Sowing Quarantina potatoes

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We counted about 370 potato seeds planted in 9 fields..

We also found, at the expense of our kidneys, that the old saying "the soil is low" is really true ... but then, looking at the work done, we felt really "good" alse if a little crazy...

From Saturday 24 to Tuesday 27 we finished the preparation of one of the two small fields in the woods freed and fenced last year, and we planted white Quarantina potatoes, a kind of potato typical of our area, not very productive, but very tasty. After collecting the cutted branches and roots of the locust-trees and hazelnuts around the field (fallen trees or at risk of falling into or near the field), we have accumulated them outside the fence, at the side of the road leading to the house. I calculated about a hundred trips back and forth ... a good exercise for back and legs! Then, a bit at a time, every time we make a trip to the house to get something or we return after working in the field, we will load on our shoulders as much material as possible in order to dispose them a bit at a time and retrieve the timber or in the stove or chip it for various uses.

Finished to remove the branches, we proceeded to remove all clumps of bushes and clematis that were re-sprouting from the old roots left after cutting in July. A job as a "painstaking" but which will surely help delay the growth of weeds.

Then we raked and piled the remains of brambles and clematis left to compost in a corner of the field. Despite the extra work had already been done in July with WWOOFers, the pile of material to compost was awesome. We decided to leave it there, since it is in a position that does not bother for now, hoping that even without shredding, it composted oneself, because we do not really have time to do now. In addition, along with the dry brambles collected with the rake, there may be other material, such as gravel, which would damage the machine.

We then tilled the soil with the tiller remaining on the surface as much as possible to avoid damaging the surface layer of soil that appeared very rich in nutrients and loose. At the suggestion of agronomist who has visited us a few weeks ago and, noted the prevalence of ferns among the wild underbrush, concluded that the soil was tending to acidic, we sprinkled the soil with manure mixed with semi-mature shredded of a pile harvest last summer.

Finally we have covered the soil, dividing it into "beds" of about 120cm in width separated from each other by a trench of about 30-40cm, with cartons recovered in recent months by waste bins. They came out about 11 beds of 1.20 x 6 m. On the edges of the boxes, both on the outline of the beds and the junction / overlap points of the cartons, we spread a little earth taken from trenches so as to weigh the boxes at the points where the wind could make "sail" and lift them.

Now, the field was ready for sowing.

The potatoes were already pregerminate. But we have made a mistake by exposing them to direct sunlight through a window which, rather than helping them to sprout further, has inhibited and partially "burned" the spikes already sprouted. Next year we'll be more careful in doing so they are in the shade. Wrong you learn ... also, being us able to be present only on weekends, every error, even though seemingly small, is likely to be big for just not being there to correct it in time (see the flooding of February). But we do what we can ... and now, we return to our potatoes. We have removed from the tables and put into boxes (new error... it was best to let them to pre-germinate already in superimposed boxes to handle them as little as possible and avoid damaging the buds) and then transported to the field.

Here we split the tasks. Guido prepared the holes in the cardboard where to place the potatoes and Brunella sowed the seeds of potatoes. The holes were made by pulling a "lence" to thirty cm from the edges along the length of the bed. I used two pallets of hazel cutted diagonally at the tip for easy penetration into the ground. I tied a rope enough long and I planted the poles at either end of the row where I wanted to make the holes, pulling the rope. I then prepared another 30cm long piece of wood which serves as a "spacer" to set the line spacing between the holes in the cardboard without having to use each time the meter. The holes were cross-shaped of about 10-15cm, with a sharp knife and then lifting the 4 edges to facilitate the planting of the seeds of potatoes.

Brunella has instead planted potatoes in every hole, digging the ground lightly and placing the potatoes with sprouts up and covering them with a sprinkling of freshly ground. The potatoes, in fact, ware already sufficiently protected from the carton. The carton has the multiple function of mulch the beds, prevent erosion and nutrient washout, retain soil moisture, prevent the development of weeds, transform over time into nourishing soil. The cardboard is chosen as rough as possible, not colored, cleaned of plastic tapes and labels.

We counted about 370 potato plants planted in 9 fields. We also found, at the expense of our kidneys, that the old saying "the soil is low" is really true ... but then, looking at the work done, we felt really "good" if a little crazy ...

The next weekend, we'll sow potatoes "Mona Lisa," in part in the ready beds remained free, and partly in the field above.

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Created on Thursday, 29 March 2012 07:30
Written by Guido
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