A forgotten method of planting potatoes - two acres will yield more than a ton of crops in any weather
First of all, it is worth noting that in Ukraine the best time to plant potatoes is mid-April. By this time, the ground has already warmed up well, and the risk of frost is minimal. SSPDaily tells about it.
In addition, you need to send seed potatoes to a dark room for germination. Experts advise doing this in early March. First, the tubers should remain at a temperature of 20 degrees in the dark for a week, and then they are taken out into the light, where the temperature does not rise above 10 degrees and does not fall below 8.
By the day of planting, the fruits should grow sprouts up to 7 cm in length. They are strong enough to withstand both weather changes and pests.
Another important point is that sprouted potatoes are planted in raised beds. They are prepared in advance - preferably in the fall, but also in early spring. The width of such a raised bed is 1.2 meters. On it, sprouted potatoes are planted in one row, planting tubers to a depth of 3-5 cm. The top should be additionally covered with a layer of earth using a rake (up to 5 cm).
This method of planting potatoes is effective because the fruits are planted not in cold but in warm soil due to the fact that the beds are raised. At the time of planting, the soil is already warming up to 10 degrees to a depth of 8-10 cm. In general, the temperature in a raised bed will be the same as the air temperature around it.
That is why potatoes begin to sprout quickly. But you can't let it do that. As soon as you notice that a sprout is breaking through, you need to throw up to 5 cm of soil on top. This is done every week until the first decade of May. It is then that you can no longer be afraid of spring frosts.