Grow potatoes in a barrel. Growing potatoes in a barrel, video, planting methods. Benefits of non-traditional growing methods

Many ways of planting potatoes have been invented around the world. One of them is growing potatoes in a barrel. This method has a long history. One peasant, preparing compost in a barrel, accidentally dropped a potato tuber into it. After some time, the potato sprouted, but it was again covered with a layer of waste on top. When the barrel was filled to the top with compost, a potato bush appeared on it. In the fall, the peasant was harvesting potatoes from his garden, and he decided to pull out this bush. But that was not the case - the roots of the plant went deep into the barrel and were strewn with tubers. It was necessary to lift the entire contents of the barrel, and in the end the peasant received about a bag of excellent potatoes.

The method of cultivation, accidentally invented long ago by a peasant, has been improved. At first, only one tuber was placed at the bottom of the barrel, about 10 cm of compost was poured on top, and they waited for shoots. Then, after the first shoots appeared, compost was added again. A similar procedure was repeated several times. By the time of harvest, there were already several tubers of different sizes in the barrel.

Then, to grow the plant, several tubers were placed in a barrel in a checkerboard pattern. After the shoots appeared, they were sprinkled in the same way and new tubers were laid on top, repeating the operation several times until harvest.

Preparatory work

In order to plant tubers, you need to stock up on a barrel with a volume of at least 7 liters.

In the absence of a barrel, you can use a similar container with the same volume. For example, a wooden tub is perfect. You can put together a box with your own hands with the following overall dimensions: length - 1 m, width - 1 m, height - 1 m.

After the container for planting is prepared, it is worth removing the bottom. This step is necessary to ensure that excess moisture leaves the barrel freely. After removing the bottom, it is worth making holes in the walls with a diameter of about 1 cm so that a sufficient amount of oxygen reaches the root system of the plant. The holes should be made at a distance of about 15 cm from each other.

It is recommended to prepare a soil mixture for planting potatoes from the following components:

• turf land;
• drug "Em-bokashi";
• ordinary soil.

All ingredients for preparing the mixture must be taken in a 1:1:1 ratio. It is necessary to fill the barrel with this soil mixture to approximately 1/2 of its height. At this point the preparatory work is completed, the next stage is planting.

Planting potatoes

Before planting, you need to choose the location of the barrel. It is not necessary to place it on the garden bed; you can also place it on the lawn.

The tubers must be placed in a pre-prepared soil mixture at a distance of 20 cm from each other. After this, you should water them generously and sprinkle a 10-centimeter layer of soil on top.

After the first shoots appear, you need to wait until they grow 3-4 cm in height. After which they should be sprinkled again with a 10-centimeter layer of soil. This operation must be repeated 4 to 5 times, that is, until the barrel is completely filled with earth and the root system is formed.

Why does growing potatoes in a barrel require sprinkling the sprouts with soil? The fact is that if you let the stem of a plant begin to grow, then all the vital forces of the bush will go not to the root system, but to the stem and leaves, and large potatoes will no longer grow. Growing tubers in a 3-story barrel is allowed, but this method is used when it is not possible to regularly add soil.

If at the initial stage of planting tubers you put grass or small branches on the bottom of the barrel, this will subsequently help speed up the growth of the tops.

Care

A crop grown in this way requires much less care than one planted in open ground. The plants do not even require special watering: this procedure must be carried out only 3-4 times per season. But in severe droughts, you should water more often.

To ensure the flow of water and air to all tubers of the plant, you can use a hose that is perforated along the length and plugged at one end. It must be placed in a barrel in a spiral. You need to periodically pump air into the hose and connect it to the water supply system. However, this method is not necessary when planting potatoes in a barrel. In addition, not every gardener has the time and energy for such experiments.

July is the month when almost all nutrients from the soil are used for the formation of tubers. Therefore, additional feeding is necessary at this time. It should be done about 2-3 times in 7 days. For this you can use a mixture consisting of wood soil and the substance “EM-1”. In addition, infusions of ash, mineral fertilizers and complex plant nutritional compositions are excellent as fertilizing. You can also use compost and the remains of rotten boards.

How to fertilize correctly? For this procedure, it is necessary to pour a nutritious soil mixture into the barrel and supplement it with fertilizers.

Alternative methods

This growing technology is quite feasible, even if there is no suitable container for planting. You just need to select a place in the garden plot and dig a hole about 40 cm deep in it. A layer of compost 8 to 10 cm high should be laid on the bottom. A huge potato tuber is suitable as a planting material. It should be placed at the bottom of the hole and sprinkled with compost of a similar volume on top.

After the first sprout appears, 3 cm high, it should be sprinkled on top with a layer of compost about 2 cm. The operation should be repeated until the dug hole is completely filled. As a reward to the gardener, by the autumn the pit will be filled with selected tubers. From one such pit you can collect up to 1 bucket of potatoes.

If there is no barrel, you can also use a simple bag for planting. This method will also help you get a rich early harvest without hassle.

The method of planting in a bag is as follows:

1. you need to prepare a large bag, maybe canvas;
2. The bag must first be taken to a warm place - home or on the veranda;
3. fill it with a mixture of humus and soil and tie it off;
4. place the bag on the floor and make cross-shaped cuts on top of it;
5. Pre-sprouted tubers or seedlings should be planted in the prepared cuts;
6. The bag should be taken outside only when the threat of frost has passed.

