Ah , potatoes . The humble of vegetables . I grow them every class even though I have a comparatively diminished garden space . I find a way to make way for potatoes . My harvest is hit or miss , depending on the year , but it ’s always lovely to see the plants grow . The leaf fills up the garden quickly , and the flowers appeal pollinator .
My first metre turn potatoes , I took tubers from my parent ’s cupboard that were starting to sprout and put them in piles of soil in empty recycling bins . The blue binful rapidly overflowed with Solanum tuberosum plant leaves , and I was empower with a arresting spectacle . They rise better than anything else in my garden .
When I glean the small potatoes ( small , mostly , because I was too impatient and inexperienced to realise I was digging them up too early on ) , I was hooked . Who live a potato could taste so buttery , so complex , and so rich ?
Even though Irish potato do n’t cost a whole lot at the supermarket , I ’m still force to mature them . There ’s nothing more exciting than harvest home Solanum tuberosum . It ’s a literal treasure hunt as you lunge your hands into the dirt to search for the hard one shot tubers . Each underground breakthrough is a magic instant . It ’s the one garden task that I like to rope non - gardener into , because who does n’t enjoy finding out of sight atomic number 79 ?
But there ’s more to harvest potatoes than but toss around dirt to find the carb - loaded stone . hollow too shortly , and you ’ll give better yield . Wait too long , and frost might induce the fruits of your labor to rot underground . If you ’re wondering when to harvest potatoes , you ’ve come to the right place .
Types of Potatoes
Potatoes are classified fit in to their maturity date date . There are three primary types of potatoes : early , mid - season , and late - season . Regardless of the kind of potato you ’re plant , potatoes favor cool weather and you should plant them early in the time of year .
Most potato suppliers send out seeded player potatoes according to a agenda that hold into account your specific realm ’s last frost particular date . If Mother Nature is being uncooperative , stick those seed potatoes in the fridge for good keeping .
Avoid engraft any multifariousness of tater too early . Eagerness will only ensue in a lamentable mess of rotted potato carcasses .
When to Harvest Potatoes
While the maturity date range for each variety show you plant is an splendid guideline for when it may be time to harvest your potatoes , it ’s not the only way of life to work out out when it ’s clip to pull out up your tubers . conditions and other factor may recreate a part in extending or bowdlerize the growing time required before harvest .
Why is project out when to harvest potatoes such a vulgar dilemma for gardener ? I imagine it ’s because white potato are a mystery until you pull them up . Even with plenty of foliage , you have no definite way to know what ’s live on underground . vex the roots is not an option , so instead , we furiously Google to encounter the resolution . With that in mind , here ’s a rough guide to what you’re able to anticipate :
How Do I Know When to Harvest Potatoes?
All the rocky guidelines in the public ca n’t tell you for certain when it ’s clip to harvest your crop . That ’s why it ’s important to have it off what to look for . First , what sort of tater are we talking about ? If it ’s early summer and your late - time of year murphy are conk over , it ’s not likely that they ’re quick for harvesting . You may have another outcome on your hand like disease or a pest infestation .
If the timing is proper , you ’ll know it ’s time to start grasp when your white potato vine plants start turning brown and go bad over .
If you ’re still not sure ? It ’s fine to dig a piece to take a peek . Just be conservative . I once decided to dig up all my potato plants because I was so excited to rule a reasonably sized genus Tuber when I did a exam dig . It turns out , that was a fluke potato , and I was leave disappointed . I should have leave the plant alone for a big harvest .
Note that late - time of year potatoes are typically larger than former and mid - season variety . sense detached to dig up a few little taters as soon as they ’re big enough . Be gentle when apprehend them up so you may set back the plant so other tubers may continue to get for late harvesting .
Do Flowers Mean It’s Okay to Start Digging?
The beautiful fragile blooms that dot potato plants are one of my favourite parts of growing potatoes . However , their appearing does n’t think it ’s necessarily time to start bone a excavator into the earth .
On the other deal , with early time of year potatoes , flowers may be a star sign that your tuber are almost ready for grind . You may be able-bodied to dig up a few new potatoes for fresh feeding .
I Found a Green Potato, Does This Mean it’s Still Growing?
Green murphy have been expose to sunlight and should be discarded as they contain venomous compounds that should not be consumed .
My Potato Plants Looked So Healthy and I Dug Them Up to Find No Potatoes. What Happened?
You may have extra nitrogen in the territory , or you could have render your potato plant with too much plant food . Too much N termination in beautiful verdure , but tuber maturation is sacrificed .
A lack of tubers may also be a sign that the grunge is not white potato vine - friendly . jumpy stain may produce deformed Tuber or a minuscule crop . If neither of these sounds like possibilities , you may have your timing wrong . Patience is substantive when it comes to growing tater !
How Do I Harvest Potatoes?
GENTLY . Too rocky and you might go against the pelt of even boneheaded - skinned varieties . This step on it spoiling . Everyone has unlike methods that they prefer , but my favorite is to dig around with gloved hands search for what ’s veil under the ground .
You could also dump out your crapper or containers to easily discern tubers . If the dry land is loose enough , taste to pull up whole plants to reveal the organisation of root and Tuber .
I wish to make it a fun activity and invite others to dig along with me . It ’s an activity I imagine would be plenty occupy for nipper .
Avoid using sharp - inch tools for run for mature potatoes to prevent piercing their skin .
How Do I Store Potatoes?
Non - storage potatoes are best consume quickly after harvesting and keep well for a week in a cool dark spot ( I like keep mine in the electric refrigerator because in the summertime my home is much too tender ) .
grind up new potatoes to eat fresh , since the thin skin of these other harvested tubers are not suited for computer memory .
If you ’re harvesting storage potatoes , which have characteristically thick skin , eat the damage 1 first . you may leave tuber in the ground until you ’re quick to wipe out them , but do n’t await too long as they may rot or get stuck in the ground if a frost occurs .
repositing potatoes last longer in the ground but do n’t hold back too long to pull them . The dead foliage may draw pests and disease . consume any damage spud first since they ’ll be the first to spoil .
Once you ’ve harvested your certain - to - be tasty tuber , clean them off with a soft , teetotal brush or cloth . Do n’t use water . stash away them in an area that ’s cool and dark and away from things like onions which give out gas which can cause potato to cosset .
Tocure potatoes , they must be prevent between 45 - 60 ° farad for a couple of week . After the hardening is complete , potatoes should be stored in cool temperatures of about 40 ° F . Do n’t expose them to get down and hit any tuber that finger soft or schmalzy .
Was this article helpful?
What went wrong?
This article contains wrong entropy
This article does not have the information I am looking for
How can we improve it?
We appreciate your helpful feedback!
Your answer will be used to meliorate our content . The more feedback you give us , the well our page can be .
