Content
Early potato varieties will always be in demand. Gardeners grow them for themselves and for sale. A worthy representative of this class is the Vega variety, which stands out for its excellent taste and high yields.
Main characteristics
The bushes grow medium in size and are erect or semi-erect. Vega potato leaves are simple, dark green in color and have a wavy or slightly wavy edge. The bush has medium foliage. Large flowers of whitish-cream shades are collected in corollas.
Each bush ripens approximately 7-9 large Vega potatoes. The tuber is formed of medium size, round-oval in shape, weighing 85-100 g. It’s nice that the potatoes ripen, as a rule, even and neat, as in the photo.
The tubers are distinguished by thin, yellow skin without spots. The eyes are few in number, shallow and small. According to reviews from summer residents, Vega potatoes have a pleasant taste, the structure is not watery and moderately dry. Starch indicators are 10-16%.
Vega potatoes belong to the mid-early table varieties. The growing season is 60-69 days. The vegetable stores well, the shelf life is quite high - almost 99%. Excellent transportability over long distances.
An important advantage of the Vega variety is excellent yield. The average is 230-375 centners per hectare.
The Vega variety has proven itself well and today is grown in Belarus, Ukraine and Russia.
Features of cultivation
Vega potatoes do not require special attention when growing and tolerate small changes in temperature or humidity quite well. Good yields are observed when potatoes are planted on light sandy soils.
Landing rules
It is advisable to carry out preliminary preparation of the tubers for planting - germinate or warm them up. Healthy, smooth tubers, without signs of disease, are selected for planting. It is not recommended to plant tubers of irregular shape or uncharacteristic for the variety. Vega potatoes are placed in boxes or on racks in layers of two or three tubers. Containers or racks are installed in a bright, heated room with an air temperature of at least 15-17˚ C. To ensure uniform germination, containers must be rearranged periodically.
Good sprouts appear on tubers after 21-23 days. To harden the planting material, it is recommended to sharply lower the temperature several times - by about 6-8˚ C. Such actions will activate the growth of a larger number of eyes. Hardening the tubers will guarantee the friendly germination of planting material and a bountiful harvest. Before planting, tubers without sprouts or with thin thread-like sprouts must be discarded. It is also undesirable to plant small potatoes weighing less than 30 g, as this will reduce the yield.
The holes in the row are formed in increments of 35-38 cm, and stripes approximately 70-75 cm wide are left for row spacing.
It is advisable to hill up the bushes at least twice during the season. Weeding weed is carried out regularly. Weeds can be controlled manually or using herbicides.
Fertilizing and watering potatoes
Vega potatoes are very sensitive to watering. It is recommended to moisten the soil infrequently but abundantly. To obtain good yields, the soil must be saturated with water to a depth of at least 40-45 cm. The optimal irrigation option is drip irrigation, in which water will flow directly into the tubers, which will have a positive effect on the yield.
During the season, it is recommended to fertilize the plant at least twice. During the period of top growth and tuber formation, it is advisable to use urea or ammonium nitrate. The second time, superphosphate or potassium sulfate is used. Mineral fertilizing is applied after the potatoes bloom and before the tops begin to wilt.
After the stems and foliage have completely dried, you can begin harvesting the crop. Vega potatoes have a thin but strong skin that reliably protects the tubers from damage when digging.
The harvested crop must be left to dry.
It is also not recommended to leave the crop in the field overnight. Otherwise, sudden night or morning frosts can freeze Vega tubers.
When harvesting, it is important to carefully inspect the tubers and immediately discard cut, damaged vegetables with hints of rot.After drying, the tubers should be carefully collected in buckets to minimize damage to the potatoes. It is also advisable to calmly pour the potatoes into bags.
It is better to store potatoes in containers with a volume of about one and a half to two buckets. The best option is to knock down boxes from wooden slats. It is more convenient to store Vega potatoes in boxes for a number of reasons:
- the tubers lie in an even layer, and therefore no fogging spots are formed;
- when wet rot appears, the affected fruit can be easily removed, and the spread of rot will be limited to the boundaries of the box;
- potatoes are practically not damaged;
- It’s more convenient to quickly check the condition of the tubers.
You can collect Vega seed potatoes yourself. To do this, you need to mark the most promising bushes in the middle of the season. For subsequent planting, smooth tubers are selected, without damage, diseases and not cut during digging. It is better to store Vega seed in a separate box, which should be labeled so as not to be confused with other containers.
Diseases and pests
Vega potato variety is considered resistant to viral diseases, common scab, potato cancer and tobacco mosaic.
Since Vega potatoes ripen early, the tubers and leaves are practically not damaged by late blight. As a preventive measure, it is recommended to treat the bushes with copper-containing compounds (copper sulfate, Bordeaux mixture).
When Colorado potato beetles appear, it is possible to use different means of control. Insects are collected by hand or Vega bushes are sprayed with chemicals (Regent, Sonnet, Karate). Some gardeners recommend using plant infusions (acacia, celandine), dusting with ash.
As a general preventive measure, it is worth preparing the soil: plant debris is carefully removed from the surface, the soil is irrigated with antifungal agents (Bordeaux mixture, copper sulfate solution) and dug up.
There is a possibility of damage to the tubers by wireworms - these are the larvae of click beetles. To combat the pest, when planting Vega potatoes, place 3-4 superphosphate granules sprayed with an insecticide (Aktellik, Karate) in each hole. As a preventative natural method, special plants (mustard, alfalfa) are sown. It is also recommended to observe crop rotation - planting potatoes after cabbage and root vegetables.
Vega potatoes are a universal variety, as the tasty vegetable is suitable for dietary and baby food. Growing potatoes will not cause difficulties even for novice gardeners.
Hello, I wanted to plant Vega potatoes next year. Let's see.