There is no need to water potatoes planted in this way, but you must regularly monitor the presence of moisture in the soil mixture. If it is dry, you should moisten it. The advantage of this method is that there is no need to control weeds.

Benefits of growing in a barrel

This growing technology has undeniable advantages.

• The number of tubers obtained is often 5 times greater compared to the traditional method.
• Planting is virtually labor-intensive.
• There is no need to weed the soil, loosen it or hill up the bushes.
• Liquid resources for irrigation are saved: the amount of water is reduced by 3-4 times compared to the traditional planting method.
• You can plant potatoes in a barrel even earlier than in the usual way, therefore, you can harvest the crop earlier.

If all growing requirements are followed, gardeners will receive a powerful root system of the plant. This will be the key to an excellent harvest. However, this method of planting has both its adherents and opponents. Different gardeners using the same technology may end up with different results. But it is worth noting that most of them, when planting potatoes in barrels, note the appearance of a larger yield compared to the traditional growing method.

When a suitable container has been found, there is no need to rush into planting. Before the potatoes are immersed in the ground, it is important to remove the bottom from the barrel or drill a sufficiently large number of drainage holes in it. It would be nice if similar perforations appeared on the side walls of a high container.

This technique will help remove excess moisture and allow oxygen to penetrate to the roots of the plants. In the case of potatoes, this is doubly important, since the root system is not so large, but the load on it is enormous.

The technology for growing potatoes in a barrel implies that the amount of planting material, and then the tubers formed in the container, is quite large. So that the gardener can control the delivery of moisture and oxygen:

• a perforated hose or plastic pipe plugged at the bottom with cuts at a distance of up to 20 cm from each other is vertically inserted into a high barrel.
• the open end, through which, after planting is completed, it will be possible to water and feed the potato plantation, is taken outside.

If you connect a compressor or pump to the hole, the soil in the barrel can easily be saturated with oxygen. And the root drip irrigation system will help to evenly moisten the soil under the potatoes.

Planting potatoes in a barrel and caring for the plantation

Potatoes in a barrel cannot do without a safe, nutritious soil mixture. For this crop, soil consisting of equal parts of ready-made compost or rotted humus and ordinary garden soil is suitable.

Since the plants will be grown in an almost enclosed small volume, it is important that pests dangerous to potatoes do not end up in the barrel along with the soil. Therefore, soil for neutralizing insects and their larvae:

• pre-calcined or steamed;
• Even in the fall, before planting, they are treated with chemicals.

In the fall, when the soil for growing potatoes in a barrel is just being prepared, a mixture of ammonium nitrate or urea, double superphosphate, potassium compounds and ash is added to it. In sandy soils deficient in magnesium, magnesium sulfate and dolomite flour are added. Then the barrel is placed in its designated place and soil is poured onto the bottom in a layer of 10 to 15 cm. Seed sprouted tubers or pieces with hatched eyes are laid on the ground, pressing slightly, and ten centimeters of soil mixture is poured on top of the potatoes.

When the sprouts rise 2–3 cm above the ground level, they must be sprinkled with soil mixture again. If the plant is not allowed to form full-fledged foliage, the potato directs all its efforts to the development of the root system with new stolons, on which tubers will subsequently appear. The process of adding earth is repeated until the barrel is filled a meter. There is no need to make the soil layer higher. Until the end of the season, plants may not have enough strength to form high-quality tubers, since all potential will be wasted on the formation of the root system.

All this time, the soil is actively watered, preventing it from drying out, which in a small container is very likely and dangerous for planting potatoes.

Feeding potatoes when grown in a barrel

Potatoes, especially in a barrel, where the nutritional properties of the soil are quickly depleted, are in dire need of mineral and organic fertilizers.

The following is used as fertilizer for potatoes when planting:

• manure, traditionally applied for seed material;
• complex mineral fertilizers for this crop;
• a mixture of three parts of pure lowland peat and manure;
• three- or four-day infusions of green manure.

When the sprouts rise 10–12 cm, the plants should be fed with potassium and nitrogen fertilizers. When growing potatoes in a barrel, fertilizers are easier to use in liquid form at the rate of 1–2 liters per bush.

If potatoes are fertilized with urea, then dolomite or lime flour is used to neutralize the inevitable acidification of the soil. The best results from fertilization can only be expected with sufficient watering.

Early varieties are fed once, while late-ripening potatoes require two feedings. It is impossible to overuse nitrogen fertilizers when planting potatoes in barrels, since excess nitrogen can accumulate in the tubers in the form of nitrates, which negatively affect the quality of the crop, scab resistance and storage ability. If urea or another nitrogen-containing agent is used to fertilize potatoes, it is better to combine it with potassium fertilizers for potatoes when planting in barrels.

At the end of flowering, plants can be fed with fertilizers containing phosphorus. This substance promotes the outflow of nutrients from the tops to the tubers.

11 ways to plant potatoes and get a high yield

Of more than a dozen tuberous plants of the New World, only potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes have reached us. But if Jerusalem artichoke remained more of an overseas delicacy, or even a malicious weed of summer cottages, then the potatoes not only arrived - they marched in victory! In the Soviet comedy “Girls,” Toska selflessly recalls potato dishes, but that list is far from complete. But what's the point of listing various delicacies when potatoes are the basis of our diet? Perhaps this is the reason for the variety of methods of cultivating crops in summer cottages.

