When can you dig up young potatoes after flowering for storage?

Early potatoes are a great time to enjoy in the summer, as last year's harvest has lost all of its flavor and appeal. Choosing the right potato variety and following proper planting practices will help you harvest new potatoes and enjoy the fruits as early as June.

The main potato harvest period is the beginning of the fall season. However, even experienced gardeners cannot determine the exact time to harvest potatoes, as a number of factors can influence the timing. Depending on climate conditions, the specific potato variety, and the planting period, the flowering and ripening times of the tubers can vary. Thus, the readiness of potatoes for harvest is determined only after a careful examination of the root crop and an assessment of the soil condition. Agronomic practice conducted in our region, in the Moscow region, shows that the appropriate time for harvesting potatoes can be calculated based on several factors.

When do potatoes stop flowering? Signs of potato flowering ending

You can determine the final stage, when potatoes finish flowering and the early harvest is ready to be dug up, by the following distinctive signs:

• The potato bushes have already finished blooming.
• Berries have started to grow on the potato stems.
• The growth of the tops has stopped.
• Potato tubers are significantly smaller in size than mature potatoes.
• The depth of the tubers under the yellowed leaves reaches up to 20 cm.

After the potatoes have finished flowering, you can set the time for digging them up.

When can I dig up potatoes? Determining the timing for digging up new potatoes after they've flowered.

There are several external factors that can help you determine whether new potatoes are ready to be dug. Every experienced gardener knows that the following indicators are essential to consider first:

• Appearance of tubers

After the new potatoes have completed the budding stage (they've blossomed), tubers begin to emerge. Once they reach 5 cm in size, you can start thinking about digging up the plants.

It is important to dig up young potatoes in time, without missing the moment when the root crop has already entered the stage of a regular potato.

Interestingly, potato flavor can depend on specific crop care methods used—the choice of fertilizer and mineral fertilizer, pest control, irrigation schedule and intensity, water purity, and soil temperature. It's also important to dig potato beds regularly, monitoring changes in the condition of the plants and soil.

When should you dig up new potatoes?

During the potato flowering period, it's important to estimate how long it will take to begin digging the beds. Typically, the time from when the potatoes bloom until digging is 14-20 days. The appearance of the dug-up potatoes can be a good indicator of the harvest: if the potatoes have grown to a decent size, the harvest will be bountiful.

Since the tubers will continue to grow for about 30 days, it's important to avoid mechanical damage to the planting when digging. It's recommended to dig around the sides of the bed.

Gardening is impossible without making mistakes—excessive haste or, conversely, delaying any necessary potato care procedures can add a peculiar flavor to the potatoes after cooking or change the consistency of the dish, making them watery. But only through experience, trial and error, can one achieve good results in growing and harvesting new potatoes.

• Conditions of potato tubers

You can determine whether new potatoes are ready for harvest by digging up a single potato plant from the garden. The size and number of tubers will indicate how ready the root crop is for harvest.

Gardeners recommend assessing the soil condition when choosing the first potato to dig. If the topsoil of the bed's ridge is cracked, this indicates the tuber is ready to harvest. This occurs because the potato, as it grows, pushes apart the layer of soil that has been rolled over it, creating cracks.

The firmness and thickness of a potato's skin can also indicate the root vegetable's readiness for harvesting. In summer, potato skins are less firm. However, depending on the variety, the skin can behave differently—peeling off when rubbed or remaining firm. Therefore, relying on this indicator is only useful for assessing a few potato plants.

• Conditions of a plant according to its above-ground part

A telltale sign that young potatoes are ready to be dug up is yellowed and dried-out leaves. However, it's important to keep in mind that stem discoloration or drying can also occur for a number of other reasons, such as excess nitrogen in the soil.

It is also not recommended to rely on this feature as the main one, since potato beds are often planted from different varieties, which means that flowering and ripening of root crops will occur at different times.

