The barren land Chen Lan chose to plant potatoes was level, with loose, well-draining sandy loam soil. Potato planting requires deep plowing, fine harrowing, and the creation of ridges.
Chen Lan planned to cultivate twenty mu of barren land this year to grow high-yield potatoes. Each mu requires 100 kilograms of high-yield potato seeds, so twenty mu will need 2000 kilograms of high-yield potato seeds.
The weather was too hot, and the sun was scorching. While adjusting the plowing components, Chen Lan bought a bottle of sour plum juice from the system to relieve the heat. She took a big gulp. The sour and sweet taste, whether from being in the sun for too long or the actual cooling effect of the sour plum juice, made Chen Lan feel instantly refreshed. After finishing the bottle, Chen Lan bought five more cases of the same brand of sour plum juice from the system to share with everyone during lunch to relieve the heat. Each case contained 24 bottles, so she bought 100 bottles in total and stored them in the system warehouse, taking out only one case of 24 bottles.
She then took all the potato seeds out of the system warehouse and placed them, along with the 24 bottles of sour plum juice, under the shade of the trees near the mountain. This way, the people who would be cutting the potato seeds wouldn't have to work under the scorching sun.
She also took out a packet of potassium permanganate, a large basin, and six cleavers placed in the basin, which were to be used for disinfecting the knives used for cutting potatoes.
Cutting potato seeds into pieces for planting can promote oxygen exchange inside and outside the tubers, break dormancy, and encourage earlier germination and emergence. However, using knives to cut potato pieces can easily transmit viruses through the cutting tools, leading to seed rot, increased incidence of disease in the field, and accelerated varietal degradation. Therefore, the knives used for cutting potatoes need to be disinfected periodically to prevent cross-infection of viruses.
The potato seed variety chosen for planting this year was also a high-yield variety called "Peony 885." It is a mid-early maturing variety with a growth period of about 75 days. The plant type is upright, with few branches, and the plant height is about 60 to 70 centimeters. The mature tubers are oval in shape, with yellow skin and yellow flesh. The eyes of the potatoes are relatively flat and shallow. The yield is relatively high, generally around 2500 kilograms per mu, with some high-yield fields reaching as much as 3500 kilograms per mu.
Chen Lan planned to use the double-row high-ridge cultivation technique for this potato planting. The wide row spacing would be 70 to 90 centimeters, the narrow row spacing about 10 centimeters, and the plant spacing about 25 to 30 centimeters, planted in a triangular pattern. This planting method allows for wider inter-row spacing and better ventilation, resulting in larger mature tubers and higher yields!
Before Chen Lan could finish preparing the potato field, her mother-in-law, along with Lin Mai and Cui Qiao, walked over under the scorching sun. Although all three were wearing straw hats, their faces were still flushed red from the sun.
Seeing them approach together, Chen Lan quickly got off the tractor and led them to the shade where the items were placed, inviting them to sit down and rest. She also opened a bottle of sour plum juice for each of them to cool down.
After they had sat down, finished their sour plum juice, and rested for a while, Chen Lan began to explain the precautions for cutting potato seeds to her mother-in-law. As she spoke, Chen Lan handed her mother-in-law the packet of potassium permanganate placed nearby.
Her mother-in-law said in surprise, "So there's so much to planting potatoes. No wonder the potatoes from our fields before were small, and many rotted. Xiao Lan, how do you mix this disinfectant solution?"
Chen Lan opened the packet of potassium permanganate and took out a grain, saying, "Mother-in-law, one grain can be mixed with a basin of water." She then pulled over a nearby basin and the six cleavers. The water turned a purplish hue. This prepared disinfectant solution is only effective for about two hours, after which it loses its disinfecting properties and needs to be re-mixed.
Saying this, she told her mother-in-law and the others, "Mother-in-law, please rest for a little longer with Lin Mai and the others. Wait for me a moment, I'll go and get the water pump. I'll mix a basin of disinfectant solution with water for you shortly, and you'll understand how to mix it by then."
Chen Lan said this as she walked towards the tractor she had driven, climbed into it, and drove away with a chugging sound. Since it wasn't far, she soon returned with the water pump and hoses.
Chen Lan found a relatively flat spot, stabilized the water pump, connected the hoses, and started the pump. Water began to flow out. Chen Lan asked Lin Mai to bring the basin over and filled it halfway with water before turning off the pump.
She took out a grain from the paper packet of potassium permanganate and dropped it into the basin. The water in the basin quickly turned a light blue.
Then Chen Lan placed the six cleavers into the disinfectant solution to soak. As she placed them, she said, "Mother-in-law, look at the color of this disinfectant solution. When you mix it, the color cannot be lighter than this; it can be deeper, but not too deep. A color that is too deep means the concentration of the disinfectant solution is too high, which can burn your hands. Please remember this!"
Her mother-in-law nodded and said hurriedly, "Got it, got it. You all remember too!" She then looked at Lin Mai and Cui Qiao.
Lin Mai and Cui Qiao nodded repeatedly and said, "Got it!"
Chen Lan continued, "These cleavers only need to soak in the disinfectant solution for five to ten minutes. Here are six cleavers, so you can use them in rotation, which means you won't have to wait for the knives to be used. The potato seed pieces you cut should be placed in the snake-skin bags next to you, so I can move them later," she said, pointing to the snake-skin bags with her finger.
"Mother-in-law, Cui Qiao, Lin Mai, please come over and take a look. I'll demonstrate for you," she said. Then, holding a potato in her left hand and a cleaver in her right, she began to cut.
"Mother-in-law, Cui Qiao, Lin Mai, you see, when cutting the potato pieces, use the cleaver to cut longitudinally so that each piece has an eye. This will also promote potato sprouting and increase the potato yield."
Once the three of them were proficient in cutting potato seeds, Chen Lan put on her straw hat and left. She climbed onto the tractor, which was hot from the sun, and resumed her work of deep plowing and fine harrowing.
Chen Lan drove the tractor back and forth over these twenty mu of land countless times. One moment it was deep plowing, the next fine harrowing, and then building up the ridges. Finally, the land was almost prepared. She heard her mother-in-law calling, announcing that it was time for lunch. At that moment, Chen Lan found her mother-in-law's voice to be incredibly beautiful and pleasant to hear!
Chen Lan quickly drove the tractor to the shade, got out, took out the remaining four cases of sour plum juice from the system warehouse and placed them in the shade. She washed her hands with water from the basin and then quickly picked up a case of sour plum juice and hurried to where lunch was being served. She put down the sour plum juice, took a meat sandwich from the lunch basket, and took a bite. Because she ate too quickly, she choked! She hastily opened a box, took out a bottle of sour plum juice, and gulped it down. She finally revived! After taking a few bites and relieving her hunger, Chen Lan looked around at everyone. They were all very tired and had been severely sunburnt. The three little ones, Ming Zhe, Wen Kai, and Wen Qi, were especially exhausted, lying on the grass motionless. They even lost interest in the fragrant meat sandwiches! Chen Lan quickly took out three bottles of sour plum juice, opened them, and gave one to each of them to drink and cool down. Ming Zhe took the sour plum juice, drank several large gulps, and then weakly commented, "Now I truly understand the real meaning of 'Every grain counts'."