Thanks to Peter I, the Russians fell in love with potatoes instead of turnips. This love turned out to be so strong and divided that today it is impossible to imagine our diet without this delicious vegetable. Yes, and he took root in our latitudes, like a real one.

In this article, we will share with you the secrets of growing potatoes that will help you get a rich harvest with minimal effort. Everything is easy and simple. The main thing is to be aware of the main thing: when to plant potatoes. But first things first.

What you need to know about planting potatoes?

Potatoes are our staple food. It is grown everywhere: not only by farmers, but also by all amateur gardeners. It is always pleasant to try fresh and early young potatoes grown by your own hands.

The yield of a crop depends on several factors:

• weather conditions;
• climate;
• soil properties;
• method of tillage;
• the quality of the planting material;
• the amount of fertilizer applied;
• timely processing of soil and tubers.

When can you plant potatoes?

According to experienced agronomists, planting potatoes two weeks earlier or later leads to a 20% reduction in yield. Moreover, in the current climate, weather conditions change more and more every year. Determining the timing of planting potatoes is becoming more and more difficult.

Folk omens and scientific methods

Some gardeners do not believe in folk omens. Indeed, they often defy any logic and are very contradictory. And the climate can differ significantly even within the same region. Lilacs may already bloom in one area, but not in another, 100 km further.

If you still adhere to the folk calendar, then you should plant potatoes:

1. A month after flowering coltsfoot - the omen is suitable for early varieties.
2. When they bloom - bird cherry, dandelions, birch leaves will become the size of a penny.

You can more accurately determine the planting time by the condition of the soil:

1. If a lump of earth thrown from a depth of 15 cm has disintegrated into several parts - the soil is ready, if it is slightly deformed - no, if it has crumbled - it must be planted immediately.
2. Stretch across the plowed ground with a sharpened stick. If the ground under the tip is crumbling and not crushed, the soil is ready for planting.
3. The most accurate way to determine is by measuring the temperature of the soil. The ground at a depth of 10 cm should be at +8 ° C.

When to plant potatoes this year?

Potatoes should be planted in the spring after frosts, when the soil at a depth of 12 cm warms up to 8 ºC. External signs are the beginning of leaf blooming in birches.

Later signs are lilac blooming. This happens in May: in Siberia - at the end of the month, in the middle lane - at the end of April, beginning of May. For example, in the Moscow region, potatoes are being planted a week earlier than in the Leningrad region. In the Krasnodar Territory and Ukraine, potatoes are planted in early April, and sometimes in March.

Planting dates for potatoes according to the lunar calendar

Planting potatoes in March 2018

If you decide to start planting in March, pay attention to the weather conditions. There should be no frost, and the soil should be warmed up. This year, such dates fall from the 27th to the 29th.

Planting potatoes in April 2018

In the middle of spring, the 9th, 11th, 22nd, 27th, 28th are considered the most favorable days. The tops of potatoes cannot withstand frost and die at a temperature of -1ºC. A favorable temperature for growing potatoes is considered to be between 16 and 22ºC.

Planting potatoes in May 2018

Auspicious days according to the lunar calendar are 4, 7, 9, 19, 24 and 31 May. However, in the Urals, the geographic factor should be taken into account: the farther north the landing site, the later the soil warming will begin. On the scale of Siberia, many factors should be taken into account, therefore, in some areas, the planting process can only begin in June.

When to plant potatoes in different regions?

The table below shows the territorial dates for planting potatoes:

Region	Landing time
Russia
Northwest	Mid May - until the end of May
Centre	Early may
Northern	End of May - beginning of June
Volgo-Vyatsky	First decade of May
Central Black Earth
Povolzhsky
Ural	Second half of May
North Caucasian	End of March (for very early varieties), for others - beginning of April
East Siberian	End of May - beginning of June
West Siberian
Kaliningrad	Early may
Far East	Second half of May
Crimea
Belarus
Southwest	After April 20
Northeast	End of April
Ukraine
West	Early may
South	End of March (for early varieties), for others - beginning of April
East	End of April
Southeast	First decade - until mid-April
Centre	End of April
Transcarpathia	Mid april

Vegetable growers in the South of Ukraine and the Krasnodar Territory plant potatoes early: in their areas, the soil warms up so much in the summer months that the tubers stop growing, and other varieties begin to germinate. Only super-early and early drought-resistant varieties such as Udacha and Crimean Rose are optimal for cultivation here.

