Irish Potatoes: When to harvest

[mensplace]

I have never really grown many potatoes, but this year have several varieties growing. Most flowered about three weeks ago (some did produce little, round seed pods), but the tops are still lush and green. Everything I have read said to wait a few weeks after the tops have died back to allow the skins to harden, but there are still no signs of the tops even beginning to die back. I planted most of them last January and the tops are now well over three feet long. I would love to have the space back, but don't want my haste to ruin the months of waiting. On the other hand, there are so many other summer crops that need the space. Should I pull a plant, or do I still have to anticipate another month or so?

[kath]

Usually, when the plant flowers, you already have harvestable tubers. You can check to see what you have by reaching in the dirt and checking. I often 'rob' each plant of a potato or two for a meal and let it keep growing. Hardening the skin is only important if you are going to be storing the potatoes for many months. When you harvest, let the taters sit in the sun for a couple hours to dry, but they should keep for a couple months if kept cool even if the plants haven't died back. Different varieties mature at different rates (60 to over 100 days) but the fact that the vines are that long and have flowered that long ago means you have some tubers now. If you wait, you will get bigger potatoes and more of useable size. You can dig up a plant on the end of a row rather easily to anticipate what your harvest will be like, and if you are happy with the amount of potatoes you see, make room for your next crop. I'm not a tater expert, but have grown our own potatoes for 25 years.

[Lee]

Thanks for that feedback Kath. And thanks also to mensplace for asking the same
question I was wondering myself!

My taters were planted in Feb. so I guess I still have another few weeks to go.
Which is OK as I plan to replace these with sweet potatoes, and I'm just getting
the slips ready now.

What varieties do you grow? I've got the standard Yukon Gold, Red Pontiac, and Kennebec growing.

Lee

[hillbillyBob]

good anwser glad you ask so I don't have too. This is the first time in over 30 years I have planted potatoes.I'm trying to see how this 100 pounds of potatoes in 4 squire feet works sinple little project I guess. plants are looking good so far

[mensplace]

Thanks for the guidance Kath. I have every variety that I could find in the many large international markets from around Atlanta including reds, whites, yellow, and fingerlings. Most went under compost and straw before or by January, so I was thinking that they had been growing for a long time, but they really didn't begin to produce much green growth until early in March, but that is still three months. Most began blossoming a month ago, but none have shown any signs of wilting or turning brown, all are still very green and healthy with no insect presence. Somehow, I had it in my mind that they would start to wither immediately after blossoming. Waiting for that withering, with an additional three weeks for "hardening" would surely take up a lot of precious time and space. On the other hand, it would be a shame to pull them too soon ...IF the additional time in the ground would add much to their final size and storage ability. Here, with the hot and humid summers, it is mighty hard to store potatoes for long anyway and the two of us can only eat so much. However, if hardening does play a major role in their keeping qualities, it would be an easy way to see what has done best and keep some good seed stock for fall planting.

[kath]

Mensplace,
I'm not familiar with the ins & outs of growing potatoes in a warm climate, as we only have one potato season up here. I plant many early, according to many (early March), including Red Norland, Red Pontiac, Yukon Gold and Adirondak Red; but then in early May, usually put in Kennebec, Green Mountain, more Yukon Gold and sometimes fingerlings, Superior, and/or Katahdin in hopes of having some store later in the fall for me.
Some of the earlier varieties also store really well, so if you want to get them in and out more quickly, plant some of those types in Jan. (or as early as you dare) and they could hold until your later planting is ready. I don't know how long you have in the spring and fall to grow them. There is a lot of good potato info on-line. What used to be Ronniger's has good info on their site about planting, culture and variety descriptions. Let me know if you'd like me to check some other places for you.