Potatoes grow almost anywhere, but it is preferable to plant them in fertilized, light, well-drained soils. To improve the composition of clay soils in summer cottages, experienced gardeners recommend adding sand. To obtain consistently good potato yields, it is necessary to add manure, potash fertilizers or ash to the soil.

In addition, according to agricultural technology, it is not recommended to plant potatoes in the same areas for several years in a row. Pathogens, Colorado potato beetle larvae and other pests persist in the soil. If you constantly fertilize the land, add peat-humus mixtures, manure, and periodically update seed material, you can plant potatoes in the same place for several years, but all these measures are not as effective as following the principles of crop rotation. Root crops are best grown on virgin lands.

When intensively cultivating a summer cottage, the best predecessors of potatoes are legumes. It also grows well after rye, legumes - vetch, alfalfa. Potatoes feel great after rapeseed and white mustard. The use of these crops as green manure not only enriches the soil with mineral compounds, but also prevents the spread of diseases and pests.

Research conducted at the Agricultural Academy named after K.A. Timiryazev, showed that adding a mass of green manure to the soil gives the same effect as half-rotted manure. Among vegetables, the best predecessors of potatoes turned out to be root vegetables (carrots, beets, radishes), cucumbers and other pumpkin crops. Experts do not recommend planting potatoes after cabbage.

To harvest a good potato harvest, you need to prepare the area and tubers for planting

Regardless of the method of planting potatoes, you need to carefully select the tubers. The seed material must be extremely healthy, the tubers clean and dry, without areas of rotting. After sorting the tubers, they begin to germinate them. This is not necessary, but it allows you to speed up the time of appearance of the first shoots after planting the potatoes in the ground, and also makes it possible to once again select the best tubers, discarding those that form eyes too slowly or produce weak, thin seedlings.

For germination, it is recommended to keep the tubers in a sufficiently lit room at a temperature of +12–15°C for 2–4 weeks. At this time, some gardeners treat the tubers with growth stimulants and weak fertilizer solutions. Tubers are often disinfected and treated with various means to prevent potato diseases.

The proven folk method of disinfection with ash is still successfully used to this day. A bucket of water is poured into 1 kg of ash, and the tubers are dipped into this solution before planting. There are many other ways to process potatoes both before germination and before planting: for example, use a solution of phytosporin or complex preparations such as Prestige, Maxim.

Potatoes are planted in the ground only after making sure that the soil has warmed up to +6–7°C 10 cm deep. Planting at lower temperatures, up to +3–5°C degrees, is used only for sprouted tubers. Early and very early potato varieties are also planted in unheated soil; the result will be better than with later planting.

In addition to temperature, it is important to consider arable suitability. The soil is considered ready if it crumbles well and its density is low, this ensures good access of oxygen to the germinating tubers.

Depending on the composition of the soil and the location of the site, the timing of planting potatoes may vary. More fertile lands need to be sown earlier, since tubers with a high nutrient content develop more slowly and require more time to ripen. On light soils, southern slopes and at higher elevations, it is also advisable to start planting potatoes earlier.

The process of planting potatoes is a sequence of stages:

1. Preparing the soil in accordance with the chosen method of planting potatoes.
2. Pre-planting preparation of tubers (sorting, germination, processing of seed material).
3. Planting potatoes taking into account the maturity of the soil and the degree of its warming.

In the future, you only need to provide the plants with adequate watering, regular loosening of the soil and destruction of weeds.

Traditional planting methods

The usual methods of planting potatoes are quite varied: at least five methods can be distinguished on how to do this.

Planting under a shovel in single ridges and double rows

Environmental conditions, climate and soil conditions determine the choice of potato planting method: ridge or smooth. Moisture from the soil evaporates less with smooth planting, for which:

Continuous planting of potatoes - video

As a result of ridge planting, full air access to the soil and its warming are ensured. This method is recommended for use when groundwater is high on heavy loams. In areas of good and excessive moisture, the ridges are cut in the fall after applying organic fertilizers.

The uneven surface of the soil accumulates heat, which during cold weather it releases to the adjacent layer of air, creating comfortable conditions for potato growth.

The optimal row spacing for ridge planting is 70 cm. The ridges are formed at a height of 12–15 cm, and the depth of planting of tubers is 6–8 cm. Naturally, the larger the tubers, the greater the depth; small tubers do not need to be planted deeply. Holes are dug at a distance of 25–30 cm from the edge of the ridge, so that there is something to hill up the potatoes with later. 25–30 cm are also left between them. If the soil is not very well fertilized, the feeding area should be larger.

An original version of ridge planting of potatoes - video

The beds can be either single or double. Recently, gardeners have given preference to growing potatoes in wide beds (140 cm) in two rows. With this scheme, the number of tubers in the nest and their weight increases. Due to better ventilation of plants, plantings are either later affected by late blight or avoid the disease.

In the case of forming double rows, after the first row of holes has been dug, you need to lay the second row in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of 25–30 cm. Tubers, depending on their size, are buried to a depth of 6–8 cm. Subsequently, the nearest row of holes is hilled on each side of the ridge.

