Potato variety Natasha: characteristics, variety description, reviews

Any experienced gardener or even just a keen gardener will tell you that growing vegetables and planting a garden is complex and has its own subtleties. Every vegetable, fruit, and flower variety requires an individual approach. For example, the Natasha potato—its variety description, photos, and reviews—discusses how it fares in different soils, how long it takes to ripen, what it looks like, and whether it can be transported. This information will help even the most inexperienced gardener achieve a good harvest.

Characteristic

The potato variety "Natasha" with its beautiful, unusual name for a vegetable lives up to its name. The tubers are beautiful, oval-shaped, with a thin, easily peeled skin. The skin is smooth, yellow, and the eyes are small and shallow. The flesh inside is a warm yellow.

There is 12-13% starch there, the average value.

The plants are medium-sized, intermediate in size, and semi-erect. Their leaves are large, ranging in shade from light to a rich emerald. The edges are moderately wavy. The cultivar was submitted to the State Register by Solana as an early, highly productive, and promising table variety. Solana is a German producer. Growing recommendations: The Middle Volga region is preferred.

Pros and cons

"Natasha" isn't yet very popular among gardeners or potato growers, but the characteristics presented for the variety itself point to its advantages:

1. Early, ripens quickly;
2. High yield (if calculated in total quantity);
3. A bush usually produces many tubers;
4. Tasty, beautiful pulp;
5. The marketability of tubers is somewhere around 76-93%;
6. Shows good resistance to a number of diseases (alas, vegetables and fruits also have their own diseases), including potato cancer with the golden potato nematode, also the U-virus, and widespread tuber rot with rhizoctonia;
7. The tubers keep well, are stored for a long time, and retain approximately 93% of their quality.
"Natasha" looks extremely attractive, the tubers are pleasantly smooth, the flesh is beautiful, and the shape is oval.

No particularly serious deficiencies were identified.

Timing and planting features

An important point in the description of any variety, because for a good harvest, the crop must be provided with all the necessary conditions. It would seem that what does a potato need? Besides, of course, hilling and protection from various pests. Who remembers the village, grandma's garden, where potato plants occupied a place of honor, 60% of all plantings. Endless rows of green bushes.

Most schoolchildren had already left by harvest time, but they certainly remember the frequent hilling, which required a thorough inspection of the bushes, removing all unwanted plants. And then there were the beetles! Striped Colorado potato beetles are extremely fond of the tender potato leaves. They have to be collected by hand or poisoned beforehand.

What's so special about "Natasha"? It should be planted like any early variety, taking into account weather conditions and climate:

• First, the required planting material is selected, then approximately 1.5-2 months before planting, it is transferred from storage to another, warm room to allow for acclimatization and germination;
• To germinateseedlingsThe Natasha variety should be grown indoors with good light and warmth. Select medium-sized tubers with no signs of disease.
• When they sprout, they need to be thoroughly treated with Prestige as a preventative against diseases and Heteroauxin, a well-known growth stimulant;
• Experienced gardeners prepare their plots for planting in the fall, removing excess soil and digging. In the spring, when the snow has melted and the soil has warmed slightly, they dig again, then remove any remaining weeds. The soil is carefully leveled.

If the planting material is large, the planting process itself can be mechanized. However, gardeners often use their hands. It's time-consuming, but effective. Maintain a 30 cm distance between plantings, taking into account the future size of the bush and its roots. The distance between beds should be 70 cm. Most early-ripening varieties are planted this way.

Fertilizer should be applied sparingly to all planting holes at once, using a mixture of 700 g of dry compost and 5 tbsp of wood ash. Mix everything together and apply it all at once.

Planting will be done in rows, with bushes evenly spaced in rows. This will provide future plants with a convenient, accessible feeding area, and will also make inspection and hilling easier.

After planting, carefully level the area with a rake. Now, further care can resume in about 10-11 days.

How to care

Preparing the plot and then planting is half the battle. Then, you need to care for the emerging potato sprouts. Fortunately, "Natasha" is quite resilient to weather fluctuations, especially during its growing season. This makes it accessible to gardeners, as many regions are notorious for unstable weather. Another advantage is that modern gardeners have a good resource: advanced agricultural technologies. These technologies will help them achieve the desired large harvest.

