How soon can "new" potatoes be harvested?

[digitS']

Circumstances are working against me in the potato patch.

The weather with its 2 days of rain has interfered with me getting some fertilizer on them.

Once I've put down the fertilizer, I'd like to mulch the plants with compost. That may be a problem this year. I don't have enuf compost! So . . . .

I can take some soil from the bed beside the spuds and transfer it over to do the mulching/hilling. Problem there is that it still has some bok choy transplants that I moved out of the hoop house, ever so long ago. Could just pull the ones remaining and go ahead and plant the bush beans I want in there (after shoveling off some soil) but I've already got an entire bed of beans planted! Shoot, I want to wait until July to plant more/most of the beans!

See, I'm thinking out-loud . . . Where am I going to get some soil to replace the compost that I don't have so that the spuds can be mulched/hilled? Do you ever have this problem? Standing in the middle of the garden and saying, "Where am I going to find some dirt?!!"

Steve

 

[Gardening with Rabbits]

That is my problem and no room. We have all these compost bins, but they have not finished, so DH made a pile for partly finished compost and starts more because of the rabbit bedding and droppings needing to be composted. The half finished compost did really well when we started a couple of new boxes. It went on the bottom and then we had some finished compost and some dirt from the box that was moved. That was about April and then waited until the sweet potatoes arrived and the dirt is unreal and huge fat worms, but I am afraid to side dress with this unfinished compost. I am worried about the wood chips not all the way broke down. I need some compost and I am not sure when the peas or potatoes will get finished because I want to start some fall crops.

 

[catjac1975]

I have flowers on my potatoes. I will check tonight . Usually once they have flowers there are new potatoes ready to eat!

 

[897tgigvib]

Digit, sounds like time to start a mount rotmore like canesister's mountain. Call all the lawn mower guys, make deals with dishwashers and cooks at local cafes, Put up signs saying "dump your raked leaves right here" with arrows and notes...

After it gets tall enough, hopefully before skiing season, build your makeshift ski lifts to go up mt rotmore and rent skis. As an added cash maker, build a Rotmore Salloon at the base of the mountain and offer after skiing specials.

By next spring take it all down and VOYLA! mt rotmore turns into garden soil! But hurry, don't dawdle, because you can do it all again next year only you'll be able to hire a crew while you go on a caribean cruise!

 

[Major_Fawcett]

I have some potatoes in my garden outside and the stalks are 4' tall. I first dug a 6" ditch when I planted them then once the stalks were 8" tall I added a dirt mound to it about 7"-8" high. I have not mounded since. They already had flowers but I heard to wait until late fall to harvest if you want good sized potatoes. Am I right? If not please let me know so my crop is not a waste. Thanks.

Major Fawcett

 

[digitS']

Major Fawcett, I learned a new word after beginning to grow potatoes again: "senescence."

It just means "aging" but horticulturalists use it for plants, leaves and such. The potato plant ages and seems to do it on its own cycle. The idea that you should wait until fall for some varieties is a good one. For other varieties, they would be dry dead leaves and stems. The tubers may even have begun to sprout and grow a 2nd time.

Of course, you can enjoy "new potatoes" and that is what Marshall is talking about here. Or, you can wait until the tubers are fully developed. The plants will pretty much let you know when they are finished growing. If there is a frost, the above-ground portion of the plant will die quickly but the plant may begin to die back weeks before frost. I am sure that some gardeners think something is wrong but it is just the normal senescence of the potato plants of that variety.

Steve

 

[Major_Fawcett]

Major Fawcett, I learned a new word after beginning to grow potatoes again: "senescence."

It just means "aging" but horticulturalists use it for plants, leaves and such. The potato plant ages and seems to do it on its own cycle. The idea that you should wait until fall for some varieties is a good one. For other varieties, they would be dry dead leaves and stems. The tubers may even have begun to sprout and grow a 2nd time.

Of course, you can enjoy "new potatoes" and that is what Marshall is talking about here. Or, you can wait until the tubers are fully developed. The plants will pretty much let you know when they are finished growing. If there is a frost, the above-ground portion of the plant will die quickly but the plant may begin to die back weeks before frost. I am sure that some gardeners think something is wrong but it is just the normal senescence of the potato plants of that variety.

Steve

Thank you Steve

 

[catjac1975]

I dug 2 flowering potato plants tonight for dinner. All were small and delicious. It was enough for two for dinner. You can also push the plants over and away form the plants that they are shading. If I did not have a lot it would be wasteful-but I have overplanted.

 

[bj taylor]

strange vocabulary happening on this thread; senescence, grabbling, groveling, peeking under skirts; and the humble potato is the source of it all - who knew?

 

[Major_Fawcett]

I'm just curious. If my potato plant is shading my carrots can I cut the stalks lower without hurting the potato plants?

Major