How to Harvest and Store Potatoes

Potatoes are actually a New World plant, but it took Irish immigrants to bring them to the attention of North Americans. Once dismissed as a commercial crop by all but the most avid gardeners, they're rapidly regaining popularity, especially as colorful new varieties become available.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Garden Hoses
• Gardening Gloves
• Shovels
• Spading Forks
• Shovels

1. Harvest new potatoes when the plants' vines start to flower.

2. Dig into the hill and pull out tubers, leaving some for later harvest.

3. Water well after harvesting to avoid stressing the plants.

4. Harvest mature potatoes when tops die and before the first frost. Dig under plants with a fork or shovel, taking care not to damage the tubers. Lift the plant, shake off the soil and pull potatoes from the vine.

5. Use new potatoes immediately. Use mature potatoes immediately or store in a cool, damp, dark place for three to six months.

Tips & Warnings

• Potatoes can be harvested in summer when they are quite small or left to mature for a fall harvest.
• Potatoes are generally stored raw and used for cooking. Keep them in a cold, dark location. They can also be canned, frozen or dried.

[tracysmith159]

on 6/10/2009 Will it hurt to not harvest the new potatoes? I put mine in a trash can and there is about 30 or 40 flowers sticking out. I think I put too many in the trash can. Anyhow I don't know how to dig out the new potatoes without hurting a few plants, so I rather just leave them until they all need harvest. Can I do that?

[arbitus]

on 4/26/2009 How to Harvest Potatoes1.Take 2.89 to Publix2.Go to the produce section and say,"I would like to harvest this bag of potatoes."3.You then take the bag of potatoes to the cashier, give them the 2.894. You go home and eat the potatoesThis is how you harvest potatoes

[Rainbow36]

on 9/20/2008 When storing potatoes, it's best not to wash them. Just leave the dirt on until you are ready to cook them.