Planting potatoes in double rows increases yield

Trench planting method

To plant potatoes using the trench method, the soil should be prepared in the fall. You need to dig deep, up to half a meter, trenches the entire length of the bed. Plant residues, leaves, peat, compost, straw, humus are poured into them and left until spring. In the spring, the trenches can be covered with black film to speed up warming up.

Prepare the soil in advance for planting potatoes in trenches

When the soil has warmed up properly, you can begin planting.

1. Plant residues that have sagged since the fall are sprinkled with ash and soil to a depth of about 3–5 cm. To prevent late blight, you can treat the trench with a solution of copper sulfate at the rate of 2–5 g per 10 liters of water.
2. Pre-sprouted tubers are carefully planted in prepared trenches at a distance of 25–30 cm, again covered with a peat-humus mixture, compost, and mown grass with a layer of 8–10 cm and covered with film.
3. After the first shoots appear, the film is removed, the seedlings are similarly covered with compost mass to a height of 10 cm and covered again.
4. After new seedlings appear, this procedure is repeated, after which holes are cut in the film for the emerging seedlings. In this way, weed suppression is achieved, while the tubers are provided with heat and moisture due to the processes of decomposition of plant residues.

With the trench planting method, there is no need to hill up the bushes or loosen the soil. According to gardeners, this method, compared to conventional ones, provides significantly higher yields.

Deep planting method

In general, potato growers and simple summer residents speak out against deep planting of potatoes. For normal growth and development of potatoes, heated soil is needed, and the lower the level of planting of tubers, the lower the temperature, which means the later the potatoes will germinate, and this, in conditions of a short summer, can destroy the crop. The gardener’s task is to ensure friendly shoots so that in the future some bushes do not oppress others.

The standard depth for planting tubers is 6–12 cm. On the other hand, on light soils there is less moisture in the upper layers, therefore, you need to plant potatoes deeper to provide the plant with enough moisture. The best advisers for choosing planting depth are experience and knowledge of the climatic characteristics of the region and soil composition.

Basic planting patterns (depth and density)

In order to ensure early, friendly shoots, scientists from the K.A. Agricultural Academy. Timiryazev suggests planting potatoes on medium loamy soil to a depth of 4–6 cm. This, among other things, avoids some crop diseases.

On light soils, potatoes are planted to a depth of 14–16 cm. On loamy soils in the Moscow region, when the depth of planting tubers is reduced from 12 cm to 6 cm, the yield increases, but on sandy and sandy loam soils, on the contrary, it decreases.

Depending on the size of the tubers and the feeding area, the planting density changes. Early ripening varieties with erect tops and a compact bush, as well as small seed potatoes of any other varieties, are planted more densely. When using tubers weighing 50–80 g for planting, the optimal planting density is considered to be 5.5–6 pieces/m2. For small tubers the norm is increased to 7, and for large tubers it is reduced to 4.5–5 pieces per 1 m2.

New planting methods and their benefits

Recently, several new ways of planting potatoes have become known: in bags, barrels, boxes. Probably, in the absence of free space and a great desire to get a potato harvest, gardeners turn on their ingenuity.

How to plant potatoes in bags, barrels and boxes

In a lighted place, they install containers in which they intend to grow potatoes: barrels, boxes. Some summer residents even use sugar bags.

Planting potatoes in bags goes like this:

• pour humus up to 30 cm high at the bottom of the bag;
• lay out 4–5 sprouted potato tubers at a distance of 20–25 cm from each other;
• cover the top with soil, humus, and rotted compost to a depth of 8–10 cm;
• watered.

Subsequently, as the shoots sprout, add the peat-humus mixture two or three more times. During the summer, bags of potatoes are watered several times, especially during the period of budding and flowering. After the potatoes have bloomed and the tops have withered, you can harvest. Sugar bags are capable of allowing water to pass through due to their structure; if this property does not exist, plants should be provided with drainage holes in the container.

Planting potatoes in bags - video

Reviews from gardeners who planted potatoes in bags vary. For some, the overall results are disappointing. A definite plus is the good quality of the land after harvesting. And although everyone received few potatoes, the tubers were clean and healthy.

The bottoms are removed from old wooden barrels or tubs before planting. When using plastic containers, drainage holes must be drilled in the walls and bottom. Further activities are similar to planting potatoes in bags.

The main thing with all these planting methods is to cover the emerging sprouts with soil, humus, and a soil-compost mixture in a timely manner, so that the potatoes devote their energy to the formation of roots, and not into greens. Every time the sprouts reach a height of 5–6 cm, you need to add soil to twice the height. This procedure must be repeated at least 3-4 times.

Harvesting after planting potatoes in a plastic box - video

In conditions of limited summer cottage space, plastic boxes, various containers, and improvised containers are used. The planting technique is identical; it is important to ensure good soil drainage, otherwise the crop may rot.

Unconventional planting methods

There are several new, unconventional ways to plant potatoes, some of which do not involve digging up the soil. But those who tried it received consistently high yields.

Potatoes without digging up the ground and planting in the grass

In everyday life, Galina Aleksandrovna Kizima, the author of many books and video courses on hassle-free site cultivation, is guided by simple principles: do not dig, do not weed, do not water, and a few other “don’ts.” Likewise, she recommends immediately placing potatoes on the ground, on a bed of herbs and covering them with straw, covered from the wind with lutrasil.

