Competent planting of potatoes for the winter: step-by-step instructions for novice gardeners

Traditionally, potatoes are planted in the spring. But those who forget unharvested vegetables in the furrows observe good shoots in the spring. Planting potatoes before winter allows you to get an earlier and plentiful harvest. For this growing method, choose a suitable grade, properly prepare the beds and planting material, take care of the plants.

Is it possible to plant potatoes before winter

Most potato varieties are adapted to being planted in spring, tended in summer, and harvested in autumn. Planting crops in late autumn is also permissible: such vegetables will hatch earlier.

Advantages and disadvantages

Advantages of autumn planting:

• accelerated ripening - potatoes sprout earlier than those planted in the usual way, their growing season is longer, the harvest ripens faster;
• high productivity - tubers overwintered in the ground give more powerful shoots;
• protection from diseases and pests - such plantings will "miss" most diseases and insects.

The main disadvantages of the method:

• in a severe winter with little snow, all seed potatoes die;
• if the site is chosen incorrectly and melt water stagnates on it, the tubers will get wet in the ground and will not sprout;
• the usual method of introducing organic matter, when compost or manure is scattered in the fall, and plants are already planted in the spring, is inapplicable - the soil will be poorer;
• the consumption of planting material increases - winter crops are not germinated, so it will not be possible to reject tubers that are not viable and damaged by wireworm in advance.

The bulk of the potatoes is reserved for spring planting, and a trial plot is planted in the fall. It will ripen faster than even early maturing varieties, and vegetables will be ready for harvest almost a month earlier.

Choosing the right variety

For effective winter growing of potatoes, medium-early and late varieties are chosen:

• Volzhanin;
• Agria;
• Adretta;
• Scroll;
• Impala;
• Lorch.

Super-early varieties (Nevsky, Gala, Zhukovsky early) are not suitable for planting before winter. They will begin to grow before frost and will die in winter without giving a crop. The main thing with this method of growing is that the sprouts should not rise to frost, so as not to die entirely.

Important! It is better to use varieties that are zoned for a specific subject of the Russian Federation.

Regions for winter cultivation

Favorable conditions for sub-winter planting:

• moderate frosts: not lower than -30 ... -35 ° C;
• plentiful snow: with a snow cover height of 10-15 cm and more, they do not worry about frost;
• early or moderately late melting: the exact dates are determined according to the climate of a particular region, the snow should completely melt when the bed warms up to + 5 ° C at a depth of 10 cm.

The southern and central regions of Russia, the Caucasus are suitable for winter planting. The difference between the Kuban and the Moscow region is only in the timing of cultivation. It is more difficult in the North-West region and in the South Urals, where spring is late. In the Northern Urals and in the central regions of Siberia, tubers freeze out in winter, and sprouts die during the thaw.

Landing dates

Specific dates depend on the region and climatic conditions:

1. The middle lane, including the Moscow region, is mid-October. If the temperature does not drop below -10 ° C, then potatoes are planted until December.
2. South - November.
3. North - focus on the freezing of the earth. If frosts come at night, but in the morning the soil thaws, the culture is still planted.

Preparing the beds

When planting before winter, the site is prepared, as in the spring. It is dug up or plowed, furrows are cut or holes are dug. In addition to the rules of crop rotation, winds and the degree of warming up in direct sunlight are taken into account, therefore shading of the beds is unacceptable.

A site protected from the north and north-east winds, located on a hill, is well suited. Here the land will warm up faster in spring, and the excess melt water will merge into the lowlands.

Preparation of planting material

Tubers are selected according to the following parameters:

1. Weight - not less than 90 g, optimal - 100–150 g and more. It is important for potatoes to overwinter, retaining enough nutrients for germination in spring - the more weight the tubers are, the more viable they will be. In contrast to spring planting material, for which medium-sized vegetables are selected in autumn, the largest potatoes are used for winter planting.
2. Absence of traces of diseases, pests, damage. Potatoes cut with a spade are capable of sprouting in spring, but when planted before winter they will not live to see it.
3. Lack of germs. Such tubers will quickly begin to grow and die. They are only "green", two weeks before planting laid out in direct sunlight.

