potatoe harvesting

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When do I harvest my potatoes. They have flowered and begin to look puny. I don't want to disturb the roots if there is a certain time to wait after the bloom fall of.Thanks,Ada

-- Aagje Franken (Backyard@AOL.com), July 09, 2000

Answers

If they have already bloomed, you've got potatoes. Use a stick or your fingers and dig around under one plant. At the very least you should have some small new potatoes(which are perfect for steaming with garlic and butter!) Where are you located? I am in NE Oklahoma and we will probably dig ours this week.

-- Mona (jascamp@ipa.net), July 09, 2000.

Aagje, Mona's right, you've got new (small) potatoes now. As for harvesting, anytime between now and when the ground freezes hard. Just keep watering them. The potatoes you dig now won't keep well, if you want them for this winter you'll need to try preserving them somehow. Fall-dug potatoes are naturally ready to sit out the winter months and will keep in a cool dark place for months. As next spring approaches, they won't be much for eating, but as long as they were healthy this year, you can plant what ever is left for next year's crop. Gerbil

-- Gerbil (ima_gerbil@hotmail.com), July 09, 2000.

I thought I got all the potatoes out of the ground last year but guess I missed a few! The good news is that they reestablished themselves and I have a lovely potato patch this year, with no work. (It sounds too good to be true...hope they aren't all buggy!)We are just getting flowers now, so I will be harvesting some new spuds soon. What a wonderful food!

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), July 11, 2000.

Sheepish: I, too, thought I had gotten all the potatoes out last fall, but even after tilling the area three times, there are at least 50 or more volunteer plants thriving, in nice neat rows! I think I will just plant them in the fall this year, and mark the rows, then see what happens. They are doing just as well as the ones I planted this spring. Can't wait to dig some! Jan

-- Jan in Colorado (Janice12@aol.com), July 14, 2000.

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