Any avid gardener will probably be interested to learn about the existence of a method of planting potatoes that eliminates the need to hill them, water them and remove weeds.
An expert of the online publication BelNovosti, agronomist and landscape designer Anastasia Kovrizhnykh spoke about it.
We are talking about a method such as planting potatoes under straw.
The main and perhaps the only difficulty that a gardener will have to face in this case is pest control, so it is worth taking preventive measures before planting.
Prepare a bed for potatoes using rotted chicken manure or dung - about half a bucket per square meter is enough.
Organomineral complexes are also suitable - in this case, 100 g of granulated chicken manure will be required for the same area.
The tubers need to be laid in rows, keeping an interval of 25-35 cm. The distance between rows is about 50 cm.
After this, cover the bed with a layer of straw, the thickness of which will be 25-30 cm.
This “covering” will prevent weeds from growing, without in any way limiting the growth of the potato itself.
Potatoes can be grown on straw throughout the summer season without hilling or watering (the exception being pest control, such as the Colorado potato beetle).
In the fall, when you see that the tops have begun to dry out, you can begin harvesting.
Earlier, the expert told what can be put in the hole when planting tomatoes.
Expert: Anastasia Kovrizhnykh
