70 cm, but here it is worth focusing on the potato variety:

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

The rule applies to the most common planting patterns - on ridges and in trenches. For the first option, it is especially important to maintain the distance, since if the rows are not far from each other, there will be difficulties with hilling, which sometimes needs to be carried out 2 times per season.

Although the placement of potatoes in the garden in all cases is done in rows, they themselves can be arranged in different ways. A popular experimental method is planting in double rows with increased spacing between them.

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

The scheme can be further diversified if the bushes are staggered.

It can be calculated that the density of crops per one hundred square meters remains the same as in the classical version, but we get many advantages - better light access from one side of the bush, ease of processing the bushes, and finally, the aesthetic appearance of the garden bed.

Potato planting tips

Not all gardeners know that potatoes are allowed to be planted not with whole seeds, but with cut into pieces. This is done either with a lack of seeds, or with excessive sizes of individual tubers.

You should not abuse the opportunity, since the vitality of plants from cuts weakens... It is also important to remember the following rules:

• Each part of the tuber must have at least 2-3 "eyes" of future roots.
• Chopped seeds are planted only after the cuts are roughened - so they are less likely to get sick.
• The minimum weight of a cut tuber for planting is not less than 30 g.

You can use two simple methods:

• Mark the beds before planting - first, the first row is outlined, a marker is drawn in its place; the next ones are measured from the row, marking the landing zone on each furrow.
• As a guide use an ordinary board the length of a 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 an even planting, one hundred square meters of black soil should accommodate from 350 to 500 bushes, depending on the size of the tubers.

Landing patterns: ridge and trench, furrow size

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

• On the crest - 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, from autumn filled with a fertile layer of humus, peat, sawdust.

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 in the country

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

On the crest

In their upper part, shallow furrows are drawn in 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 sprout to the sides, and not up;
• such a planting is easier to huddle, excess moisture does not accumulate on it in a rainy climate.

In the trenches

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

Organic in a container

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

Planting depth when using complex layouts

The depth of planting seeds plays an important role even with complex schemes. The process can be started when the soil temperature warms up to 8 ° C... Consider the nuances and what is the depth of the hole:

• On the ridge - in the hills warmed up from 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 properly maintain the depth of the trenches themselves, wait until the fertile layer filling them shrinks and a depression of no more than 5 cm is formed; into it and put the seed.
• On organic matter in a container - as well as on beds in the form of ridges, put in containers earlier, the depth is small - 6–8 cm.

Organics containers are recommended to be installed in a north-south direction, which gives the plants more light.

How to plant potatoes under a shovel

Despite the growing interest in more sophisticated ways of forming beds, planting potatoes under a shovel has been and remains the most common option. This "grandfather's" way of planting by hand, although simple, also requires certain knowledge from the gardener.

How many centimeters deep

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

The classic layout of tubers in the shovel method is 70 cm between rows (boletus) and 30 cm between holes.

What shovel is needed for planting potatoes

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

• Length - 32 cm.
• The width at the base is 23 cm.

There are also non-standard options, as a rule, their size varies upwards from the norm.

How is landing without a shovel

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

Subsequently it will require laborious hilling.

Gardeners have many options to choose from to plant potatoes professionally or in the country. Let the plant be one of the most common and tolerant of harsh conditions, it no less than others requires effort and effort from a person in cultivation.