The potatoes have been growing in the ground for about three months. Now the plants enter their dormant period - the potato leaves turn yellow, wither and finally wither. Now it's time to harvest the potatoes.

harvest time

The potato harvest begins in June with the digging up of the new potatoes. Mid-early potatoes will follow around the end of August. Late varieties can be harvested well into October.

signs of maturity

With mid-early and late potatoes, wait until the potato leaves have died. Then you carefully dig up a plant. If the potatoes come off easily and the skin of the tuber cannot be rubbed off with your fingers, the potato is ready to be harvested.

Important: If your potato plants show signs of blight, you should start harvesting the tubers immediately. This prevents the fungus from spreading to the tubers and the harvest is saved.

Harvest new potatoes

New potatoes are harvested when the cabbage is still green. After 60 days at the earliest you carefully dig up a tuber and rub your finger over the skin. The same applies here: if the skin stays firm, the potato is ripe. You can only store new potatoes for a few days.

Digging up the potatoes

To harvest the potatoes you need a digging fork, which protects the tubers from injury. Alternatively, you can use a special potato hoe or spade.

The digging fork is stuck into the ground next to the plant and applied like a lever. You then pull the potato plant out of the ground by the stalk. The tubers can be easily detached from the plant. You should also carefully dig up the soil around the plant, potatoes are also hiding here.

Potatoes don't have to be harvested all at once. As long as they are well covered with soil, they can remain in the ground for some time. You can let the soil dry out on the bed to make it easier for the soil to separate from the tubers. The potato tops are disposed of in the compost.

Sort potatoes

  • Potatoes with green spots are discarded. They contain the poisonous solanine and are neither edible nor usable as fodder.
  • Potatoes with brown spots are also discarded
  • Approx. 3 cm large tubers you can use as seed potatoes for the next
    put back year
  • Potatoes that were damaged during harvest should be eaten immediately

How to properly store potatoes

Potatoes are best stored in a dark room, this prevents green spots from forming. A ventilated cellar with temperatures between 4 and 8 degrees Celsius is ideal. Warmth (which promotes nucleation) and frost (which converts the starch into sugar) are undesirable.

Potato trays, crates or airy vegetable crates are suitable for storage. Buckets or plastic containers are unsuitable. You always have to sort out rotting potatoes.

tips and tricks

After the potato weed has died, you should wait about 3 weeks before harvesting. Then the skin can be firmer and the potato can be stored longer.

Category:

Vegetable garden