Potato harvest

[Greenthumb18]

:tools I just harvested my storage potatoes this past weekend. This season I planted Kennebec, German Butterball, and Rose Finn Fingerling.
I don't think my harvest was too bad this year definitely beats my last year's harvest. Last year wasn't a good year at all for potatoes I picked maybe 4 to 5 smaller than a golf ball size potatoes from 4 rows . I picked the most potatoes from Kennebec, whats really great about this variety is that its Late Blight resistant, which was important as every year my potato plants seem to suffer from blight, no blight this season.
I need to find a higher yielding variety of potato for next season and blight resistant if possible. I think I will plant Kennebec again, German Butterball didn't produce too many and my Rose Finn Fingerling also didn't produce a lot of potatoes. I'm just glad I have a few fingerlings to try, never tasted one before and I know people are saying they are the best tasting potatoes out there.

Theirs something though about picking potatoes that's so exciting, not knowing whats under all that soil. It is alot of fun to be able to find your dinner Does anyone brush the soil off their potatoes before putting them in storage? I always brush the soil off them its not a good idea to wash them off with water though.





Well, until next planting season, here's my potatoes I put in storage that I will enjoy through winter.

 

[digitS']

Lovely spuds, GT!



I may go back to growing Russet Burbanks after all these years. I'd still want as many varieties as makes sense in a small patch but there could be one that should be harvested really late for maximum storage life and pounds of production.

Shipping really adds to the price of seed potatoes and so I've gone with what is locally available. Russet Burbank is locally available and may be the only real late variety that is . . . Tho' it seems "the Idaho potato" could be left to the farmers and I could go with something a little less familiar .

I hope you enjoy every last bite of your potatoes, GT!

Steve

 

[lesa]

They look wonderful! Do try the fingerlings again. Ours grow like crazy! We have about 20 canned jars of them, ready for winter! I love digging potatoes- it is like looking for treasure! Enjoy your harvest!

 

[HappyHomestead]

Potatoes are so much fun Best crop I ever got I didn't even plant - didn't even know what it was till I pulled it up in the fall! After that I was hooked. Good job!

 

[retiredwith4acres]

We had the best potato harvest ever. I bet we dug about 15 bushel! Kennebec!

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

waaaaa ---- I wanted home grown potatoes and got a few golf balls instead.

 

[retiredwith4acres]

Well, I started harvesting our sweet potatoes today. After digging several plants I decided to wait until the first frost to finish. There were too many of them still just fingerling size. We had such a dry summer they need another month of growing. It might be another two weeks (if I am lucky) before our first frost. As long as they are dug by frost or immediately after the frost, they can stay to grow a little more. Some were perfect size but a few more days of growing can't hurt them.

 

[lesa]

I'm holding off on my sweets, too- retired. I am doing the dreaded barrel experiment, so I don't have my hopes up! Might as well give them a little extra time, as long as mother nature is cooperating!

 

[Mackay]

my potatoes got blight this year. From what Ive read it can be caused by too much overhead watering. Last year no problem but this year they did get more overhead watering due to the potato patchs location close to the other veggies.

Next year I will water them with a soaker hose and move them away from overhead watering. Still got lots of potatos though.

 

[GardenWeasel]

I was itching to start our sweet potato harvest too but after pulling one plant, way way too little. Stay away frost!