Seed potatoes

It is impossible to imagine a single summer cottage or private vegetable garden without potatoes. This culture has become the true king of vegetables. Gardeners often do not even think about what variety grows in their beds. But correctly selected seed potatoes are the key to a successful harvest. For each region, it is necessary to individually select one or another type in order to get the maximum result from the efforts spent on leaving.

General characteristics of potatoes

Potatoes are native to South America. The culture was in great demand among the Indians. For a long time Russia and Europe could not understand what is the value of this outlandish plant. In these regions, due to a lack of information, they initially began to consume green leaves. She was not impressed by the taste, and the farmers considered giving up growing potatoes. However, it was at this moment that they had a chance to taste the tubers fried in oil. Delight knew no bounds, and the cultivation of the culture continued. In addition, breeders have been and are constantly working on the development and improvement of new varieties.

The right seed potato variety is the key to a good harvest

Potatoes are prized for their ease of preparation and nutritional value. In cooking, there are many recipes for cooking this vegetable. If you eat it not fried, then the dish is completely cholesterol free. The tubers have a very rich chemical composition, are saturated with useful trace elements and vitamins. Young potatoes are low in calories and can be used in dietary nutrition, but this cannot be said about old tubers. Due to its composition, the vegetable has found application not only in cooking, but also in folk medicine. Potatoes have become an irreplaceable product in our life.

How to choose the right seed potatoes

It is important not only to choose the right variety, but also to choose high-quality seed.

Tubers suitable for planting have the following description:

• potatoes the size of a chicken egg or slightly larger;
• no visible external damage;
• no signs of any disease;
• in the spring, the tubers must be steamed.

Breeders constantly bring new varieties of seed potatoes to the attention of gardeners.

An equally important rule for obtaining a successful harvest is the calculation of the required amount of planting material. One hundred square meters take up to 30 kg of seed potatoes.

Variety selection

Currently, there are a huge number of potato varieties that differ both in terms of ripening and in external characteristics: yellow, pink, purple, white, early, mid-late, mid-season, etc. In addition, the recommended climatic conditions for cultivation differ.

Frutella potatoes are a domestic selection variety with medium early ripening periods. The plant is not demanding to care for, gives a good harvest, has large oblong tubers. It is actively used to prepare various culinary masterpieces, including French fries. A distinctive feature is that the pulp of this variety does not darken when cut. It is grown throughout the middle lane, in the north-western and central regions. Moscow has become a separate recommended region for the cultivation of this vegetable.Frutella exhibits excellent resistance to all common diseases, but is attacked by the potato nematode.

Frutella potatoes are an excellent choice, both for a private garden and for industrial cultivation.

The best varieties of potatoes with early ripening periods, suitable for growing in our country:

• Bellarosa;
• Pogarsky;
• Warmas;
• Kamensky.

Early potato varieties are perfect for the middle lane. Therefore, it is in this region that they are most popular.

Mid-season potatoes are the most popular because they are suitable for winter storage and have the best taste.

The best varieties are recognized:

• Fambo;
• Favorite;
• Latona;
• Condor;
• Romano;
• Irbit;
• Slav.

Late potatoes in the climatic conditions of the middle lane do not have time to ripen, therefore they are not planted here in open ground. In the southern regions, these varieties are cultivated in all known ways.

The best in this category are recognized:

• Zhuravinka;
• Zarnitsa;
• Thank you so much.

In addition, there is also an elite seed potato, which includes varieties of domestic and Dutch selection:

• Red Scarlet;
• Latona;
• Condor;
• Blue;
• Lugovskoy;
• Nevsky;
• Luck, etc.

Lux potatoes are distinguished not only by their increased resistance to diseases, but also by excellent yield.

The potato variety Lux (superelite) is also known to gardeners - very productive and characterized by increased resistance to diseases. The pulp, colored in a pleasant yellow color, and excellent taste have provided it with widespread use in cooking.

Despite the abundance and variety of potato varieties presented on the consumer market, it is worth noting the top five among them and briefly characterizing them:

• Rosara;
• Red Scarlett;
• Zhukovsky early;
• Gala;
• Adretta.