In the Northern, North-Western regions of Russia, in the Urals and Siberia, the summer is short. Here, too, late varieties do not have time to ripen. Local potato growers also grow early potatoes. For these conditions, the varieties of the Dutch selection - Adretta and Rosara, from the varieties of domestic selection - Udacha, Lugovskoy, Alena are well suited.

When to plant potatoes in a greenhouse?

You want to eat new potatoes not only in summer, but in winter and early spring. You can grow potatoes all year round. The ideal option is a greenhouse. Moreover, tubers can be planted both in a heated greenhouse, and in an unheated one, covered with polycarbonate, glass or plastic wrap.

When to plant potatoes in unheated greenhouses?

In an unheated greenhouse, early potatoes can only be planted in spring. Eliot Coleman, a famous American vegetable grower, who is called the "wizard of winter vegetables" in his homeland, grows record harvests in greenhouses without heating, covered with a single layer of film.

Here is an algorithm developed by Mr. Coleman:

1. The best location for an unheated greenhouse is west to east.
2. The gabled roof is warmer than the domed roof.
3. Start planting potatoes when daylight hours are longer than 10 hours.
4. Cover the beds with spunbond, which is stretched over arcs and secured with clothespins.

If everything is done according to the algorithm, the temperature in the greenhouse will be 12 ºC higher than the air temperature. In Siberia, early potatoes are planted from early to mid-April; in Crimea, you can start from late February.

Tubers in an unheated greenhouse are germinated in the same way as in a heated one. Landing follows the same pattern.

You can do without arcs, but simply cover the beds with spunbond. In severe frosts, the leaves, touching the canvas, may freeze. To prevent such a situation, a pinch of germinated barley grains is thrown into the rows every half meter and sprinkled with earth. The crop will germinate faster than the potato, and its sturdy stems will lift the spunbond.

When to plant potatoes in heated greenhouses?

Potatoes are planted in heated greenhouses either at the end of August (then the harvest will ripen by the New Year), or at the end of February - beginning of March.

Bushes that are planted in winter require artificial lighting to accelerate growth.

For planting in a greenhouse, tubers weighing 100 g (larger than those intended for open ground) are suitable. To protect the potatoes from the attack of rodents and a bear, they are pre-washed, laid out in the light and turned over daily for 2 weeks. Potatoes turn green, accumulate solanine, which repels pests.

A month before planting, the potatoes are germinated. You can't fool nature, but you can make the tubers spend less time in a heated greenhouse: this will reduce costs.

Potatoes should be placed in boxes in two layers for several days, kept at a temperature of 20-26 ºC. When sprouts appear, the boxes are transferred to a cooler place (15-18 ºC). Flip the potatoes every week. After 2 weeks, when the length of the shoots reaches 1 cm, a layer of sawdust is poured onto the bottom of the container, potatoes are placed on it and sprinkled with earth. Once every 4 days, using a spray bottle, the substrate is moistened. As a result, the tubers will have not only sprouts, but also roots.

Potatoes are planted in heated greenhouses when the soil in the beds is above +5 ºC.

If there is no frost, in sunny weather, the greenhouse is ventilated by opening the vents with mosquito nets so that the Colorado potato beetle does not enter.

When shouldn't you plant potatoes?

For over 200 years, people in Russia have been growing potatoes.