Planting instructions

The classic planting scheme for winter potatoes:

1. On the prepared plot, beds are formed.
2. Dig holes in a checkerboard pattern. Compost or humus is laid out at the bottom of each, it is permissible to add straw manure. This is both top dressing and protection against freezing: rotting organic matter releases heat. The holes are cut at a distance of 70 cm between the rows and at least 30 cm apart.
3. Tubers are planted in the holes. At the same time, the seeding rate increases by at least 10–15% compared to the spring planting.
4. Vegetables are covered with earth, the plot is covered with branches of deciduous trees or spruce branches. Lay a layer of straw or hay 30 cm thick on top. It is good to mulch the beds with peat or humus (thickness - about 10 cm).

The second option is "planting in hay":

1. Since August, they begin to prepare the site: the grass is mowed and laid in an even layer within the boundaries of the plot with a tolerance of 50 cm outside the future garden. This will protect the potatoes from freezing.
2. In September, the procedure is repeated, hay from other mows is brought to the garden. As a result, a "pillow" is formed with a thickness of about 30 cm.
3. The potatoes are selected and greened until the peel is light green.
4. Individual holes are formed for each potato with a crowbar or a pointed stake. The diameter of the fossa is equal to the size of the tuber. Holes are dug through the hay in a checkerboard pattern about a meter apart, but no closer than 50 cm from the edge of the hay.
5. Pour 1 tbsp into each hole. ash and 1 liter of fertile soil or humus.
6. Potatoes are planted, covered with fertile soil with a layer of 3 cm.
7. The holes in the hay "pillow" are plugged with pre-prepared scraps of hay or straw.
8. The entire structure is left for the winter.

How deep to plant

The choice of planting depth depends on what kind of soil is on the site and how frosty winters are usually in the region. It is important to remember two factors:

1. Shallow planted potatoes will freeze in winter even under a layer of hay.
2. Deeply planted tubers will not emerge or will emerge late, and as a result all the benefits of winter growing will be lost.

Optimal planting depth options:

• in heavy chernozems and clay soils - 10-15 cm;
• in sand and sandy loam - 20-25 cm.

Further care

Before the snow falls, the beds do not need maintenance. In winter, especially if there are frosts, the plantings are covered with an additional layer of snow, throwing it from neighboring areas. Sometimes they carry out snow retention by setting the shields so that they slow down the drifting snow and form a snowdrift over the planted potatoes.

In the spring, when the temperature is above zero, mulch is removed from the beds.If only organic matter is used, it is left in the same place: it will rot, enriching the soil with organic matter, but, while retaining the structure, will suppress weed shoots. Uncleared synthetics suppress the seedlings of the potatoes themselves.

As soon as the first shoots appear, they are spud. Early weeds are carefully removed. If a cold snap and frost are expected, the plants are watered with water at room temperature.

Important! Since in the spring the bear, beetles and wireworms are activated, the site is treated with Bazudin, Aktara and other drugs in the dosage set by the manufacturer.

The soil is loosened regularly. This is both combined with weeding and hilling, and is performed separately.

If necessary, the planted potatoes are watered in spring and summer.

Tips from experienced gardeners

Farmers who grow potatoes in the winter way recommend taking into account some of the nuances:

1. The timing of growing is respected exactly, but early planting is more dangerous than late planting. In case of urgent need, potatoes are buried even in frozen soil, but if the tubers begin to germinate and sprout, the plants will die.
2. Like spring potatoes, winter potatoes need additional feeding. It is carried out three times per season: at the beginning of the growth of tops, flowering and for the formation of tubers. A solution of superphosphate, urea and potassium sulfate is used (20 g of active ingredient per 1 m2 of the garden). Fertilizers are applied only to wet soil.
3. In addition to fertilizing with mineral fertilizers, in the spring they use an infusion of ash and a solution of chicken manure (1 kg per 10 l of water). Litter is applied at the rate of 0.5 liters per plant, ash - as needed.

Reviews

Let's find out what the gardeners themselves say about this method of growing potatoes.

Ekaterina, Kursk region: “This year I planted the same variety both in winter and in spring. For some reason, the plantings ripened at the same time. "

Ivan, Moscow region: “We planted potatoes before winter after it: there was no other plot. Together with the new variety, a trifle, forgotten from last season, came out. When digging, the yield was significantly higher than usual. "

Sergey, Tver region: “We planted potatoes before winter, and on another site in spring. Winter ripened earlier, but a lot of tubers were frozen - it was necessary to cover better. "

Conclusion

Climate change and mild winters are forcing gardeners to plant potatoes more often not in spring, but in autumn. Although winter planting gives the first shoots faster, which bring a rich harvest, it requires special cultivation techniques and adherence to agrotechnical rules, without which the plants will die.