There are many ways of planting potatoes: under the straw in the garden without the hassle, the method that was invented and successfully used by supporters of natural farming. No less original options for planting bags, pit, barrel. A traditional way to do this.minuses planting under straw
The classic way: how to plant
Consider the classic method of growing potatoes under the straw, which is used by most of the summer residents.
The less time-consuming cultivation method, the more people choose it. We decide what to start with and how the process goes step by step.
Preparing the soil for the winter
Starting to prepare the land in the fall .Sow rye by removing vegetables and clearing land from plant waste. Seeds zavoronit rake. Winter rye rises quickly. For the winter it does not need to be cleaned, since in the spring it will continue to grow.
It is estimated that before sowing potatoes, rye at a site of 10 x 10 m increases about 200 kg of green mass. The benefits that you get by sowing rye in the fall:
- in the land decreases the percentage of pests and pathogens of vegetable crops;
- decreases the amount of weeds;
- green mass, embedded in the ground, serves as an excellent fertilizer .
Planting rye provides crop rotation of the soil How to prepare planting material
correctly March is coming - time to prepare seed potatoes. Inspection is the first thing to do. Discard potatoes with signs of infection. Leave healthy chicken-sized seeds.
Prepare a solution of potassium permanganate pink. Hold the tubers in it( 15-20 min), dry, put in boxes. If there is sawdust, then on wet sawdust.
Three weeks boxes should stand in a bright room .The temperature of air that is optimal for germination is from 5 to 15 ° C. During this time, the tubers must grow green and be covered with strong shoots. Consider sprouts that do not exceed 12 cm in length as good.
Preparing hay and straw
Hay, dry lawn grass can be put into action. In general, it contains more nutrients.
You can successfully use used straw that did not pererepila last season. Before storage, it is well dried, covered for the winter. By May 10, weeds are coming up.
Planting potatoes
Bringing the top layer of earth, putting rye into the ground. Outline the rows. To maintain an interval between rows - 60 cm.
- Make shallow grooves( 8 cm) for laying potatoes in the ground.
- Spread the tubers in them, observing a step of 30 cm.
- Cover the grooves with a layer of straw( 20 cm).
- For spring tillage, you will need a Fokin flat-cutter or a manual cultivator.
If the weather is dry, then before laying the potatoes, you can pour the furrow.
Ploskorez Fokin 
Manual cultivator 
Furrows with tubers 
Furrows under straw Disadvantages of the method
There are few disadvantages, but they are there, you need to know them:
- potatoes turn green if the layer of mulch is thin;
- for growing potatoes on a large field you need a lot of straw ;
- rodents can be got.
An alternative method of growing under straw
Tubers sprinkled with earth - this is the main thing that distinguishes the alternative method from the classical method.
Wells( 8 cm) are formed on the area marked for potatoes. The pitch is 30 cm, the distance between the rows is 60 cm. Potatoes are laid out in them, sprinkled with earth and the entire area is covered with a layer of straw( 25 cm).
Fold the tubers carefully without damaging the sprouts. Make sure they look up.
Minimum straw to plant
Planting in the ridge will reduce material consumption by several times. First form the ridges. The height of the ridge 10 cm, width - 20 cm. The holes are made in the ridge. Tubers cover with a layer of earth and straw, which is placed between the ridges.
The plus of this method is to avoid greening of the tuber. Straws need less with this method of planting, but the tubers do not grow green, moisture in the ground remains, weeds germinate more slowly and in smaller quantities.
How to grow
with cardboard and straw Household cardboard, boxes for household appliances are made of it, suitable for planting potatoes. They need to close the entire area of the ridge. Before laying on the ground on a cardboard, make cross-sections.
You will need a stationery knife. The holes of the should be positioned with an interval of 30 cm both in the row and between the rows. The process of planting potatoes consists in carefully placing the tubers into the holes and covering the “cardboard” ridge with straw.
Features of the harvest
Instead of a shovel, you need a rake, which can be quite easily pushed off from the ridge by serving mulch. It remains only to harvest. Tubers are practically on the surface.
You can get at least 12 potatoes from one nest. Tubers are clean, large, rarely affected by disease and therefore are well stored in winter.
Pros and cons of planting under straw
The method provides a significant saving of time for care, since there is no need for hilling, loosening, weeding.
Consider other positive aspects of , which will convince you to use the method of planting under straw:
- There is no need to dig deeply because it preserves its fertility and reduces the time and effort required to prepare the site for planting.
- The need for watering decreases , as the mulch well retains moisture, prevents its evaporation.
- They note that the population of the Colorado potato beetle is declining. Culture under hay suffers from the Colorado potato beetle less and to a lesser extent.
- Wet hay preeet, decomposes, releases the nutrients necessary for growth and the formation of tubers.
Need to evaluate and disadvantages - costs of this technology .The main disadvantage is the volume that a gardener needs to have on hand throughout the season.
What can its lack lead to clearly. A large percentage will turn green.
Tubers are green with long exposure to sunlight. 
Green potatoes are harmful to humans because of the high content of solanine poison 
Solanine is harmful to humans, but it repels pests and rodents They are not eaten, they are used only as a seed. Rodents settled in the straw can spoil a part of the crop. Fighting them should be included in the work of caring for the plantation.
Planting options under straw
Hay used for planting back in the old .The climate and the soil are different everywhere, so there are several ways of planting according to our method:
- is a classic planting method with tillage;
- planting on virgin soil;
- landing in the ridge;
- is a relatively new method using cardboard.
Under straw 
By virgin 
To comb 
With cardboard Using the method in the garden without the hassle
There is the correct experience of using dry reed stalks for growing on ridges, which shows:
- Using hay gives an increase in the fertile layer. Cellulose( fiber) contributes to this. It is food for soil microorganisms , which process it, while carbon is released - a source of energy and life for plants and all living things in the upper fertile layer.
- To ensure a family with potatoes, it is not necessary to plant a field. Several ridges on a plot of 3 x 3 m are capable of providing a family of 3-4 people with potatoes.
- According to statistics, one bucket of seed varieties planted under straw gives a yield of up to 10 buckets.
Plus technology - next year, you can plant melons, carrots, beets or cabbage at this place. The crop rotation will be observed. The soil when planting potatoes will receive an additional supply of nutrients.
Description of technology:
under straw The essence of the hay planting technology is to replace the ground, which the tubers use to cover in the traditional method, with a mulch layer of any dry grass.
It will take several times to toss a row of potatoes. The first time - in the spring when landing, several times - during the summer. This is necessary for two reasons: hay overheats and the layer becomes thinner, the potato grows and requires additional shelter.
So the potato bush is fully developed. Large tubers are formed on it. This is possible because the mulch:
- reheating, provides the plant with the nutrients necessary for growth;
- retains moisture;
- inhibits the growth of weeds ;
- protects the tubers from the sun and overheating.
If you are not sure of success, you can try the method for hay, which received a second life, on a small ridge. If the result is convincing, the area of the experiment for the next season can be increased.