As you mow the lawn, you gradually need to increase the layer of featherbed on the potatoes, adding new layers of compost or fresh grass.

Method of planting potatoes under straw from Galina Kizima - video

According to reviews from gardeners, planting potatoes under straw in virgin or heavily neglected areas is especially beneficial. Mown grass, tightly covering the soil, inhibits the growth of weeds. In the fall, after harvesting, summer residents receive excellent quality soil as a bonus. By digging up the remains of rotted straw, the same area can be enriched with organic matter.

How to plant in sawdust

Many summer residents successfully use wet sawdust to germinate potato tubers. In the city they can be purchased at pet stores. Wet, pre-steamed and cooled sawdust is placed on the bottom of a plastic container in a layer of 2 cm. Carefully lay the tubers on top with their eyes down and quite tightly, then cover them again with a layer of sawdust and repeat everything several times. After everything is packed, the plastic container is placed in a spacious plastic bag, the edges of which are tied, leaving a small “window”. The condition of the seedlings is periodically checked. You should not overdry the sawdust, so it is recommended to spray them with water at room temperature from a spray bottle.

Sprouting potatoes on sawdust - video

This method is especially good because it allows you to germinate potato tubers in a city apartment long before the start of the gardening season. There are two fundamental points when using sawdust:

• they should be moist but not wet;
• The tubers should be placed on the sawdust only with their eyes down.

When planting potatoes with their eyes down, the bush becomes wider, since during development the seedlings have to go around the mother tuber, as a result, each of them is better illuminated due to its distance from the others. Accordingly, photosynthesis in each sprout is more intense.

In the future, the tubers need to be transported and planted as carefully as possible. The sawdust can then be used on the site as mulch or dug into the ground.

Cascade landing

The cascade planting method is used when it is necessary to plant potatoes on slopes. This is a labor-intensive process; it is necessary to level plots of land on several sites, smoothing out the relief. At the same time, intense rains can nullify the results of work in a short period of time.

The plots for planting potatoes are prepared in the fall. The soil is loosened and furrows and ridges 12–15 cm high are formed. The distance between rows is 60–70 cm, the location of the furrows is strictly across the slope. Winter grasses (rapeseed, mustard) are sown in the ridges, which have time to grow before the first frost.

In winter, these furrows and ridges located across the slope contribute to snow retention over the entire surface of the site. The height of the treated area due to the ridges and furrows is 12–15 cm higher than that of the untreated area; the depth of soil freezing there is less and its water permeability is maintained. In spring, snow melts gradually on prepared slopes. Water is retained in the furrows, and the slopes lose less fertile layer when they melt.

After the soil warms up in the spring, potatoes are planted in the furrows. They are filled in from two ridges, digging in the remains of winter herbs. As a result, instead of ridges, there are ditches in which water is retained. The use of winter grasses promotes water retention, reduces soil loss and enriches its composition with organic compounds.

How to plant potatoes under cardboard

This method is reminiscent of the method of planting under straw, but here, in addition to potatoes, you need cardboard. After the snow melts and the ground warms up, you can begin to prepare the site. The area allocated for planting is covered with thick cardboard. There is no need to dig, weed or mow the grass first.

If there is a snowless winter or the soil under the proposed plantings is too dry, you need to water the soil before laying down the cardboard.

For a large planting area, several sheets of cardboard are laid overlapping with a decent margin - up to 30 cm, so that weeds do not break through the joints. At a distance of 25–30 cm, X-shaped cuts are made, where the sprouted potatoes are placed and the edges of the cardboard are closed so as not to injure the eyes. The potatoes remain, as it were, in the house.

As the tops sprout, they need to be mulched with straw in a layer of 10–15 cm several times during the summer. To prevent it from flying off the cardboard, you can use lutrasil. If the summer is not too dry, potatoes, according to gardeners, will not even need to be watered. And in the fall you won’t have to dig the ground to harvest. All the potatoes will lie under the cardboard; you just need to rake up the remaining tops and straw, and then remove the cardboard itself.

To prepare for planting potatoes, just cover the area with cardboard.

The method of planting under cardboard, as well as under straw, significantly improves the condition of the soil.

Features of planting under film and agrofibre

To get an early harvest, plant under film. Potatoes are planted using a smooth method. After planting, level the soil with a rake and stretch the film. A wide piece of polyethylene can be used to cover two or three rows of potatoes at once. The film is spread freely, boards and heavy objects are placed on the edges so that it is not blown away by the wind. Gardeners often use dark plastic water bottles as pressure. During the day, the water in them heats up, and at night it gives off heat. Polyethylene film helps warm the soil, retains moisture and protects potato sprouts from frost.

The disadvantage of this method is that the covering layer does not allow oxygen to pass through. In this case, the seedlings will not be able to consume oxygen, so there is a high risk of plants overheating. Therefore, it is recommended to monitor the temperature under the film and ventilate the plantings in time. If there is a threat of frost, in cases where the potato sprouts are tall enough, you can stretch the film over the arcs. The greenhouse also needs to be ventilated periodically.

