How to grow a bucket of potatoes per square meter

The main problem of every summer resident is the small area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe plots. On six acres, gardeners are trying to plant fruit trees, berry bushes, vegetables, and flowers. Yes, but there is sorely not enough space for all this. And even more so, and certainly it does not remain under the potatoes. However, experienced gardeners have come up with several ways to grow a good crop of potatoes, occupying small areas.

PIT

In the area allotted for potatoes, pits are dug 50 cm deep and 70 cm in diameter (for each tuber there is a separate pit). Fertile soil is poured at the bottom, and a germinated tuber is planted in it, and as the tops appear, soil is periodically added until a hill half a meter high above ground level is obtained above the pit.

Due to the formation of additional shoots and underground stolons, the potato crop reaches a bucket from a bush! And now let's calculate: on average, each family member eats 15 buckets of potatoes during the winter (provided that they do not save it, but eat enough). Thus, only 15 holes are enough for one person. Each pit occupies 1 m2, which means that 15 m2 will be needed to meet the needs. For a family of three - 45 m2. And that's only half a dozen.

BAGS
Large bags are made of a dense plastic film (6 buckets in volume), filled with fertile soil, then diamond-shaped slots are cut out on the sides, and germinated tubers are planted in them.

Bags are placed vertically along the edges of the site, along ditches or between fruit trees. This method not only saves space, but is also very convenient, because the bags can be moved anywhere.

Gardeners who have tried this method in their dachas assure that the potato yield from 1 m2 of area almost doubles.

BED BY THE WALL
A layer of compost is poured along the southern wall of the house, hozblok, garage or fence and potato tubers are planted in it. When the shoots reach a height of 15 cm, they are covered with fertile soil. And so every time the stems grow to the desired length. The earth is sprinkled until the bed reaches a height of 60-80 cm. To obtain a high yield, the potato comb must be watered periodically.

Such a high bed is well warmed by the sun, with sufficient moisture, the shoots form many additional stolons, and hence tubers. As a result, from 1 m2 the yield is 2-2.5 times higher than with the usual method of cultivation.

POTATO COLUMNS
Another interesting idea for planting potatoes, which was applied by an American farmer. The main advantages of this technology are the minimum space occupied, no weeding and hilling, a kind of decor for giving, no digging (just turn over and shake out the column), you can grow potatoes even on asphalt. The author claims that by planting 4 kg of potatoes in one calon, a crop of more than 25 kg can be harvested.

For the manufacture of columns, a mesh with a cell of about 10 cm is used. The diameter of the column is 0.75-1 m. Using wire cutters, cut off the necessary piece of mesh and fasten it in the form of a cylinder with wire.

Lay a layer of straw on the bottom of the cellinda (like a bird's nest) so that the soil does not spill out. Pour a layer of soil. Lay sprouted potatoes, pour water. Then again lay the walls of the cylinder with straw, pour a layer of soil, lay out the potatoes and water. Repeat the operation until the very top of the cylinder (about 3 rows of potatoes). The last layer should be the earth.

Care consists in watering and removing weeds from the top soil layer of the column.

This diary will become your indispensable assistant when planning work in the garden for three whole years. The convenient structure of the publication will help you organize plantings, classify seeds and systematize your conclusions. The lunar country calendar is compiled taking into account astronomically adjusted lunar rhythms. A useful addition is the lunar calendar for each month in the practical Semaphore format (sold as a separate edition). Favorable and unfavorable days for working with plants are grouped separately. Of particular value to the diary is the useful advice of a gardener with 50 years of experience G. A. Kizima.

The work was published in 2017 by Peter. The book is part of the "Calendars and diaries (Peter)" series. On our website you can download the book "Diary of a gardener for 3 years. 2018–2020" in fb2, rtf, epub, pdf, txt format or read online. The rating of the book is 3 out of 5. Here, before reading, you can also refer to the reviews of readers who are already familiar with the book and find out their opinion. In the online store of our partner you can buy and read the book in paper form.

There are still a couple of months before the opening of the summer season, and the hands are already “itching” to start doing something.

Since these are only preparatory actions (grow grape cuttings, plant seedlings), in this note I will try to plan for myself the sequence of all actions (what, when and in what quantity)

Since I already have some of the smart beds on my site, this year I can already start growing my first on them. right(!) organic harvest! Not forgetting, of course, to cook the rest, because. preliminary calculations showed that I “already” lack 5 beds for this year.

Therefore, the first thing I need to do is to attract my hardworking workers Slavik and Igor, so that as soon as it gets a little warmer, they will help me make 5 more smart beds.

These beds will be in the place where I previously thought to make a "personal recreation area":

I just decided to move this zone a little to another place - where there is shade and coolness, and not constant sunshine (and what did I just think about before?). In the following posts I will write in more detail where this zone will be located and how I will ennoble it - subscribe so as not to miss the release of the article (I will reveal a little secret - it will be a wooden gazebo!).

The first calendar days of spring are already delighting the mind with warm times. And gardeners are starting to think about planting trees in their areas. Spring seedlings of fruit trees must be planted correctly. This will help the young tree to take root and settle into a new place that will become its home, and in the future to please the owners with a harvest. It is the spring gardening season that is considered the most favorable for planting quite a few types of fruit and ornamental trees. The largest number of seedlings can be found on the market and in specialized stores during this period of the year.

