Potatoes "Gala": description of the variety, cultivation features, its characteristics, photo

In this article, we will give a description of the Gala potato variety, tell you how to prepare it for planting, what are the acceptable growing conditions, as well as how to harvest and store the crop.

Gala potatoes: variety description, main characteristics of the variety

Gala potatoes: photo of the variety

The most popular root vegetable in the garden is, of course, potatoes. Each gardener tries to choose the most suitable variety in taste, color, suitable for a particular region, as well as with a rich harvest. Currently, the German variety "Gala", which was registered in the Russian register in 2008, is quite popular. The bushes of seed potatoes Gala are of medium height, the foliage is large, rich green, the inflorescences are white. The tubers of Gala potatoes are either round or oval in shape, the peel with pulp is yellow or light yellow.

Gala seed potatoes are an early ripening variety. The length of time between planting until the tubers are fully ripe is 65-75 days. This variety has a good yield indicator, in each nest there are about 25 root crops, each of which weighs an average of 110 g and is 7 cm long and 5 cm wide.

Gala potatoes have high taste, no heat treatment destroys the dense-fibrous structure of the potato, as a result, it does not boil and, which is important, does not darken. The level of starch contained in "Gala" is small - from 11 to 13%.

Gala potatoes: cultivation features

Gala potatoes are easy to grow. But in any case, for a fruitful harvest, it is necessary to do a number of necessary works.

How to choose the right place

Gala seed potatoes prefers a sunny area, as the shade prevents them from timely development. Legumes will be excellent predecessors on the site; when planting, do not forget to follow the rules of crop rotation.

Soil requirements

When choosing a soil, it is necessary to start from the fact that this variety prefers chernozem, peat, loamy soils. It is on them that the potato yield will be at the highest level. Also, the soil must necessarily have neutral or low acidity, as a result, the crop will be more resistant to various "sores".

It is advisable to prepare a place for planting Gala potatoes in the fall, remove all weeds, and plow the area, while adding manure or humus to the ground with superphosphate and potassium fertilizers. If the soil is acidic, then you need to "deoxidize" it - limestone flour is ideal for this. In the spring, after the earth dries up, the site must be plowed again or dug up, while adding ammonium nitrate.

What are the landing dates

Gala potatoes should be planted only when the soil warms up to +10 degrees, this is approximately the end of April - beginning of May. First of all, you need to focus on your experience, on the natural conditions in your specific region.

Gala potatoes: how to prepare potatoes before planting

Before the planned planting, for a fruitful, tasty harvest, it is strongly recommended to prepare potatoes: - sort out damaged, rotten and deformed planting material; - then the potatoes should be germinated, this can be done in several ways:

• Arrange the potatoes in boxes and cover them with moist peat or humus on top, and then leave them there for a month at an air temperature of +15 degrees;
• Arrange the potatoes in plastic bags (make holes in the bags for air circulation), and leave to germinate for a month - one and a half at a temperature of +20 degrees, until the planting material turns green;
• Spread the root vegetables in one layer in a room with an air temperature of +15 - +18 degrees and leave until sprouts appear, which is about 2-3 weeks.
• If there is not too much planting material, but it is large, then the potatoes should be cut into several parts, this is done along (and not across) and, most importantly, there should be at least 2 eyes on each part;
• For the prevention of various diseases and against possible insect pests, sprouted root crops must be disinfected, this is done either with a solution of potassium permanganate, or with special protective preparations that can be purchased in specialized stores.

The drugs should be used strictly according to the instructions, otherwise you may be left without a crop.

How to plant Gala potatoes correctly

When the site is plowed up, and the planting material has sprouted, we proceed directly to planting. Potatoes are often planted in the holes. To do this, pits are dug about 10 cm deep, the distance between the holes is 50 cm, and the row spacing should be about 90 cm. sprout up, and if the potato is cut into pieces, then the cut should look down), if desired, fertilizer or ash is applied, after which the holes are covered with earth.

Many gardeners water their potatoes after planting.

How to care for potato shoots Gala

Gala potatoes: video about the variety

During the growing season, the care of the Gala variety has its own nuances. In order to get a fruitful, high-quality, tasty harvest, you need to monitor and care for potatoes.

How to water potatoes

Watering should be carried out at least 3 times a season, depending on the weather conditions, if the summer is hot and dry, the number of times increases accordingly. Watering is recommended either in the morning or in the evening. The first watering is carried out when the seedlings have grown by 5 cm, then they should be watered at a rate of 3 liters per 1 bush. When the plant is already more mature, accordingly, the bushes are larger - then the consumption during the flowering period increases to 10 liters per 1 bush, after flowering 7 liters per 1 bush.

Most of all, Gala potatoes need moisture, when they have a flowering period, do not let the ground be dry, this will negatively affect the yield and taste of Gala potatoes.

Loosening and hilling potatoes

Very important and necessary procedures for the care of Gala potatoes are loosening the soil, hilling bushes, as well as weed control. Loosening is necessary in order for air to enter the root system of the potato. In order for the yield of Gala potatoes, you need to regularly loosen the ground.

The first time loosening is carried out - 5 days after planting, then - regularly after the formation of a dry earthen crust. It is also very important to get rid of weeds in a timely manner, they have a very detrimental effect on the growth of potatoes, taking moisture and useful microelements from the soil. Hilling bushes is carried out in order to protect the potatoes from temperature changes, as well as to maintain the tops. The first hilling must be done when the height of the bushes does not exceed 12 cm, while the bushes can be completely filled up. The second hilling is carried out a couple of weeks after the first, when the bushes reach a height of 40 cm.

Gala potatoes: top dressing

Gala seed potatoes respond well to both mineral and organic fertilizers, you need to feed 2-3 times per season.The first feeding is carried out at the first hilling, then nitrogen-containing fertilizers are applied. Keep in mind, if you are using liquid top dressing, then water without getting on the foliage.

The second feeding is carried out during the second hilling, then a complex fertilizer is applied, an infusion of wood ash or a solution of potassium fertilizer with superphosphate can be used. If the potato grows and develops poorly, you can feed it with fresh manure - for this, a solution is made from the mullein infusion, and it should be infused for at least 3 days.

Possible diseases, how to deal with them

Gala potatoes are practically not afraid of such diseases as nematodes, potato cancer, but they are very vulnerable to such a fungal disease as rhizoctonia. This is a disease when the lower part of the stem and the root system of the potato is affected.

The best thing in this matter is prevention, it is recommended to process the planting material, and you can also spray potato stalks with specialized preparations. The Gala potato variety also has the problem of "leaf rolling", this is a disease in which not only the leaves, but also the tubers themselves are affected. These potatoes are not suitable for storage.

Cleaning and storage of potatoes Gala

Gala potatoes: photo of the variety

In order for the crop to be stored longer, about 10 days before the planned harvest, it is necessary to remove the tops. After harvesting, and before preparing for storage, it must be treated with specialized preparations for the prevention of diseases and possible spread. It is necessary to store Gala potatoes in a container in which air circulates well - boxes, bags, nets for vegetables, and can also be loose. The optimum temperature for storing Gala potatoes is 0 - +5 degrees. If the temperature is below 0, the vegetables should be covered so that they do not freeze. By putting into practice the simple tips given in this article, you can grow healthy, fruitful Gala potatoes with high yields, which will delight you with their taste for a very long time.