Before the first shoots appear, thoroughly cultivate the entire potato plot, removing weeds. Also, use a hoe or rake early to prevent the soil from forming a hard crust. This blocks oxygen from reaching the sprouts and hinders their growth.

When the shoots appear, it's time to earth up the tops for the first time, as there's a risk of late-spring night frosts. Covering the tops with soil will protect them and better retain moisture. This technique will also help control weeds.

If the soil is well fertilized during fall preparation, and then additional fertilizer is added to each hole during planting, then the potatoes can be fertilized only twice, with one foliar application. This, of course, also depends on the soil's properties and how many nutrients it contains.

Irrigation certainly benefits potatoes, promoting better tuber development, but excess water often leads to unpleasant crop rot, so watering should be done sparingly, taking into account natural precipitation. Some varieties require only two waterings, while others prefer moisture. The "Natasha" variety falls somewhere in the middle.

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If the chosen growing zone has unfavorable agricultural conditions, frequent inspection of potato plants is essential. This is especially true when the tops are still young and just beginning to grow. The delicate leaves are especially susceptible to a variety of pests. If signs of damage are noticed, take the necessary protective measures, treating the plants with insecticides and fungicides.

The "Natasha" variety is highly valued by foreign growers, where it's still better known, as it originates in Germany. Potatoes are also loved abroad, grown extensively, and breeders are constantly working on improved varieties. After all, it's easier to develop a pest-resistant variety than to poison vegetables with harmful chemicals, the residue of which could later end up on consumers' tables. This is especially true when it comes to potatoes. In Russia, thousands of tons of potatoes are planted annually to supply markets, stores, and grocery kiosks.

Growing tips are truly simple. "Natasha" doesn't require expensive inputs or valuable fertilizers; in many ways, caring for it is similar to growing regular potatoes. Experienced gardeners often manage to harvest two crops instead of one, as this variety is considered early maturing, meaning it's ready to harvest earlier than usual. Potato maturity is judged by the condition of the tops. When the tops begin to dry out, the tubers are almost ready for harvesting.

Connoisseurs look for a number of characteristics that distinguish a variety from a high-quality and successful product:

• Appearance;
• Taste qualities;
• Demanding to growing conditions;
• Quantity in the harvest;
• Transportability.

Large producers appreciate the high yield and good transportability, as they profit from selling the vegetables they produce, which can take hours, if not days, to reach their destination. The "Natasha" variety is considered high-quality and good. Chefs' reviews are also positive. The potatoes have a pleasant, warm yellow color, and the mashed potatoes are beautiful, delicious, and lump-free.

It's used in soups and various salads; it can be cooked for a long time, holds its shape, and doesn't overcook. Its thin skin makes it easy to peel and quite economical. The fruits are usually medium-sized, which is also convenient. Professional chefs don't like fruits that are too large or too small. It's more difficult to calculate quantities for dishes and peel. Ordinary people also prefer a medium size.

Feedback from practitioners

Most agree that "Natasha" is truly easy to grow in nearby garden plots, in typical rural gardens where it's impossible to bring in store-bought soil. It's a table variety with high yields. Gardeners also commented on the potato's flavor, agreeing with experienced chefs. "Natasha" has a beautiful, warm yellow flesh that remains even after cooking. The tubers are attractive, neat, easy to wash and peel, and have an excellent flavor. Even inexperienced cooks enjoy nutritious and beautiful dishes.

Of course, "Natasha" is still little known among domestic gardeners, but experts are confident this is temporary. The variety has all the makings of a full-fledged "colleague" of local varieties, and can even compete with them. Who wouldn't want to grow a beautiful, disease-resistant, and highly productive potato? No significant shortcomings have been identified, as noted by experts who studied the variety thoroughly when "Natasha" was added to the register. And it has many advantages. planting potatoes Natasha variety.

Potatoes are suitable for both mass production and private cultivation. They are not overly picky about soil, as long as they receive good nutrition. They also tolerate climates well, especially unexpected frosts, strong winds, or hail. They require careful and regular care, so a good grower is sure to reap a bountiful harvest. In principle, any potato variety requires regular hilling and soil cultivation, especially immediately after planting. Varieties differ in their tolerance to soil, weather, and moisture. Some varieties only need two full waterings throughout the summer, while others require more frequent watering.