Potato Colette: characteristics and description of the variety, reviews of gardeners with photos

If you need to get an early potato or two crops in a season, Colette potatoes are better suited for this purpose than other varieties. It was bred jointly by Russian and German breeders for the preparation of french fries and is a table variety. Suitable for cultivation in the Central and North Caucasian regions. An entry about the variety in the State Register of Plants for Growing in the Russian Federation was made in 2002.

Description of culture

Colette is an early ripe variety of potatoes, 45 days pass from planting tubers in the ground to getting mature potatoes.During this period, young potatoes are dug up. When harvesting, 85 days pass during the drying period of the tops. The yield is high - if harvested after 45 days, you get 110-150 centners per hectare. When harvesting on the 55th day after planting - 150-270 centners per hectare. The largest harvest of this variety was recorded in the Rostov region - 290 centners.

Plants of the variety are semi-spreading, green leaves, slightly corrugated along the edges. Plants have resistance to potato cancer and nematode. Late blight affects leaves and tubers, but early ripening avoids crop losses. The plant blooms with lilac flowers.

Description of the variety - the fruits ripen together, so when harvested, all tubers have the same size. The color of the peel is yellow, the flesh is also yellow-cream in color. On the surface there is a small number of eyes. In the juicy pulp of potatoes there is a small amount of starch - only 12-15%.

The shape of the potato is oval, slightly elongated, there are barely noticeable brown spots on the yellow surface. The mass of the tuber reaches 130 grams. The variety has excellent taste. Successfully grown for wholesale and large wholesale sales within the country and abroad.

Positive qualities of potato Colette

Since 2002, this variety has been grown in Russia, and during this time gardeners have identified the following positive qualities:

• high harvest;
• early fruiting;
• excellent taste;
• disease resistance;
• friendly fruiting and maturation of tubers;
• possibility of harvesting two harvests per season;
• smooth and beautiful tubers;
• has the ability to be stored for a long time without loss of quality.

There is also one drawback, the tubers ripen quickly and potatoes give a high yield on fertile soils with constant watering.

Growing potatoes

To get a good potato harvest, you need to choose fertile soil on the site. Soil characteristics - light loamy or sandy loamy soils are suitable for planting.

Preparing the soil for planting

Prepare the ground for planting in the fall. Before plowing the site, cow dung or compost is introduced into it. After removing weeds and fertilizing, the field is plowed and left to rest until spring. In the spring, before planting, the soil is re-plowed and furrows are cut for planting potatoes.

This variety gives a good harvest when planted on a site that previously grew legumes, annual grasses and flax. Potatoes can be planted together with beans, such a neighborhood will not negatively affect the crop, but, on the contrary, will improve it.

Preparation of seeds

Some gardeners germinate seed tubers before planting to get an early harvest. This will speed up the process of leaf emergence and the setting of young tubers.

In order not to waste time, you need to select fertile tubers from the achene. They should be about 80 grams in weight, even and without signs of decay. Cut larger tubers in half.

Sprout potatoes before planting in a humid room. This result can be achieved by simply placing the potatoes in a warm but dark room.

There is another way to germinate: the tubers are placed in wooden boxes in a damp room, the layers are sprinkled with a mixture of earth and sawdust, you can use hay or grass. Spray the boxes with water and cover with a film until germination. Then the film is removed and continue to grow until planting in the ground.

Landing

Planting of the potato variety Colette according to the description is carried out depending on the weather conditions of the region from mid to late May - early June. The air should warm up to 24 degrees, the earth up to 15 degrees. Plant potatoes in loose and slightly moist soil. There are three ways to plant potatoes:

1. smooth;
2. trench;
3. ridge.

The method of planting depends on the characteristics of the site - the level of groundwater and the humidity of the region. If there is constantly water on the site, then the tubers should be planted using the ridge method, and if the site is overcome by constant droughts, then the trench or smooth method is chosen. The distance between the seeds is chosen depending on the size. So, a small achene is planted at a distance of 30 by 70 centimeters, the planting depth is 10 centimeters. After planting, it is necessary to take care of the plants to get a rich harvest.

Potato care

Caring for the beds is simple and consists of:

• weeding;
• loosening;
• watering;
• pest protection.

Water should be done at least once a week in dry weather. If it rains once or twice a week, then the field does not need to be watered.

Weeding is carried out during the entire growth of the fruit, otherwise the field will be overgrown with grass and the tubers will not grow. At the same time, the plants are spudded so that the tubers do not appear above the ground when ripe. You should know that vegetables do not develop well in hardened soil, and nutrients go to weeds, not giving nutrition to planted plants.

Pest control, mainly the Colorado potato beetle, is carried out throughout the leaf growth season. Only after flowering and drying, the beetle is not dangerous for the future crop.

There are many chemicals on the market to protect potatoes from the Colorado potato beetle. Also, some gardeners use the old plant-safe method: picking the beetle by hand. In this case, you need to raise the leaves and pluck those on which the yellow eggs of insects are laid. If the field is treated with chemicals, then the last treatment should be carried out no later than two weeks before harvesting, otherwise the tubers will be infected.

Harvest and storage of crops

Harvesting is carried out according to the following indicators:

1. with faded stems;
2. light and semi-dry haulm;
3. depending on the size of tubers.

The collection is made in sunny weather, after digging, the crop is dried in the sun and sorted out. Rotten and cut tubers are laid aside, and the whole ones are left for storage in the winter.Store only dry crops. Inspection should also be carried out during the winter. One rotten potato can ruin an entire crop.

Overview Reviews

This variety has been grown in Russia since 2002, so it has already received numerous reviews from amateur gardeners and professionals in the agricultural business. Consider some of them:

Grigory Vladimirovich writes: “A neighbor described the potato of the Colette variety and offered half a bag of achenes of the variety for cultivation. I planted, the tubers grew beautiful, even, the potatoes are delicious when boiled and frying, they have a sweetish taste. Doesn't melt. It grew in a garden bed, never watered in the summer, you just need to break through the grass so as not to drown out the plants and destroy the beetle. More this variety does not require anything from the care. The harvest was good, 5 bags of vegetables came out of half a bag of seeds. I will plant this variety again next year.

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