Observations of the planting culture over the years have made it possible to highlight significant signs when potatoes should not be planted:

1. Planting during Palm week is prohibited. If planted at this time, you can provoke rotting of the fruit.
2. If the bird cherry is already in bloom, it is too late to plant.
3. You cannot plant on Wednesday and Saturday - the crop will not be stored for a long time.
4. You cannot plant anything on Good Friday and Maundy Thursday.
5. Potatoes should not be planted in the soil in which tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, tobacco, physalis used to grow. These are related crops, they have similar diseases and related pests. And the soil easily accumulates spores of macrosporiosis, late blight, rot.

When to start preparing potatoes for planting?

When to process before planting?

To get a good harvest of potatoes, you should prepare good planting material.

For this you need:

• sort out tubers - unproductive, affected by rot, forming weak sprouts and discarding the sick;
• treat selected tubers from diseases and pests.

Attention! To scare off Colorado beetles, aphids, wireworms and other pests conniving on potatoes, drugs such as Tabu, Cruiser, Matador Grand, Maxim, Imidor, Celest Top, Commander, Prestige, Pikus are used.

To protect tubers from fungus, treatment with the following composition will help: 1 tsp. copper sulfate for 3 liters of water or fungicides such as Kolfug, Maxim, Quadris, Fitosporin-M (dilution according to instructions).

Another effective protection against pests is to defuse the planting of potato bushes with basil, dill, beans, calendula or coriander.

Pests and pathogens of fungal viruses are well scared away by a handful of wood ash thrown into the hole during planting.

Well protects potatoes from diseases by soaking before planting tubers for 30 minutes in a mixture according to the following recipe:

1. You need - 10 liters of water; 1 g of potassium permanganate, 10 g of copper sulfate and 20 g of boric acid.
2. Method of preparation - mix everything and dissolve the preparations in water. After processing, dry the tubers.

Another method is used to protect potatoes from fungal infections - dissolve 1 kg of wood ash in a bucket of water, then lower the potatoes into the solution directly in the grid. In addition to protection, potatoes will receive the necessary supply of potassium.

It will take 3 to 30 days to prepare the tubers for spring planting. The number of days is directly proportional to the chosen method.

But you should be careful. Rapid methods are not always reliable. They are effective when tried and tested methods are used in parallel.

When to germinate tubers?

The tubers should be germinated before planting. This is necessary to stimulate the formation of strong and healthy sprouts from the awakened buds on the tubers. The germination process can be dry or wet.

When to carry out a dry method of germination?

Dry germination will require a period of 20 to 40 days, a special temperature regime and optimal lighting, which is necessary for the formation of solanine, which makes potato tubers resistant to rodents, diseases and adverse weather events. It is best to sprout tubers in boxes or simply on the floor, laying them in layers.

In the first week, to awaken the sleeping eyes, the temperature should be kept within 20 ºC with a gradual decrease to 10 ºC. This will prevent the sprouts from stretching.

When to use wet germination?

The wet method requires processing peat, sawdust or humus. The temperature should be between 12 - 15 ºC so that the substrate does not dry out. The time of the procedure is up to 20 days.

When potatoes germinate, both sprouts and roots are formed in tubers, thanks to which the seedlings appear much earlier.

If the planting of potatoes is delayed, it is necessary to lower the temperature of the content to slow down the development of seedlings.

When is wet and dry germination carried out?

Wet and dry germination is practiced at the same time. To do this, germinate the tubers in the light within 3 weeks. When sprouts appear, the potatoes are transferred to moist peat for up to 10 days to stimulate the root shoots at the base of the sprouts.

A withering procedure is used to awaken the germination of the eyes. To do this, the tubers must be kept in layers for two weeks at a temperature of 16 ºC. During this period, the potatoes will lose moisture, but they will have time to accumulate enzymes to accelerate the growth of eyes and the appearance of shoots.

When to carry out the warm-up procedure?

If time is short, a warming up procedure is used. To do this, a week before planting, the planting culture removed from the cellar is placed for 2-3 days at a temperature of 13-15 ºC, and then for another 3-4 days it is raised to 22 ºC.