Potatoes are grown in a similar way using modern agrofibre, spandbond, white and black. Light cover the early potato plantings. The material protects the sprouts, retaining heat, but allows air to pass through, unlike film. White agrofibre is also laid loosely, the edges are secured or covered with earth. As the potatoes grow, arches are used if necessary.

Black spunbond is used differently. It is spread on the ground, in the places where the potatoes are planted, cross cuts are made and the potatoes are embedded in them. Dark spunbond does not protect potatoes from frost after germination. But in good weather this method is very effective. Spandbond, without interfering with aeration and water penetration during irrigation, suppresses weeds as the bushes grow. Dark agrofibre acts as mulch for potatoes.

Black spunbond suppresses the growth of weeds around potato plantings

Planting potatoes in a greenhouse

This method requires a lot of preparatory work. Greenhouses for potatoes need to be prepared in the fall. It is important to have healthy seed material, stock up on peat, humus, compost, and ash. To get a good harvest, you need to heat the greenhouse and monitor the temperature.

The work consists of successive stages:

• First, completely remove all the fertile soil layer from the greenhouse.
• Warm drainage bedding is laid in layers at the bottom of the greenhouse: peat, humus to a height of 10 cm.
• Again, pour a fertile layer of soil with additives (humus, ash, compost) up to 20 cm high.

The greenhouse begins to heat up. Within 3-4 days the soil will warm up enough to plant potatoes. Seed material is germinated in advance (in boxes) at a temperature of about +20–25°C.

The potato harvest in the greenhouse is harvested 10–14 days after the end of flowering

After the eyes appear, the potatoes are transferred to a bright place with a lower temperature until the skin on the tubers turns green. Tubers ready for planting are planted after all these procedures into holes at a distance of 25 cm. The planting depth is 8–10 cm, the distance between rows is 60–65 cm. At this stage, the potatoes are not watered; planting needs to ensure a constant air temperature within + 20°C. At this time, they strictly ensure that the soil surface does not dry out and water the plantings after emergence with water at room temperature, no more than 1–2 liters per bush. Gradually, as the potatoes grow, the watering rate is increased to 10 liters per bush.

Further care of the plantings comes down to moisture, inter-row cultivation and weed control. During the period of sprouting, the temperature in the greenhouse is reduced to +18–20°C; as buds form and during the entire flowering period, the temperature is maintained at +20–23°C; in the future it can be lowered again.

Original planting methods for high yields

Gardeners are constantly improving their tools and methods in search of more efficient ways to cultivate the land.

Planting potatoes using the Fokin method

Engineer-inventor V.V. Fokin came up with a tool for planting potatoes in an unconventional way. In appearance, the device resembles a cane with a round knob with a diameter of 55 mm. At a distance of 120 mm from the top of the knob, two planks are embedded.

Fokin's tool for planting potatoes allows you to make identical holes quickly and accurately

Fokin suggests, pressing on the plank stop, making holes in the ground in rows at a distance of 25–30 cm from the edge of the bed and the same distance between the holes. The depth of the holes can be changed by applying pressure to the stop, depending on the size of the seed potatoes. The second row of holes must be made offset so that they are staggered. 1 tablespoon of ash is added to the resulting recesses with a diameter of 55 mm and a depth of 120 mm, and seed potatoes are laid. After this, the holes are covered with humus.

According to Fokin, his method has a number of advantages. You can plant potatoes alone and dose fertilizers. You don't need a lot of land to fill the potatoes, just a handful. As a result, the air reaches the roots, and the compacted soil promotes the capillary flow of moisture from the lower layers of the soil. As they germinate, the seedlings are earthed up, taking soil from the edges of the bed and from the very boundary.

Combined planting of potatoes and legumes

When planting potatoes, some gardeners throw a couple of pea beans into the hole. The bottom line is that peas, when germinating, enrich the soil with nitrogen compounds. Close to this is another method proposed by Sally Cunningham.

Potatoes are planted deep into the trench and mulched with straw, and bush beans are planted nearby, on the right and left. First, the soil is collected on one side. Potatoes are planted in the trench itself, and bush beans are planted in an area free of soil. As the potatoes sprout from the unplanted edge of the trench, soil is poured over the seedlings. This is done several times. By the time the trench is completely filled, bush beans can be planted again on the side freed from soil, since while the potatoes were growing and covered with soil, beans had ripened in the first bed.

When planted together with beans, potatoes constantly receive nitrogenous compounds, and summer residents consistently harvest beans, potatoes, and a new bean crop.

Planting potatoes and beans together is quite convenient: the soil is enriched with nitrogen, and the crop can be harvested several times per season

Some grow potatoes using old-fashioned methods, while others are constantly improving their skills and looking for modern and original ways of cultivating the crop. It is important that potatoes continue to be planted, grown and dug.

• Armenuhi Poghosyan

Today the whole world knows about the beneficial properties of potatoes. In many countries, this vegetable is the basis of the diet. Accordingly, many breeders around the world are fighting to increase crop yields. Not only different varieties appear, but also unusual growing methods. One of which was growing potatoes in a barrel. The technology is distinguished by its simplicity and high efficiency, which is why it is becoming increasingly popular among gardeners. How to get an excellent potato harvest from a barrel and what are the advantages of this method?

