These 5 Mistakes Are Killing Your Potato Crop
Potatoes seem like an unpretentious crop. Plant, hill, harvest.
But why then do some have bags full, while others have a handful of small tubers? It's all about the mistakes that 90% of gardeners make. And the first of them is saving on seeds.
If you plant sprouted potatoes from the store, don't expect a miracle. Such tubers are treated with chemicals so that they don't sprout. Buy seed potatoes from trusted suppliers or prepare them yourself.
The second mistake is the planting depth. Potatoes are not onions, you can't just bury them anyhow. The optimal depth is 10-15 cm. If you plant them shallower, the tubers will turn green from the sun, if you plant them deeper, they won't have enough strength to break through.
The third mistake: "dry" hilling. Many people wait for rain, but potatoes need moisture at the time of tuber formation. If there is no rain, water the beds before and after hilling.
The fourth mistake is ignoring the Colorado potato beetle. Folk methods are good, but sometimes you can’t do without chemicals. Spray the plants before flowering, otherwise the poison will get into the tubers. And lastly: early harvesting.
Don't dig up the potatoes until the tops turn yellow. Green foliage is a sign that the tubers are still growing.
Wait until the stems are dry before you pick up the shovel. Once you correct these mistakes, you'll forget about empty baskets.
