Hobby gardeners should always pay attention to how deep potatoes are planted in the ground and what needs to be considered for the plants afterwards. Because the heavy feeders are easy to care for, but only bring high yields with the right culture. Interested hobby gardeners can find out here what the depth depends on and when is the right time for planting.
Table of Contents
preparation
Since potatoes are heavy feeders, the soil should be prepared accordingly for the plants. On the one hand, it is necessary to apply sufficient nutrients. Compost, manure, and slow release fertilizers are wonderful tools for this.
In addition to the content of nutrients, their distribution and the substrate itself are also important. The soil must neither tend to compaction nor to waterlogging. Sand should therefore be added to loamy soil. In addition, the bed must be dug up. Ideally, fertilizing and digging should take place in autumn.
This allows the nutrients to decompose and distribute well. When digging up, you should make sure that larger clods are preserved, as this is good for the potatoes. Just before planting, you can break them up and loosen them up.
time
Regardless of the variety, potatoes are sensitive to frost. The seed potatoes should therefore only be planted when the soil has a temperature of around eight degrees Celsius. Normally April is a good time for sowing .
Set
Proceed as follows when planting:
- Rows are drawn in the bed for planting the seed potatoes. These should be spaced 60 centimeters apart. On the one hand, this ensures that the harvest can be carried out easily. On the other hand, the earth between the rows is later needed for piling up.
- Within the rows, holes are dug 10 to 15 centimeters deep or a groove is made directly.
- With a distance of at least 30 to 40 centimeters, the potatoes are planted with the eyes up and lightly pressed into the ground.
- The substrate is filled back into the holes or into the groove, but must not be solidified. Pressing or stepping on it should therefore be avoided.
- The planting holes or grooves are then well watered to stimulate root growth. However, waterlogging is to be avoided urgently.
pile up
In the beginning there should be a maximum of ten to 15 centimeters of soil on the potato so that it can sprout and germinate without any problems. But as soon as shoots become visible, substrate can be piled up again and again. So much so that only the tops of the above-ground parts of the plant look out from under the ground.
The measure can be repeated about every two weeks. This lasts until the plants flower. At this time the heaped earth is about 30 to 40 centimeters high. The piling up of soil can also be used directly to remove weeds from the bed.
Frost
Since the seed potatoes are already planted in April, late frost must still be expected. Due to the comparatively shallow depth at the beginning, they are also little protected. The piling up of earth can also help against this. If the temperatures drop below zero, you have to pile up more soil in advance or apply another form of protective cover.
Aside from the substrate, garden fleece, for example, is suitable.