Tubers can start sprouting earlier. The main thing is to prevent the appearance of too long shoots. They will quickly break down and take away its strength and nutrition from the tuber. If the described moment occurs, break off the sprouts as early as possible to delay the germination of the potatoes. But you can cut off the sprout no more than two times - leave the third sprout.

You can also use the sprouts as seedlings. When the root crops reach 5-6 cm in length and the root buds are designated, the sprouts are carefully separated from the tubers and planted in a moist substrate such as a mixture of sawdust, peat or seedlings. The landing pattern is 6x4 cm, the depth is 2/3.

When to fertilize before planting?

Unlike other garden crops, potatoes may not be fed during the growth process due to the lack of assimilation of nutrients by the tubers during the growing season. The main thing is to apply fertilizers to the soil during the preparation of the site. You can also fertilize potatoes when planting in a hole to ensure yield and quality of root crops.

What fertilizers should be used?

Potatoes prefer complex compositions such as:

• potato kemira;
• azophoska;
• nitroammofosk.

All these septic tanks are balanced in terms of the culture of the elements. Potatoes need more potassium, so don't be greedy about wood ash, potassium chloride and potassium salt. Nitrogen is not so important, but if this element is taken into account, take carbamide, urea to increase the yield, or ammonium sulfate (ammonium nitrate).

For phosphate fertilizers, give preference to ammophos or ammoniated (double) superphosphate.

Summing up

There is no single date for planting potatoes. It depends on many factors. But there is one general rule - they begin to plant potatoes at the end of April and finish at the beginning of May.

Planting time depends on whether the soil has warmed up and what spring is this year. Planting days in April can shift to the middle of the month and even to the beginning. It depends on the period in which there are no frosts on the soil. If done correctly, you will get a rich harvest and can keep it until the new season.

Potatoes are an essential ingredient in many dishes, so it's not easy to do without it in the kitchen. It is also called "the second bread" and this is no coincidence. The diet of many inhabitants of our planet consists mainly of this food product. Of course, in order to always have this product on the table, you must get it rich. And for this you need to know the exact time of its landing, because a lot depends on it. In this article, we will consider the most favorable time for planting this crop.

What you need to know about planting potatoes

One of the factors on which the future harvest directly depends is the time of its planting. If this parameter is taken into account correctly, then the likelihood of getting plentiful potatoes increases significantly. With a negligent attitude to the timing of planting potatoes, its future yield is significantly reduced due to unfavorable environmental conditions, which negatively affect the germination of this plant.

For a large harvest, it is very important to take into account the timing of planting potatoes.

Many people timed planting potatoes directly for the upcoming May holidays. The reason for this is the large amount of free time that is so necessary during the working week. And if the weather does not fail, then the landing in most cases occurs at this time. In fact, relying on the May weekend in this case is not always correct. Since by this time the soil may not be ripe or morning frosts will persist, which can negatively affect the germination of potatoes.

Choice of landing dates:

• Early planting in unheated soil will slow down the emergence of seedlings in plants.
• If the planting time is delayed, all the soil moisture that enriched the land during the melting of the snow can evaporate.

These factors will also affect the future harvest, so they must be observed. In addition to them, there are various fungal diseases that affect potatoes if the exact timing of planting is not followed. It is also worth remembering this and taking this parameter into account.

Therefore, you should not neglect the established planting dates, otherwise many of your efforts will go to waste.

And those amateur gardeners who do not know when they still need to plant should take a closer look at this article. It is about the exact dates of planting that we will now talk about.

According to many years of observations of professional gardeners and gardeners, the optimal time for planting potatoes is the period of time when the soil layer warms up to a depth of ten centimeters. It is this depth that corresponds to the planting depth of potato tubers. At the same time, the temperature of these soil layers should reach about eight degrees, above zero. Due to this, the first shoots can appear.

Usually by this time the strongest morning frosts, which have such a negative effect on the germination of potatoes, have already ended.

