In our country, potatoes are as much in demand as bread, so almost everyone who has a summer cottage and even a small kitchen garden seeks to plant it with this vegetable. Of course, you always want to get the maximum result at minimum cost, which means that the choice of cultivated varieties should be approached with the utmost responsibility. One of the worthy options to use is considered to be the early Zhukovsky potato, the description of which gives gardeners the hope of obtaining a bountiful harvest quickly. Let's look at its characteristics more closely.
Variety description
When describing this variety, one should pay attention not only to the fruits obtained as a result of cultivation, but also to the shoots, since they also have their own characteristics of appearance. 
Shoots
The shrubs of the Zhukovsky early potato are characterized by medium size, with a rather large, slightly pubescent foliage of dark green color. On strongly dissected leaf plates streaks are clearly visible.
About a month after disembarking on the bushes, red-purple flowers with a white finish are formed, which are collected in inflorescences (flowering is quite rare, but simultaneous).
Check out also such varieties of potatoes as "Blue", "Queen Anna", "Good Luck", "Rosara", "Gala", "Irbitsky", "Adretta".There are few stems in the bush, but they consist of many branches.
The main distinguishing feature of the variety is the absence of fruit on the above-ground part of the potato. 
Fruit
Potato tubers - this is exactly for the sake of what the plant is grown, and the more they are, the better. The variety will not disappoint you, since both the appearance and the taste characteristics of the fruits of Zhukovsky early have a rather high attractiveness.
Pink, with small eyes, the tubers have a rounded-oval shape and a thin, smooth skin under which lies the delicate white flesh. A rather curious fact in the description is that the potatoes do not darken when cut.
Did you know? The potato came to Europe thanks to the monk Neronim Kordan, who brought it here in 1580. Though people avoided plants for a long time, believing that it causes incurable diseases, over time (around the 18th century) they got used to it and no longer represented the dining table without this tuber.On selected fruits for planting, it is easy to notice the heavily pubescent sprouts of red-purple color, up to one centimeter long. But what is hidden from prying eyes is the content of starch inside the tubers, which does not exceed 10%.
It must be said that such a value favorably affected the taste characteristics of fruits: they are much tastier and more satisfying than the result of the cultivation of later varieties. The average weight of one potato is about 100-150 g.Characteristic variety
The originator of the potato Zhukovsky Early is the State Scientific-Research Institute of the Potato Farm named after A.G. Lorch. Thanks to the efforts of local breeders managed to get a plant that is much faster than the rest brings the crop.
Fruits of table purpose are successfully processed into crisp and have a great taste in any form. Moreover, their formation is stretched in time, so you can gradually dig up potatoes during the entire period of its ripening.
During the growing season, the lateral shoots of plants spread apart in different directions, so that with a certain planting method (for example, using straw), several potatoes can be obtained without even digging up the whole shrub. 
Usually from one seed fruit from the first reproduction is obtained about 4-5 kg of a new crop.
The Zhukovsky Early variety can boast of good resistance to the effects of many typical pests and diseases: it is much less likely to be affected by scab, potato nematode and not so often suffer from rhizoctonia.
Botva and tubers of a plant are often affected by late blight, and in some cases bacterioses, to which they are moderately resistant.
Important! The described potato variety tolerates frosts better than others, which is why it is recommended to be planted with the arrival of the first heat, and fast ripening allows you to successfully grow a plant not only in the regions of the middle belt, but also beyond the Urals.Zhukovsky Early is widely distributed in Ukraine, and is also cultivated in the Central, North-Western, North-Caucasian, Lower Volga and some other regions of the Russian Federation.
Two months after planting the planting material of potatoes, it is possible to get 10-12 tons of commercial tubers per hectare, and during the final digging this value increases to 40-45 t / ha. All potatoes have an attractive appearance and their commodity qualities are estimated at 92%.Advantages and disadvantages
Each variety has its advantages and disadvantages; however, when choosing the Zhukovsky Early for planting potatoes, you will see that it has comparatively more advantages. The valuable qualities of the plant include:
- abundant yields with high quality fruits with different cultivation methods;
- good level, frost, drought and shade resistance;
- the possibility of early collection of tubers, due to their rapid maturation;
- good taste characteristics, especially when preparing young fruits.
Important! If you do not remove the fruit from the garden in a timely manner, they will lose their flavor properties, with which, perhaps, some contradictory opinions of the gardeners regarding the taste of Zhukovsky early are connected.
Features of growing
A good end result of growing potatoes of this variety depends on the correct preparation of the tubers for planting. They are placed in boxes in several rows, placed in bags or simply left in a greenhouse, poured in a heap and covered with foil.
Learn about potato cultivation using Dutch technology, under straw, in bags.For germination to succeed, the temperature near the tubers must be between + 4 ° C and + 20 ° C, without deviating from these values. If you decide to use the mound option, do not make it too high and arrange diffused lighting over it.
When germinating in the room, planting material is regularly moistened and turned over, and diffused lighting is achieved by covering the tubers with a white cloth or paper.
In addition, when moistening fruits, they must be disinfected using for this purpose a solution of potassium permanganate (such treatments are carried out every 6 days). 
A sign of readiness for landing on the soil will be centimeter sprouts on the tubers, but if the weather outside does not allow them to be planted in open soil yet, they can safely spend a few more weeks in shelter.
Did you know? Before the mass distribution of potatoes in the open spaces of Russia, local residents grew another root crop - turnip, although rutabaga was often encountered along with it.According to the experience of many summer residents, germinated planting material is capable of forming a greater number of shoots, which means that the harvest will be more abundant, if, of course, you did not lower the temperature in the room with them to a level below + 2 ° C.
If the tubers are planted in the first half of May, then the result can be expected approximately in the middle of July, but in this case the fruits still continue to form, and when excavated, they will not be large. 
If you are not in a hurry, then wait another month and then the harvest will be pleased with really impressive size. On average, from the moment of planting to the collection of the first fruits, about 60-65 days pass.
In short, despite the fact that the potato variety Zhukovsky Early is early ripe, in order to get a good harvest, proper preparation of planting material, regular watering of plantings (in the hot period every evening) and timely removal of all pests are necessary.
In order to accelerate the development of planted tubers, especially during early planting, the area with plantings can be covered with agrofibre, which will protect young seedlings from unexpected frosts, and will contribute to an increase in the temperature of the soil. With increasing temperature indicators shelter removed.
Growing Zhukovsky potato varieties on your plot will not take more time than caring for any other variety, but the end result is usually much higher.
