When to plant potatoes? What can be planted after harvest?

Potato is also called Irish potato, yam, taro, yam bean, yang yu, etc. It is one of the world's five major food crops. It is not picky about soil, grows fast, yields high, and the key point is that it is delicious and highly nutritious, deeply loved by the general public. So, when to plant potatoes?

1. When to plant potatoes?

1. Potatoes can be planted in both northern and southern regions of China. Due to different climate conditions in various places, the planting time also differs; moreover, China has cultivated varieties with different early, middle and late maturity periods, which can be planted under various climate conditions; however, in most regions they are planted from October to December.

2. The planting time of potatoes is generally judged according to temperature. Seed potatoes can germinate and grow at a soil temperature of 5-8°C, with the optimum temperature being 15-20°C; the suitable temperature for plant stem and leaf growth is 15°C-25°C, and growth stops above 39°C; the suitable temperature for tuber growth is 16°C-18°C, and growth stops above 25°C.

3. If in Gansu, Northeast China, or Northwest China, they can be planted in April-May; if in Hunan, Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong and other places, they can be planted in February-March or August; if in Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions, they can be planted in January-February or September; if in Guangdong, Yunnan, Guizhou and other places, they can be planted from October to December.

2. When to harvest potatoes?

1. Different planting times mean different harvest times. Generally speaking, it takes 2-3 months from sowing to harvest. In most regions, they are planted from October to December, and can be harvested from January to March. Sometimes they may be harvested early due to variety, market, climate, crop rotation and other reasons.

2. If in Gansu, Northeast China, or Northwest China, they can be harvested in August-September; if in Hunan, Shanxi, Hebei, Shandong and other places, they can be harvested in June-July or October-November; if in Jiangsu and Zhejiang regions, they can be harvested in May-June or December; if in Guangdong, Yunnan, Guizhou and other places, they can be harvested in February-March.

3. Potatoes are generally harvested when most of the plant turns yellow and gradually withers, the stolons separate from the tubers, the tuber skin forms a thicker cork layer, and the tubers stop gaining weight; harvest should be done on a sunny day, avoiding the high temperatures and direct sunlight around noon, so as not to reduce quality; the stems and leaves should first be cut off and the residual leaves in the field cleared before harvesting, to prevent the spread of disease.

3. What can be planted after the potato harvest?

1. Plant peanuts: After the potato harvest, peanuts can be planted. At present, peanut varieties include spring peanuts, wheat-intercropped peanuts, summer peanuts and autumn peanuts. In a few areas of Guangdong, winter peanuts can also be planted. The sowing time is different, so a suitable peanut variety can be chosen according to when the potatoes are harvested.

2. Plant potatoes: In some places, two seasons of potatoes can be planted, such as Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, Jiangsu, Hunan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other places. After harvesting one season of potatoes, a second season can be planted, but note that after 1-2 years of continuous cropping, there must be a 1-2 year gap before planting again.

3. Other crops: After the potato harvest, crops such as Welsh onion, garlic, celery, rice, rapeseed, wheat, corn, soybean, cotton and others can be planted, which helps reduce the occurrence of diseases and also helps reduce weed growth.

4. Prohibited crops: Potatoes cannot be rotated with solanaceous crops such as eggplant, pepper, tomato, and tobacco, cannot be rotated with root crops such as sweet potato, carrot, and sugar beet, and cannot be continuously cropped with crops such as Chinese cabbage and cabbage.

The above is an introduction to the planting and harvest times of potatoes. After harvest, peanuts can be planted, or potatoes can continue to be planted, but note that after 1-2 years of continuous potato cropping, there must be a 1-2 year gap before planting again, and they cannot be rotated with other solanaceous crops, nor rotated with crops such as sweet potato, carrot, sugar beet, Chinese cabbage, and cabbage.