The main thing is to plant fruit trees in spring soil even before the juice begins to move in the seedling. Early April is ideal for this all-important horticultural mission. Of course, it all depends on the weather conditions, because immediately by the time of planting, the soil must definitely thaw. In this case, the soil will gladly accept a new seedling, and will not destroy a young tree.

At the very beginning, you will need to dig a hole. Its width should be 50-60 cm, but the depth should be at least 70-80 cm. Digging such a hole is a rather laborious and lengthy process, especially if you plan to plant more than one tree. A power drill can make the job easier. He will make a hole of the required size and with even, sheer walls, which is extremely important when planting a seedling. You can buy a motor drill here http://abo.ua/motobury/ by selecting the desired model. Such a thing is useful in the household, as it will help not only with planting trees, shrubs and vineyards, but also facilitate other park and garden work. Also, a motor drill will be appreciated by fishermen who can easily make a hole in the ice and people who are engaged in strengthening or installing a columnar base.

When the hole is ready, it would be good to pour humus, sod, peat into it, plus mix them with a small amount of earth that remained when digging. From this substance useful for the seedling, it is necessary to form a small mound at the bottom of the hole and in the middle it is necessary to hammer in a wooden peg 1.5 meters high. Attach a seedling to this peg, the roots of which are spread in different directions along the bottom of the hole. Smooth the roots looking up.

It is necessary to plant a seedling in such a way that the upper roots, when falling asleep with earth, are necessarily at ground level, but do not look out. The earth must be covered carefully, without harming the fragile root system of the seedling. After that, you need to lightly tamp the ground and do not forget to tie the tree to the peg. Immediately after planting, the young tree should be watered with 2 buckets of water and every 10 days it should also be watered with 2 buckets of water.

garden magazine,
my tips for making it

An important task for the gardener and gardener to focus on is keeping a garden journal. Keeping a proper garden journal is essential. I have some experience with garden journaling and here are some tips to help you write your garden journal.

Fragment of the Garden Journal page

Fragment, symbols of the site plan in the magazine

Community Rules for Keeping a Garden Journal

I bring to your attention the general rules and personal experience in maintaining a garden journal.

1. Appearance of the garden magazine

You can choose any kind of stationery. It can be an ordinary general hardcover notebook, or a spiral notebook with a hard cover. It is very convenient to take it with you to the garden, and make notes directly on the spot.

2. Entries in the garden journal.

You can keep entries in the journal the way I do it (see below the image of a fragment of entries on the page), or come up with some of your own form of entries.

3. Filling out a garden journal

Be Accurate in Records The correctness of the work in the future depends on this.

Important! Record in the third column of the journal page, as an interactive link, the date of the previous work related to this work. You will be able to easily view all the necessary records in the following days, months or years.

At the beginning of the magazine, on the first page, sketch out a schematic plan of the site. Provide 1-2 more blank pages for possible changes in the future. My experience of drawing up such a plan is presented in the picture above.

4. Keeping detailed records.

Enter in the garden journal not only the work performed, but also the features of their implementation:

The date and, if necessary, the time of day, the phase of the moon (quarter, New Moon, Full Moon) and the constellation of the zodiac at the time of the work (sowing, etc.),
location of plants relative to each other in the garden and in the greenhouse,
variety and characteristics of the plant,
the number of seeds, the specified sowing date, their appearance and approximate size,
spray recipes,
features of the covering material,
the weight of the largest fruit and the smallest (for example, a tomato) and the amount of harvest from a bush, tree and from 1 sq.m,
write it down, even if it's just weeding or watering,
make notes on the frequency of work (for example: repeated spraying),
the results of the work carried out: the timing of germination, the appearance of the plant after treatment with drugs and much more.

5. Thoughts of a personal plan

In addition to technical notes, but also for personal thoughts and feelings, you can write down, for example, when you feel more like gardening and other personal feelings.

Ultimately, you can add whatever you want to your journal.

6. Notes in the margins

Record the weather conditions of the day (temperature, rain, snow, etc.). You can and folk signs for this day. And other. Pay close attention to important notes (field at the bottom of the page).

7. Descriptions

Write complete descriptions. The more detailed they are, the more useful your garden journal will be.

8. Summing up

At the end of the season, summarize its results: what was planted, what did not take root, what was the harvest, what was the average weather over the summer, and so on.

It makes sense to outline some work plan for next season.

If suddenly you are visited by inspiration, and you write poetry, it will be very good.

You can also keep a garden journal in electronic form. Then clickable links will be of great use. I just intend to create it, and I will tell about my experience later.

9. Work planning

When planning work for the next season, ask questions such as:

Where will certain vegetables grow, taking into account the rules of crop rotation, the soil and the degree of fertility of a particular bed?

How best to use wet and dry places, sunny and shaded, and also more or less protected from the wind?

Which trees and bushes should be removed, which new ones should be planted, and when?

Where will the herb beds be? It is better if they are closer to the kitchen.

Where and how is it possible to build a high hilly ridge in the form of a long soil-compost heap according to the Holzer method, or what needs to be changed in an already existing such ridge?

6. Forget simple pens. Color the magazine with all the colors.
Instead of using a pen or pencil, try colored pencils or markers. They add a sense of reality to a garden journal. The garden is usually the "habitat" of all flowers. Why not include these colors in your garden journal?!