The Rosar variety will appeal to those summer residents who like to feast on young potatoes at the beginning of the season. Very early maturing, unpretentious and disease resistant. One potato bush produces up to 25 tubers of the same size and standard shape. Each of them weighs 150 grams. For 5 years, Rosara's indicators do not decrease. Excellent taste, creamy pulp. No significant deficiencies were identified.

Rosara is ideal for early harvests

The Dutch variety Red Scarlett demonstrates almost the highest yield in the middle lane. Shallow eyes, thin pink skin and yellowish flesh, which persists even after heat treatment - these are the characteristic features of this potato. The mass of one potato reaches 120 grams. Shows increased resistance to major diseases. Thanks to these advantages, Red Scarlett tops the rating of varieties recommended for growing in the middle lane. There were no significant shortcomings in the variety.

Red Scarlett is a potato variety ideal for growing in the middle lane

High-yielding potatoes Zhukovsky early - a new word in domestic vegetable growing. A variety with ultra-early ripening and fruits weighing up to 180 grams does not leave summer residents indifferent. The flesh has a standard white color; when cut into pieces, it does not darken, not boiled. Shows increased resistance to major diseases, perfectly preserved. According to the reviews of practicing gardeners, no significant deficiencies were identified.

Zhukovsky early allows you to get an ultra-early harvest of potatoes, which is suitable for long-term storage

The German variety Gala has gained popularity mainly due to its reduced starch content and a large amount of carotene. Due to such valuable properties, the vegetable is widely used in dietary nutrition. Along with excellent taste characteristics, Gala is distinguished by its increased resistance to typical diseases. No significant deficiencies were identified.

Gala - potatoes with a reduced starch content, suitable for dietary nutrition

Adretta is an early maturing potato variety with increased resistance to adverse climatic conditions and typical diseases. Its peculiarity is its resistance to frost, which captivates many gardeners. The pulp and tubers are yellow. Potatoes are suitable for long-term storage without losing their marketability and taste. Even after heat treatment, these potatoes are not crumbly, retains their shape, which ensures their wide use in cooking. There were no significant deficiencies in the cultivation process. The middle lane is excellent for cultivation.

Adretta - potatoes resistant to low temperatures and unfavorable climatic conditions

Planting and growing seed potatoes

After the choice has been made in favor of one or another variety, there is still another difficult task - to grow a good harvest from seed potatoes. Tubers weighing up to 80 grams are ideal planting material. If the tubers are larger, then a lot of fertilizer will have to be used during cultivation. It is not cheap to buy seed potatoes, because summer residents try to breed their planting material, and also share it with each other in exchange.

Some gardeners tend to think that if you plant potatoes earlier, then it will ripen earlier. But in reality this is far from being the case, so there is no need to rush. We must wait for the onset of stable heat. But it is advisable to prepare the beds in the fall, adding compost and humus to them. The holes are dug 30 cm deep. For small bushes, the distance between the holes is left up to 25 cm, and for tall ones - up to 40 cm. Up to half a meter is left in the row spacing.

With the appearance of the first shoots, they begin to irrigate the plantings. Do this 1-2 times a week. They try to keep water out of the leaf area. After each watering, the soil in the beds is loosened, while weeds are removed. In order for the soil not to evaporate excess moisture, and the weeds do not bother, mulching is carried out. For this purpose, hay, sawdust or pine needles are used. It is recommended to carry out the prevention of certain diseases in a timely manner, to fight pests using special-purpose drugs.

At the moment, many means have been developed to combat it, which are used both during planting of tubers and in the process of growth. Breeders also constantly bring something new and offer the attention of gardeners varieties that are resistant to the negative effects of this insect. Despite this, the problem remains relevant, and most summer residents solve it in the old fashioned way: several times a season they spray the plantings with a drug against the Colorado potato beetle.

Seed potatoes of different varieties have their own advantages and disadvantages. To compensate for them, you can advise planting several varieties on the beds, the description of which is fundamentally different. Not only external and taste characteristics can be different, but also the ripening period, exactingness to care, resistance to diseases. This will allow you to compare varieties on personal experience and choose the best one for your needs.