Soviet agronomists achieved records without modern technology. How did they do it?
Their secret is planting potatoes in so-called “double” holes.
This technology implies that the holes should be dug at a distance of 50 cm from each other, and in each of them two tubers of different varieties should be placed: early and late.
As a result, the roots of the plants intertwine, creating symbiosis. The early variety yields its harvest in July, the late variety uses the freed space for growth.
The following combinations are best suited for this method: “Red Scarlett” (early) + “Lorch” (late) or “Zhukovsky” + “Picasso”.
Early varieties protect late varieties from the Colorado potato beetle, whose peak activity coincides with their flowering.
After harvesting the first crop, the remaining bushes are hilled and fed with ash - this prolongs the vegetation of late varieties.
An additional method is “green fertilizer”.
Peas or beans are planted between the rows. Legumes enrich the soil with nitrogen, which potatoes actively consume.
In autumn, the tops of legumes are buried in the soil, creating a reserve of nutrients for the following year.
The method saves space and increases the yield per bush by 90%.
The technology has stood the test of time: in the collective farms that existed in the 70s, the potato yield sometimes reached 500 kilograms per hundred square meters.
