Gardeners are racking their brains: what to plant after potatoes? The culture occupies a sufficient area, the land is depleted. Potatoes are the leader in extracting nutrients from the soil.
Some gardeners give the soil a rest. But in this way, humus will be restored in 3-4 years. The ridges are empty. Weeds are growing.
Others sow the vacated area with green manure. Allow the seedlings to grow to 10–15 cm, dig them up and embed them in the ground. But the question of successor cultures remains.
A competent gardener must imagine: how to quickly and without loss restore soil fertility, what plants to plant, how to get a good harvest.
Why is crop rotation needed?
Crops are demanding of certain types of nutrients. Potatoes pull phosphorus and potassium from the soil. The remaining elements are retained in the required quantities. It is recommended to add P and K to the beds. Then the area should be used for planting other plants. They will delight you with a good harvest.
The plant attracts its own pests. In potatoes, these are the Colorado potato beetle, wireworm, and nematode. The larvae of the villains overwinter in the soil. Returning the same culture next year will create a comfortable environment for them. The population will grow to alarming proportions.
The plant is affected by “individual” viruses and bacteria. Potatoes suffer from late blight. Its spores persist in the ground for 5 years. Planting in the same place will be destroyed due to the fault of a careless gardener.
There is a balance of microorganisms in garden soil. The roots release pathogenic bacteria into the soil. Over the years they accumulate. The soil becomes lifeless.
How will greening help?
Space in the garden is limited. Several hundred kilograms of potatoes are required. It is necessary to restore soil fertility, improve its health, and get rid of pests as soon as possible.
The problem should be solved with the help of green manure. The potato harvest is harvested in late summer or early autumn. There is enough time to grow oats, rye, rapeseed, mustard, and peas in the freed area.
You need to wait until it grows to 10–15 cm, then dig it up with green mass. This technique will enrich the soil with nitrogen. Oats and rye will get rid of wireworm larvae.
In order for the soil to recover better, some gardeners leave cereals to overwinter under the snow.The ridges are dug up in the spring. In this case, it is important to prevent the green mass from overgrowing: cultivated plants become weeds.
What can you plant?
After potatoes, next year you can plant representatives of different families. To obtain a high yield, it is recommended to know: for whom potatoes are a good predecessor.
What can be planted immediately after potatoes:
- any representatives of the legume family;
- green manure;
- some cruciferous vegetables (lettuce, spinach, mustard).
Plant roots have enough nutrition. Gardeners have time to harvest green crops in the fall.
Representatives of the legume family
Peas, beans, beans are ideal successors. They form nitrogenous tubers on the roots. The soil is saturated with the element and loosened. In this case, the green parts of plants serve as a source of potassium and phosphorus for the depleted soil.
Summer residents who keep animals should plant clover, alfalfa, vetch, sainfoin, and vetch. Green manure greens are readily eaten by rabbits and birds. Soil improvement is combined with the creation of a food supply.
Sweet clover, vetch, clover are honey plants. This is their value. Grasses attract pollinating insects. The restoration of the fertile layer occurs simultaneously with an increase in the yield of garden crops.
Representatives of the cruciferous family
It is ideal to plant mustard after potatoes. Greens are harvested 20 days after germination. The soil is loosened. When sowing in autumn, no digging is done: the leaves themselves rot under the snow. In spring the beds are ready to receive plants.
Turnips, rutabaga, and radishes produce an excellent harvest. Horseradish accepts soil fertility, but is a perennial crop. When you subsequently return the potatoes to their place, you should not plant this cruciferous plant.
Pumpkin
It is recommended to grow squash and zucchini after potatoes. These pumpkins are strong and unpretentious. Pumpkins and cucumbers suffer from rhizoctonia. They require a high content of microelements. The predecessor will not leave adequate nutrition.
What to plant next after potatoes: preliminary greening will help solve the problem. In the first year, cereals are sown in the spring. In summer, mow until the seeds ripen. In the fall, they dig with shovels on a bayonet. Next spring the soil has rested and is ready to receive cucumbers and pumpkins.
Other Potato Successors
Gardeners reap a good harvest of the following potatoes:
- garlic (winter, spring);
- parsley;
- celery;
- parsnip;
- beets;
- corn.
Rule for land use: ridges must be planted with plants. The use of crop rotation will provide gardeners with a bountiful harvest.
Approximate list of plants to be planted
Table of recommended plantings after potatoes
Great | Fine | Badly |
Garlic
Parsley Celery Parsnip Beet Corn Legumes Cereals Zucchini Squash Cruciferous vegetables (lettuce, spinach, horseradish, turnip, radish, radish)
|
Cabbage
Cucumber Pumpkin Carrot Onion
|
Potato
Tomato Pepper (sweet, bitter) Physalis Eggplant Strawberries Strawberry
|
Plants should be planted after adding potassium and phosphorus. Mineral fertilizers should be applied in autumn or spring.
Rules for preparing beds
After harvesting potatoes, the soil should be prepared. Simple measures will create optimal conditions for crops to grow and develop. Required:
- dig up the tubers completely (small, cut, diseased);
- remove and burn potato tops;
- dig up the soil using a spade bayonet and level it with a rake;
- sow green manure (with them the earth restores fertility and rests);
- wait until the height is 15 cm, dig and embed it in the ground.
Leave the beds for the winter. In the spring, when digging, add potassium and phosphorus. After all the activities, the selected crops are planted.
Some gardeners, due to limited space, return the potatoes to their original place after a year. Agronomists advise returning it no earlier than the third season: this will ensure the desired yield.
Brief conclusions
Potatoes deplete the soil: they take away potassium and phosphorus. Gardeners should add the missing elements.
Crop rotation is required to maintain fertility. It is unacceptable to plant potatoes over potatoes.
Knowledge of successor plants will help to obtain a good harvest in limited areas.