Soil warming up to the indicated positive temperatures occurs at different times of the spring period. The decisive factor in this is the climate and the period of the onset of this spring. In early spring, the timing of planting potatoes is carried out in most cases in the month of April, and with prolonged melting of snow or the prevalence of low temperatures, the process shifts to mid-May or even its last decade. Therefore, it is worth watching the weather and trying to get acquainted with the preliminary forecast for several days in advance. It is by the current weather forecast that the landing dates can be judged.

The people also have their own weather calendar, which directly affects the timing of planting potatoes. Such a calendar is called "folk", and has been tested by long-term observations of the weather. It is also worth relying on when determining the timing of planting potatoes.

The period of the beginning of planting potatoes according to the national calendar is the following phenomena:

• Cutting through birch leaves
• Dandelion flowering
• Blossoming bird cherry
• Active bird song
• Warming up reservoirs

All these signs indicate the beginning of the potato flowering period and the warming up of the soil layer to the required temperatures. By the way, the heating of the soil layer is a rather unpredictable process, since this parameter often depends on the geographical location of the area where such a crop is planned to be planted. Usually, the further south a settlement is located according to its location on the map, the earlier potato planting begins.

If gardeners and gardeners maintain the parameters given in the text and plant potatoes at the right time, then they are most likely to get the largest yield at the lowest cost. This parameter contributes to the appearance of early shoots on potatoes (after a month) and minimal involvement of human labor. And the frosts, according to the signs, by this time are almost completely weakened.

Secrets of getting a good harvest of potatoes:

• To begin with, it is worth planting those potato tubers that have already sprouted and gave significant sprouts.
• Then the cooked early potatoes are planted, followed by the late ones. At the same time, gardeners in the same way carry out harvesting: first, early potatoes, and then late.
• Sprouted potatoes sprout faster, especially if they are planted in the established sowing juices.
• Usually, the planting dates, determined by folk signs, fall precisely at the beginning of May. Therefore, the most optimal period for planting potatoes is precisely the first decade of May.
• Sometimes this period is shifted to an earlier or later, but it must be taken into account before landing. This is the only way you can get a harvest of potatoes, which will be enough not only for food, but also for sale.

Before you start planting potatoes, you should carefully study the upcoming weather forecast, which will tell you not only the timing of planting, but also strictly limit your time to various weather conditions.

More information on how to plant potatoes can be found in the video.

When planting potatoes, it is very important not only to choose the right area with fertile soil, but also to prepare the seed. This procedure is responsible, it requires a lot of attention and dedication. Nevertheless, it is the prepared material and the correctly chosen planting dates that play almost a key role in the subsequent collection of a rich harvest. In the article we will tell you whether you need to cut potatoes before planting and what crops can be planted next year.

Traditional

Rich harvest of potatoes directly depends on the correctly chosen landing dates... After all, favorable conditions have a great effect on the growth of the plant and the formation of tubers.

As a rule, we have these procedures timed to coincide with the May holidays: thanks to weekends, people have free time, which is so necessary for working in the garden.

However, you should not start only from this factor, because by this period the soil may not have time to warm up yet, the threat of night frosts remains, which negatively affects the germination of tubers.

With an early planting, due to insufficient heating of the soil, the development of the plant will be slowed down, but if it is late, moisture will evaporate from the ground. All this will negatively affect the harvest.

If the planting dates are not followed, the potatoes are affected by fungal diseases, so you need to carefully choose the time for planting the tubers in the ground.

It is better to start work at a time when the soil warms up. up to 8 degrees to a depth of 10 centimeters... As a rule, at this time there is no longer a threat of severe frosts and the plant begins to fully develop. But the time when the earth will be warmed up to the required temperature directly depends on the climatic conditions of a particular region.

When to plant potatoes in the middle lane and Bashkiria

The optimal period for planting potatoes in the middle lane, as a rule, falls on end of the first decade of May... It can continue right up to the beginning of June. But the experience of gardeners shows that even with late dates it was possible to harvest an excellent harvest, but this requires accompanying weather conditions.

