What does it mean when your...

[Purple Strawberry]

Potato plants start to flower? And how do you know when they are ready to be dug up?

 

[2468Gardeningisgr8]

What I would do is let them flower and when the plant starts to turn yellow and die back I would start checking for potato's....but once again thats me....plus i leave them in the ground and get them when i need them for supper before the ground starts to freeze then i remove them and put them in the cellar
Your doing fine...

 

[vfem]

Mine have already flowered... and the flowers are falling off now... I am waiting for them to turn yellow and start to die back. I was told to wait around 2 weeks after the vines die back.

I would assume I could pick 'NEW' potatoes now.... but if I want to store them for long periods I have to wait longer.

So I'm trying to be patient, but I am craving potatoes.... like twice baked potatoes with lots of cheese and sour cream!!! mmmmm

 

[Purple Strawberry]

Thanks for the answers. They sure did grow fast. Hopefully I will have a good crop. We will see...


:rainbow-sun

 

[digitS']

As Vfem said, new potatoes may be available to you. But, you do have to weigh the temptation with the prospect of storage potatoes.

I've been told by a potato scientist - really, truly - that "sneaking" new potatoes stresses the plant sufficiently that it will only make a little more production before finishing its season. She said that one may as well pull the entire plant and enjoy the new potatoes.

Or, leave it alone and be patient . . .

Honestly, if there are peas to enjoy creamed with the new potatoes, I can't resist taking up a plant or 2 .

Steve

 

[big brown horse]

Good to know about sneaking, thank you!

 

[sparkles2307]

yeah what they said. You need to be sure to water them profusely during the flowering time to get more/better taters.

We start poking our fingers in the dirt at the base of the plant about 2 weeks after they flower and sneak tatoes steady till the plants die in the fall and then do a big dig-up and still have plenty for winter! Of course, one of the 2 gardens in nothing but tatoes and onions so we have a lot to begin with...

 

[vfem]

I see new potatoes at the farm stand down the road.... they are growing storage potatoes too. They pull a row of new potatoes skip a row for storage potatoes and so on! They will replant ALL of them for a fall harvest which will be 100% storage potatoes. I was thinking to just harvest all mine now as new potatoes and worry about letting my next batch just fully mature.... but I want these potatoes IF I have enough last for my summer BBQ's.... and when I throw BBQ's and parties... I throw PARTIES!!!

Besides.... I will have 25-30 people to feed at my dad's 60th birthday I'm throwing here in July. Pretty pricey party as its all on my brother and I to pay for!

Anyways wanna ship me extras from their garden to help out?! hehhehehe

 

[Purple Strawberry]

I will think about it.