Experienced gardeners advise not to wait until the tops are completely dry—the desired wilting rate is one-seventh of the entire planting. If you wait too long to dig up the tubers, you risk getting dull and soft potatoes that were left waiting for harvest in conditions of insufficient moisture.

Digging up young potatoes should be done gradually, removing the tubers in several batches.

How to dig potatoes properly? Technical aspects of digging up new potatoes

To minimize damage to potato tubers during digging, remove any weeds from the beds when mowing the tops. This approach will create clearer rows, and any remaining vegetation will no longer interfere with the potato harvest.

The tops should be trimmed back, leaving a 10 cm gap from the stem, waiting a day or two before shoveling. These stubby growths will help you more accurately locate the plant, and the residual nutrients will further nourish the potato tubers during this time. Mowing the above-ground portion of the plant also reduces the risk of potential infection.

However, pre-cutting is not necessary if the garden plot is not very large. If the potato planting area extends over several acres, it's better to use a walk-behind tractor to remove weeds and dig up the tubers rather than traditional tools like a shovel and pitchfork.

What are the methods for harvesting potatoes?

Potato harvesting is carried out using potato harvesters or potato diggers according to several possible technological schemes:

1. Using direct harvesting technology

The tubers are dug up by separating them from the soil and root crop stems. They are then loaded into transport and transported to a specialized potato processing facility.

2. Using the technique of separate combining

The potato rows are dug up and then stacked for drying using a potato harvester-swather. Once the tubers are dry, the potato skins become firmer, and the roots themselves are ready for harvesting. By using separate and combined techniques, potato harvesting is much faster.

3. Combined method

The use of combined technology involves combining potato harvesting methods using specialized machines that extract the tubers from the ground, and harvesting the crop manually after the tubers have dried.

How to properly store new potatoes after harvesting them? Tips and recommendations

Before you begin harvesting potatoes, it's worth considering how and under what conditions the harvested crop will be dried and stored, as well as how long you plan to store the potatoes.

There are two ways to properly store potatoes:

1. The harvest can be left in the field. However, this method is only suitable for sandy soils, where the dug-up potatoes are already practically dry and clean, requiring only a light airing in the open air. When choosing this storage method, it's important to consider the possibility of changing weather conditions, ensuring the tubers are protected from rain or scorching sun.
2. Most gardeners still prefer to use the second option for drying and storing potatoes, placing the harvest in sheds, storing potatoes under a canopy, or in a garage.

The typical time frame for the tubers to lose any remaining dirt and the skin to become dry is just one or two days. Next, the potatoes are carefully sorted by size. Large and medium-sized potatoes are typically used for cooking, while smaller potatoes are used as livestock feed.

It is important to maintain a certain temperature regime when storing potatoes., Place the well-dried harvest in a cloth bag to prevent it from rotting. New potatoes should not be stored for too long and should be eaten immediately.

https://youtu.be/aRVpDylefZA

Gardeners' Experience: Reviews and Recommendations for Planting and Digging New Potatoes

To ensure a bountiful and high-quality harvest of young potatoes, experienced gardeners offer the following recommendations:

"I always make furrows for future beds in the fall, so that by spring the soil is already prepared for planting new potatoes. This way, the soil warms up faster, and all the microorganisms it contains begin working sooner."

"In addition to fertilizers and mineral supplements, when planting potatoes, I also add ash to the soil, which is a source of calcium, phosphorus, and beneficial microelements for the soil."

"To preserve the quality of the future harvest and eliminate pest beetles, I use a solution of potassium permanganate and soapy water at a ratio of 0.1 g per 10 liters."

"I choose the specific time to dig potatoes based on the weather—a sunny, clear day creates excellent conditions. Digging potatoes with minimal damage to the tubers is less likely to happen when the air temperature is high."

Timely fertilizing and a properly established watering schedule for potatoes will allow every gardener to enjoy a high-quality and tasty harvest early in the summer. Gradually digging up the roots will provide a long-lasting supply of potatoes, which will delight not only the grower but also their loved ones.