In Bashkiria, in the spring at the beginning of May, as a rule, there are sharp cold snaps, so there is no need to rush to plant tubers in the ground. It is recommended to wait for the onset of steady heat, which comes after the May holidays. Based on this, the period of planting potatoes in this region falls on by mid-May, the last one is for June.

The recommended date for planting potatoes in Bashkiria is in mid-May

Deadlines

The latest dates for planting sprouted potato tubers in the ground differ depending on the region. In some areas climatic conditions allow you to harvest two crops, but this is a separate topic.

In order to collect an excellent harvest and not waste energy in vain, they try to plant the planting material until mid-June. But in practice, there are cases of later planting. This can be done if it is possible to provide the plants with watering. Otherwise, good tubers will no longer grow in overdried soil.

If potatoes are planted too early, there is a risk of frost damage to seedlings or inhibition of plant development.

But with a late planting, due to a lack of moisture, the tubers will not be able to develop normally and reach large sizes.

Preparing for landing

You need to cut the tubers before planting

For planting, it is ideal to select tubers medium size... But it often happens that you have to plant rather large potatoes.

The question arises: is it necessary to cut it or is it better to use it whole? If you use too large planting material, then the result will be few tubers in the future harvest, but they will be just as large.

The fact is that the sprouts can feed on the supply of nutrients from the mother potatoes for a long time. Only this option is unprofitable. In order to optimize the future harvest and reduce the cost of planting material it's better to cut big potatoes anyway.

When using small material, the future harvest will turn out to be just as small, since there will be few nutrients in the mother tuber and the plants will not be able to fully develop.

The best option is to cut large tubers for planting, and do not use small ones.

How to cut correctly

Potatoes with a weight of at least 60 grams are suitable for cutting.

The procedure will look like this:

1. Immediately before the planting itself, healthy material is selected;
2. The tuber is cut along or across in such a way that at least one eye-sprout remains on each part (it is better if there are 2-3 of them);
3. Immediately after cutting, the potatoes are sent to the ground.

You can cut far before planting not all varieties... Some of them simply cannot reproduce in this way.

In order to prevent the development of diseases, the knife with which the tubers are cut is recommended to be periodically disinfected.

There are also opponents of what the tubers are worth cut exactly on the day of planting... These people argue that in this way, viruses and pathogenic bacteria can penetrate through a dry open wound.

In addition, the basal buds will not have time to awaken and such a plant will lag behind in its development from those for which the planting material was cut in advance. But it has not yet been possible to verify this from personal experience: in our village, no one does this procedure in advance.

How to plant correctly

Planting cut potatoes according to their scheme does not differ from planting ordinary small ones. The only thing to consider is that some of the slices may not sprout, so it is better do some thickening(5-10 percent). Even so, seed consumption will be significantly less than using whole potatoes.

Plants grown from lobules develop somewhat weaker. That is why special care is required for them. The soil should be fertile, warm well, loose. Weeds should be removed in a timely manner, top dressing and fertilization should be carried out.

It would be advisable to plant siderates on the site. Planting should be carried out only when the soil warms up at least up to +7 degrees... The planting depth is chosen slightly less than for whole tubers and is 6-8 centimeters.

Why is it necessary to alternate crops in the garden

Why should the earth rest after potatoes

Practicing gardeners have already noticed that if potatoes are planted in the same garden every year, then it the yield is significantly reduced, and the size of the tubers gradually leaves much to be desired. This can be explained by the fact that this plant consumes a large amount of nutrients and trace elements of a certain type.

Naturally, after each season, the amount of these substances decreases, and the next year's harvest will have less and less nutrition. That is why it is recommended, after 1-2 years of potato cultivation, to plant in this place such crops that use a slightly different set of microelements for their development. It is important that the earth has time to rest.