The history of such a fruit as potatoes begins more than 4000 years ago. Initially, it was a wild crop that attracted attention in Peru. Potatoes were first brought to the European part of the world by the Spaniards. Many considered the foreign vegetable dangerous. But there were those who immediately saw the benefits of potatoes and even considered them healing. It took a whole century for the tubers to be appreciated and loved, first by Europeans, and then by the whole world.

Today there is no garden where potatoes are grown. Since the 17th century, the vegetable has been internationally recognized as a crop capable of feeding many people. In most cases, gardeners plant potatoes in the traditional way. But in order to increase productivity, they are increasingly used innovative technologies. Growing in boxes, bags, straw and barrels is gradually replacing cultivation in beds.

Technology for growing potatoes in a barrel

By planting a popular vegetable in this way, the gardener gets a larger harvest than with traditional cultivation. From meter to meter you can collect more than one bag of tubers. Moreover, you don’t need to do anything supernatural or complicated. But before planting you will have to do some preparatory work.

Preparatory stage

To plant, you need to prepare a barrel with a volume of at least seven liters. But to prevent the potatoes from boiling on the roots, we paint them white in advance. Then we remove the bottom to allow excess moisture to escape unhindered. To ensure access of oxygen to the root system of future plantings, we make holes 1 cm in size in the walls of the barrel. Such air intakes should be located at a distance throughout the entire container 10–20 cm from each other. So, when the barrel is ready, you can proceed to the main stage.

Planting potatoes

What you need to do to get a good harvest:

If the sprouts are not covered with soil, they will germinate completely and only the stem part will develop further, and not the tubers. It is allowed to grow potatoes in a three-story barrel at once. This method is used when it is not possible to periodically add soil.

Caring for potatoes in a barrel

It is much easier to care for a crop planted in this way. During the season the plant is needed Water thoroughly 3-4 times. If the weather is dry, it is worth irrigating the vegetation more often. And by mid-July, all the nutrients from the soil have already been used to form potato tubers, so during this period the soil will need additional feeding.

For better results, it is recommended to introduce a mixture of EM-1 and wood soil as an additional feed 2-3 times a week. You can also use complex nutritional compositions, infusions of ash or organic fertilizers as top dressing.

The main thing in using this method of planting potatoes is the correct filling of the container. You need to fill the barrel with nutritious soil and supplement it with fertilizers. You can also place the remains of rotten boards and compost in the barrel. And small branches or grass placed under the barrel at the initial stage can accelerate the growth of potato tops. If all recommendations for planting and care are correctly followed, gardeners will receive a powerful tube-shaped system, which will be the key to a good harvest.

Advantages of the method

As always, the method of growing potatoes in a barrel has its opponents and supporters. When the technology was used by different gardeners under different conditions, the results were different. Despite this, such potato cultivation has its own undeniable advantages:

For those who don't have a barrel

A similar technology can be applied without using a container. A hole of 40 cm is dug in the area. But a dense layer of compost (8–10 cm) is laid at the bottom. Selected as planting material huge potato tuber. It is placed in a hole and sprinkled with a compost layer of the same volume. The emerging sprout (3 cm) is again sprinkled with a 2 cm layer. This continues until it is fully ripe. As a reward for your efforts, the dug hole is completely filled with fresh tubers. You can harvest a whole bucket of potatoes from one nest.

Using an alternative method of growing potatoes in a barrel, gardeners successfully increase yields and save resources (money, time and their own effort).

The advantage of growing potatoes in a barrel is that:

1. In one barrel we can grow about three buckets of potatoes, while we save space on our plot.
2. This method will save time when processing beds and in the fight against annoying pests.
3. Using this method, we can prevent the potatoes from rotting and water from stagnating in the barrel.

The downside of this method is that we cannot grow large volumes of crops for further large-scale sales.

Potato selection

To select material for planting, we must pay attention not only to taste, color and yield, but also to where the variety is zoned.

An important factor when choosing potatoes is their ripening period and resistance to diseases.

In order for the plant to grow strong, it is necessary to choose large tubers. You need to beware of scammers who, under the guise of elite potatoes, may offer the most common fruits.

When purchasing, ask for a certificate that will confirm the quality of the potatoes. Hardy and prolific varieties in our area:

• Bezhitsky.
• Lyra.
• Zhukovsky early.
• Timo.
• Cardinal.
• Right hand.

Tools

When planting potatoes in barrels, you will need a minimum set of tools, which will be necessary mainly for making the frame itself (hammer, drill, chisel, knife, garden trowel). This fact can also be attributed to another advantage of this method.

Land and fertilizers

During the growing season, potatoes are not very picky, unlike other crops, and do not require feeding. This is due to the fact that the substances contained in the fertilizer are not absorbed in sufficient quantities. Due to the voluminous tubers and poorly developed root system, the consumption of nutrients by potatoes is more intensive than other vegetables.

To achieve a high-quality harvest, the choice of future fertilizer must be taken responsibly.

Components for preparing the soil mixture:

1. turf land;
2. drug "Em-bokashi";
3. ordinary soil.

Growing technology

What is it like to grow potatoes in a barrel?

What kind of care is needed?

Growing potatoes in a barrel is a young and not well-known technology., which will help us provide ourselves with a harvest at the lowest cost. Plus, it's a fun process that can involve the whole family.

In the spring, all summer residents rush to their garden beds to stock up on various vegetables. How to grow potatoes for those who have a very small plot?

