How to properly plant and process potatoes with a walk-behind tractor

Growing potatoes is considered one of the most labor-intensive types of agricultural work, even when it comes to a small garden on a personal plot. And if the size of potato plantations is 10–15 acres, then you cannot do without small-scale mechanization. The most popular device that can ease the work of a potato grower today is considered to be a walk-behind tractor. Let’s take a closer look at how potatoes are planted using a walk-behind tractor.

What is a walk-behind tractor?

A walk-behind tractor is a self-propelled mechanical device that can be used to automate the entire process of growing potatoes.

It is a unit consisting of the following main components:

• internal combustion engine;
• transmissions;
• chassis, consisting of an axle and two wheels;
• handles with which control is carried out.

In order for the walk-behind tractor to perform this or that work, additional equipment is attached to it.

How to plant potatoes with a walk-behind tractor?

To plant potatoes using a walk-behind tractor, the ground must first be plowed and harrowed. For this work, a plow or a special cutter is used. Next, planting is carried out, for which a potato planter is used, and then it can be replaced with a hiller, which fills the furrow with soil.

For subsequent care of crops, a hiller (hilling up) and a flat cutter (weeding between rows) are used. Another attachment is designed for harvesting - a plower.

Field plowing equipment

The modern fleet of mini tractors includes about two dozen devices, domestic and imported, differing in functionality, power, and price. Let's look at the most popular of them.

Motoblock "Neva"

A domestic unit from a manufacturer well known to summer residents - the Red October plant.This is a powerful device that can handle any soil.

Among the advantages:

• ease of operation;
• reliable engine with high efficiency;
• durable housing that prevents damage to the mechanism;
• ability to work with attachments designed for a wide range of jobs.

In addition, this type of walk-behind tractor provides the user with ample opportunities to choose the optimal speed and comfortable handle position. At the same time, according to reviews from gardeners, “Neva” has not proven itself very well when working with a plow (short plowing depth).

The disadvantages include high weight (more than 90 kg), insufficient stability on uneven ground, and high cost.

Motoblock "Salute"

The author of this device, the Salyut association (Moscow), did everything to make it as convenient to use as possible. Its center of gravity is low and the engine is moved forward, making it easier to control than the Neva and able to easily maintain balance when connecting a plow.

Another advantage is its low weight and maneuverability, allowing the Salyut to be used in small areas. It should also be noted that the handles of the walk-behind tractor are narrowed and can be rotated 180°, which makes it very convenient for cleaning work.

A significant drawback is the lack of a differential, which makes turning difficult and making the cart inconvenient to use. In addition, some varieties of Salyut are characterized by a high noise level.

Motoblock "MTZ"

The brainchild of the Minsk Tractor Plant attracts with its compactness and maneuverability. Despite its high weight, the device is perfectly balanced and therefore extremely stable.

The latest modification, MT3 09N, will become a universal gardener’s assistant, and if you purchase an additional adapter with a seat, the walk-behind tractor can be turned into a mini tractor. Other advantages include wide functionality, large fuel tank capacity, and high power.

It should be remembered that MTZ is more intended for processing large areas; it is unprofitable to use it in small areas. In addition, the unit is picky about the choice of soil: it is not recommended to use it on heavy soils.

Planting methods

Depending on the type of attachment, there are three methods of planting potatoes using a walk-behind tractor. When choosing one of them, the size of the site, the functionality of a particular device, as well as its cost are taken into account. Let's consider each of the options.

Working with the hiller

A hiller is an agricultural implement designed for further processing of already dug up land. In our case, the hiller is used to fill a furrow in which potatoes have already been laid.

At the first stage, metal wheels are placed on the walk-behind tractor, creating furrows, and a hopper with a distributor, from which, when moving, the potatoes fall into the furrow. At the second stage, the metal wheels are replaced with rubber ones, and a hiller is installed instead of a bunker, which covers the potatoes with soil and compacts it slightly. Let's consider working with different types of hillers.

Disk

A disk hiller, consisting of a T-shaped stand on which two disk-shaped working elements are movably mounted, is more convenient and easy to use. Since it changes not only the distance between the working elements, but also the angle of their inclination, it can be used to obtain ridges of a given configuration.

With fixed working width

Hillers with a fixed working width are unable to independently adjust the distance between the wings, since the working elements are rigidly fixed to the stand. They are usually used for small, lightweight walk-behind tractors when processing narrow row spacing of the same width.

It is important to remember: this type of hiller does not have strong enough stands, so they cannot be used on hard soils.

With adjustable working width

Hillers with adjustable working width, in which the working elements are movably fixed, due to which the distance between them can change. This type of hiller can be used on beds of different widths; it is intended for walk-behind tractors with a power above 3.5 liters. With.

The disadvantage of this type of hiller is the large amount of fuel consumed.

Using a two-row hiller

A double-row hiller consists of two hillers located on one stand and allows you to process two rows at once, significantly saving time and fuel reserves. Working with it is more complex and will require considerable experience.