With the constant cultivation of potatoes, viruses and pathogenic microbes that attack the root crop can accumulate in one place.

Subsequently, a significant part of the crop will be spoiled. If cultures alternate periodically, then such negative factors come to naught.

What crops can be planted after potatoes

Practice shows that after potatoes the next year, you can sow far not all cultures... The following are best suited for these purposes:

• pumpkin;
• beet;
• spinach;
• radish;
• turnip;
• cucumbers;
• zucchini;
• pumpkin;
• squash;
• legumes.

At the same time, it is also important that it grows next to the root crop. It will be best to occupy adjacent beds. cabbage, corn, garlic, beans, horseradish or eggplant... It's also a good idea to grow greens nearby.

What should not be planted

Some crops can be susceptible to the same diseases and pests as potatoes.

That is why you cannot plant them in the same place where this root crop was harvested last season. These crops include:

• tomatoes;
• pepper;
• eggplant.

All other plants develop normally in areas previously occupied by potatoes. More details in the table above.

Growing potatoes, getting a rich and healthy harvest is a whole science. Indeed, for this you need to be able to accurately determine the timing of planting, select high-quality material and properly cultivate the soil. From cut tubers, finished products are obtained with the same indicators as from whole ones with the right approach.

You should also periodically do crop rotation on your site, the effectiveness of which has been proven by more than one generation of practicing gardeners.

The quality of the crop depends not only on the planting material, but also on the growing conditions. It is important to observe the timing of planting potatoes - the right choice affects the effectiveness. When exactly to plant potatoes, how to decide on the choice of timing - every gardener should know.

Dependence of the result on the planting time

Most people do not grow potatoes for later sale, but for personal consumption in the winter. If you want to get the first results closer to the middle of summer, it is better to plant the tubers in April. You should focus on the second half of the month. This rule is relevant for the central and southern parts of the country. In other regions, cultivation is unlikely to be possible before May, in some cases June.

To grow potatoes for storage, the tubers should be planted with an emphasis on the traditional requirements outlined above. The planting tubers must be conditioned to store the crop unhindered until next spring. Mass planting is recommended in the second half of May at least. If the annual temperature is lower than usual and the spring is late, planting should be done in June. With the right choice of time for planting potatoes, the first shoots will become noticeable after a month, sometimes even earlier.

Landing dates at different latitudes

The period when it will be possible to plant potatoes is determined depending on the parameters of soil heating. In different regions, it can proceed with differences. The third week of March should be chosen if you plan to plant an early potato variety in the Krasnodar Territory and southern Ukraine. Mid-season varieties for this area should be planted in early April.

Further, the heat will reach the middle band. Residents of the Leningrad Region and the Moscow Region should be guided by the third decade of April. This period covers the rest of Ukraine in parallel, as well as Belarus. In the Urals and Siberia, where early cultivation is impossible, potatoes should be planted at least in the first half of May.

Despite the standard calendar requirements, the timing can be delayed or accelerated based on the temperature regime in a particular year. It will not be superfluous to periodically check the weather forecast for several weeks in advance.

Immediately before planting, organic fertilizers are additionally introduced into the soil - compost or rotted manure. It is strongly discouraged to use too much fresh organic matter and nitrogen fertilizers. This will lead to lower yields and accumulation of chemicals in root crops.

When to plant potatoes

There are two ways to determine the last date for planting potatoes - depending on the planting material used or according to the recommendations of the lunar calendar.

Depending on the variety

Experts distinguish five categories of potato varieties, depending on the ripening period:

• early variety;
• medium early;
• mid-season;
• medium late;
• late grade.

If the soil temperature at a depth of 8 centimeters is at the level of 6 degrees or more, you can start planting early potatoes. If the timing of harvesting is limited, sprouted tubers can be planted in a greenhouse or under a film cover. In the place where potatoes are planted, snow is completely removed in the second half of March, then the soil is sprinkled with peat and protected by a film that allows the soil to warm up.