There is an increasing interest in various non-traditional methods of growing plants, including potatoes, throughout the world. One of them is planting potatoes in bags or barrels. It is convenient for summer residents who have a very small plot or poor soil on it.

Conditions for growing potatoes

We must not forget that potatoes are a subtropical plant, and for normal development and fruiting they need:

• Light.
• Warm.
• Aeration (providing air access) to the roots.

Vertical growing method

In bags? How is this method supposed to work? The tops grow back, and they are all covered with earth. It lengthens, and shoots-stolons are formed on the white stem, on which tubers will subsequently form. As a result, there will be more of them, and if they have time to grow, the yield from one bush will be much higher than in the garden.

But growing a long stem itself takes a month and a half. Will the potatoes have time to grow? And will the bush want to “pull out” all the formed tubers to the size we need? After all, each plant has its own load threshold.

Without good drainage, how can you grow potatoes in bags? The plants will rot and disappear. The opinion that woven bags made of plastic allow water to pass through well is controversial. Therefore, before pouring soil into them, you need to check this. If the water does not pass through or does so very slowly, you need to make holes in the bag for its outflow.

Bags

You can buy special bags for potatoes and order them online for 20 euros. Reviews indicate that some people do just that. But most of the experimenters use any woven bags left over from sugar or flour on the farm.

Now there are special Chinese bags on sale that look like backpacks. They are interesting because they have a Velcro window on the side through which the crops are poured out in the fall. The price of one is about a thousand rubles.

You can use large checkered bags. Their advantage is the presence of handles. With their help, the “vegetable garden” can be moved from one place to another if necessary. But the main advantage, of course, is the price, which is much lower for bags.

Old buckets, barrels and boxes are also used.

Varieties

There is no clear opinion about which varieties can be grown in this way. Some gardeners offer early ones, but the list below contains Slavyanka potatoes, but they cannot be called early.

It is proposed to grow the following varieties in bags:

• Bellarosa;
• Shante;
• Svitanok;
• Slav;
• Reliable;
• Poven.

Disembarkation dates

The landing time is selected so that it is warm outside. Potatoes are planted in bags at the end of April. Some gardeners tried to do this in February, but the lack of sufficient light prevented them from getting a harvest.

If you plant potatoes in mid-March, you can try new potatoes by Easter.

Soil composition:

• humus;
• sand;
• clay (to hold water);
• black soil;
• ash;
• sawdust.

Land should be taken from areas not infected with late blight. Do not use soil from areas where potatoes or tomatoes were grown.

Methods for planting potatoes in bags

• First in one row, gradually adding several more.
• Fill the entire bag at once.
• In a bag laid horizontally.

Growing potatoes in vertical bags

The edge of the bag is folded outward to make it convenient to work with. At the bottom of the bag, add soil mixed with rotted manure in a layer of at least 10-15 cm. Then lay the sprouted potatoes and cover with a layer of soil. You can place two levels of tubers or shoots. But they need to be laid in a checkerboard pattern so that the upper plants do not interfere with the lower ones.

Place the bag in a sunny place. Having filled the top layer, water it. Some gardeners advise choosing a slightly dark place to install the bags so that the soil does not dry out so quickly and the potatoes do not bake in the sun. But how will this affect the harvest? Indeed, in semi-shaded areas of an ordinary garden, the harvest is very different from a sunny area, and not for the better.

Gradually, sprouts will begin to appear above the soil surface. Then you need to cover them with earthen mixture. At the same time, the edges of the bag are constantly raised until it is two-thirds full. Then just water and feed.

One of the methods of growing potatoes in bags involves hilling them not with soil, but with straw or hay. But the gardeners who grew it this way did not like the result. The yield turned out to be much lower than when grown in the traditional way or in straw in the garden.

When harvesting, empty the entire contents from the bag. Collect potatoes. The remaining soil is taken to the garden. The bag is dried and hidden until next year.

Harvest dates

Growing potatoes in barrels and bags allows you to taste young potatoes sixty days after planting. By this time it should grow the size of a fist. Having collected some potatoes, add soil instead.

Productivity

Adherents of the method claim that from one tuber you can get a bucket of potatoes by autumn. But reviews say that almost no one succeeds in this. Only some gardeners report that the harvest from the bag was greater than in the garden.

Advantages

• The bag takes up little space.
• No need to dig anything.
• Potatoes are not affected
• Water does not stagnate in the bag.
• There is no need to weed, hill up or fight weeds.

Flaws

You need to constantly monitor soil moisture. And it dries out very quickly. Installing drip irrigation will help solve this problem.

The soil in the bag becomes confused and its aeration is disrupted. To improve it, they suggest, before growing potatoes in bags, to lay a rubber hose in a spiral with holes cut in it, located at a distance of 20 cm from each other. The length of the slots is 2-3 cm. The distance between the turns of the spiral is 10 cm. The end located inside is blocked, and the other is brought up. Through it, air will enter the bag and exit through the holes inside, to the roots. But he himself will not be able to do this. After all, a layer of earth will put pressure on the hose and the holes will become clogged. To fill this system with air, you need to pump air once a week using a pump for 10-15 minutes. You can also connect to this hose and thus carry out watering. This will make it possible to successfully grow potatoes in bags.