Planting under the plow

A plow is a simple device designed for plowing land. When planting under the plow, the top layer of soil is first loosened with a milling cutter, after which the plow mounted on a walk-behind tractor is inserted to the depth of the spade bayonet into the soil. Each row is passed twice: during the first pass, a furrow is created into which the seed potatoes are placed; during the second pass, an adjacent furrow is formed, and the first, already sown, furrow is filled with the excavated soil.

Among the advantages of the method is a high landing speed. Among the disadvantages, the most important are the difficulty of working with a plow and the inability to plant potatoes with long (more than 5 mm) sprouts.

Planting with a mounted potato planter

The potato planter is a hopper equipped with a belt mechanism that regulates the supply of planting material. Its use allows planting to be carried out in record time, since a furrow is created in one pass, for which the device is equipped with a plow, filled with potatoes at regular intervals, and filled with a hiller located behind the bunker.

However, this method of planting also has its drawbacks: in particular, these are high requirements for planting potatoes: they must be approximately the same average size with small sprouts.

The high cost of the work can also be considered a disadvantage.

The working process

Before how to plant potatoes, it should be remembered that there are certain rules regarding the marking of the garden, preparing the soil and equipment for work, cutting furrows and beds. Without observing them, the use of a walk-behind tractor will be ineffective, so we will dwell on these issues in more detail.

Marking the garden

Marking the garden comes down to determining the location of the holes for planting. For successful operation of the walk-behind tractor, the furrows must be parallel and located at a distance of 55–65 cm from each other. Marking can be done using a homemade T-shaped marker with three pegs screwed to it at a distance of 65 cm.

Preparing soil for potatoes

Preparing soil for potatoes begins with choosing a site with sandy or sandy loam soil and applying fertilizers in advance. This should be done in the fall, after harvesting. In the spring, before sowing, the soil is plowed to the depth of a spade bayonet, for which you can use a “cutter” attachment.

Grooving

Cutting furrows is done with any type of hiller or plow.For late and mid-season varieties, planting is carried out in increments of 35 cm, for early varieties this parameter is 50 cm. The row spacing is 60 cm.

Cutting beds

Cutting the beds begins with determining the position of the first of them. A hiller is placed on the walk-behind tractor, its working surfaces are located strictly in the center. When the first bed is cut, the walk-behind tractor is rearranged so that the right (left) wheel now moves along the track previously left by the left (right) wheel.

Planting depth

The planting depth depends on the characteristics of the soil and the size of the seed material. Planting medium-sized potatoes in sandy and sandy loam soils is done in a furrow to a depth of 10 cm.

For loams, the depth is 5–6 cm. For other types of soil, deep planting is used - over 10 cm. The finer the planting material, the shallower the planting depth.

Correct sowing scheme

The correct sowing pattern when using a walk-behind tractor assumes that the row spacing is 60 cm, the distance between holes is 35 cm (when late and mid-season varieties are planted).

How to check readiness?

Preparing equipment and checking the functionality of the walk-behind tractor comes down to the following steps:

1. Checking the oil level and fuel level in the system.
2. Unlocking the levers that control the wheel drives.
3. Opening the fuel supply valve.
4. Turn on the ignition.

Completing of the work

After checking the walk-behind tractor, all that remains is to start the engine. To do this, you need to sharply pull the starter rope.

Crop care

A walk-behind tractor and various attachments will facilitate further potato plantation care.

Treatment after germination

The time from planting to the first potato shoots is the most important for the formation of full-fledged and healthy tubers. Germination will begin from the upper buds.The main thing that should not be allowed is breaking off sprouted branches. This will negatively affect the growth and development of potato fruits.

The role of the plow

After the first shoots appear, a weeder is used to weed and loosen the soil between the rows. It performs the tasks of a conventional plow.

Hilling

Accelerates the development of stems, destroys weeds and protects the plant from possible frosts. Performed 2–3 weeks after germination. A hiller is used for work.

Spraying with a walk-behind tractor

This can be done using a special sprayer, which is equipped with a pump.

Wire harrow for weeding

To remove weeds after sowing, but before the first shoots appear, a mesh weeding harrow is used, which is fixed to the frame of the walk-behind tractor and pulled across the field.

Harvesting potatoes with a walk-behind tractor

Harvesting is an even more labor-intensive process than planting potatoes. But here, too, a walk-behind tractor will come to the aid of the gardener: it is enough to simply supplement it with a device called a potato digger.

There are both simple and complex models, equipped with a screen or conveyor belt, which are used on high-power walk-behind tractors. When choosing a potato digger, you should take into account the capabilities of your walk-behind tractor and the intensity of the load on it.

Purchasing and maintaining a walk-behind tractor with attachments will require certain costs, but will make it easier to grow potatoes and simplify all necessary operations, from soil preparation to harvesting. Is it worth purchasing? The choice is yours!