The ripening period of a medium early potato variety varies from 65 to 80 days. The optimal start date for disembarkation is May. It is important to pay attention to the fact that early and mid-early varieties are characterized by the presence of an increased concentration of starch, which negatively affects the taste.

A mid-season variety is planted at the end of May, and the last planting period is the first half of June.

The best option is to use sandy to medium, light loamy soil. On acidic soil, planting material is most susceptible to diseases and harmful microorganisms. To increase the yield, you need to choose soil enriched with a lot of nutrients.

The preparation of the ridges should be carried out in the fall, several weeks after the completion of the harvest. Before digging up the garden, it must be filled with fertilizers - ammonium nitrate and granular superphosphate.

Lunar calendar

According to the lunar calendar, you can determine favorable days for planting crops and until what date to plant potatoes. The calendar is compiled separately for each year, so it is important to keep up-to-date information.

The lunar calendar contains both favorable and unfavorable dates. This does not mean that a farmer is obliged to blindly trust what is written by specialists. Otherwise, the crop may turn out to be of poor quality or not ripen in sufficient volume.

It is important to rely not only on the dates, but also on the current weather conditions in a particular region. A balance must be maintained between expert forecasts and real weather data.

It's raining today. Not a downpour, not gushing, not pouring from a bucket. But he pisses, drizzles coarsely, he wet the earth, he drove the dirt. You won't go to the garden ... That is why today I am resting, sitting at the computer, writing lines about which I have been thinking for two whole weeks.
I wanted to talk about the timing of planting potatoes.
First, about the folk. There is an interval when planting potatoes is considered timely. The beginning - the leaves on the birch trees bloom, the end - the bird cherry blossoms. And bird cherry blossoms on very cold days.
Another rule contradicts the first: it is necessary that a bare foot on the ground does not get cold, does not freeze, so that it is warm and comfortable. Potatoes love warm ground.

It was hot in our country around the middle of the twenties of April. The leg was definitely not cold during the day, although it was not particularly warm, because at night there was no warmth yet. In the morning, only a too brave one would dare to paddle barefoot from home to the greenhouse ... The gardeners noticed that at the depth of the shovel's bayonet the ground was well warmed up. So we need to plant potatoes. And after all, many were planted. And then it rains during the day, cold rains, and frosts at night. There was even, as they say, up to -7 degrees, when the seedlings froze in unheated greenhouses, even froze in the entryway. That's how cold it was. And what is it like for a potato in an icy cold and wet earth? Last year, in some areas with early planting, potatoes simply rotted in this weather ...
But that was all when there were no thermometers. Your foot is the best thermometer! Modern requirements for the soil: at a depth of 10 centimeters, the temperature should be +10 degrees both day and night. "All for ten rubles." The soil should be dry enough not to stick to the shovel, and not to form dense clods, clods should easily crumble. And then you need to correlate all temperatures with poplar leaves. As soon as normal-sized leaves begin to appear on mature trees, plant it and take into account the temperature of the soil.
We dug earthworms for chickens yesterday. And, wherever they dug, the earth at the depth is cold. The fingers are cold. And not at the depth of the bayonet, it seems, no deeper than half the bayonet was dug. Coldly...
Let's go look at our beds. They have been un-dug for 7 years. Ready to board now. But even on them, at that bayonet depth, it is still chilly. And today there is also a cold rain, the temperature in the morning was +5, it is not known how much it will be at night. Somehow it is hard to believe that at such air temperature the soil at a depth of 10 centimeters will be warmer ... Any entropy - enthalpy will not be allowed. Therefore, we are sitting, waiting for the weather.
There is such a concept among gardeners - "to settle down". Maybe it’s a local concept. Means "finish all plantings as soon as possible." Yesterday I figured out when I would be able to settle. It turned out, about July 10, when I put the last seeds of Peking cabbage and radish into the ground. If so, why rush to plant potatoes?
How do you determine when the time is right, the soil, the bed is ready for planting potatoes?