How Do You Know When Potatoes Are Ready to Pick
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Knowing when to harvest potatoes is based on whether they're an early murphy or maincrop, time in the ground, and what happens to their foliage and flowers
I of the easiest edibles to start off with is the humble potato. They're relatively low-maintenance, tin can help cultivate the soil, and volition also suppress any weeds that endeavour to compete with them. They're also very fun to dig up and eat! But when are potatoes ready to harvest? This is probably the most taken for granted kitchen gardening cognition you'll find. Seasoned gardeners will 'only know' when the plant is ready. When you're just starting out it'southward a bit of a caput-scratcher.
The reply lies in which type you've planted. The vast bulk available will fit into the categories of 'First Early on', '2nd Early', and 'Maincrop'. Read on to know what to wait for when it's time to harvest potatoes.
First Earlies
In my stance, the all-time blazon of spud to grow is one that fits into the 'Start Early' category. These include the Red Duke of York, Lady Christl, Arran Airplane pilot, and scores more than. This year I've grown Pentland Javelin which is a blazon that matures slightly later than other Kickoff Earlies.
'Starting time Earlies' are one of the earliest garden crops to mature. You found them from St Patricks Twenty-four hour period to mid-March and then dig them upward around 10-12 weeks later. Typically from June to July simply sometimes before. They're piece of cake to grow, don't tend to suffer blight, sense of taste tender and delicious, and fun to dig up in early summer.
Look for spud flowers
The way you tend to know that start earlies are ready is by their flowers. Early potatoes more often than not produce flower buds that sometimes blossom and sometimes don't. It's fourth dimension to dig up your tender, homegrown potatoes when the buds drop or the flowers that practice bloom begin to fade. Another good indication is seeing unopened blossom buds dropping from the plant. At this indicate, the leaves will still be dark-green but some will begin fading to yellow. The potatoes from earlies will be well-nigh the size of an egg with skins and then tender that they'll melt in your mouth.
If you lot're not certain nearly if they're ready, gently dig effectually a found and look for potatoes. If they're the size of an egg or larger, you tin start harvesting. First earlies left in the footing will proceed to grow. That means that if you're non quite sure if they're ready to harvest, but leave them in a little while longer. Not all early on potatoes are great for storing but some are, so do your research before you purchase potato varieties.
Second Earlies
Potatoes that autumn into the 'Second Early' category include Nicola, Maris Peer, Jazzy, and Kestrel. They differ only in one way from first earlies — they mature about three weeks later.
Every bit for planting times, you can get them in the ground at the aforementioned time as first earlies but information technology'due south better to expect. The traditional day to plant them in most of the UK (zone 7-8) is the first day of spring, in late March. Just think nigh information technology, if you plant them at least 2 weeks later your starting time earlies and so the harvests are staggered by five weeks. That gives you time to eat your get-go crop before some other massive harvest is set.
Use the same indications for harvest as first earlies and look for blossom drib. By the way, how gorgeous are potato flowers? They come in all dissimilar colors and potatoes were really grown in Europe as ornamentals before they were grown every bit food crops.
Maincrop Potatoes
Recollect of a massive blistering tater and it'southward virtually likely a maincrop, sometimes called storing potatoes. Varieties in the Great britain include Cara, King Edward, Pinkish Fir Apple, and Purple Majesty. In the U.s., they'll be Russet varieties.
Maincrop potatoes are planted at the aforementioned fourth dimension or up to a calendar month later as second early on potatoes. They need a lot more fourth dimension to grow — about xx weeks. Over the summertime they swell and grow resulting in harvests large in both size and quantity.
Though yous tin harvest many master-crop potatoes as earlies, or carefully dig a few out afterwards the plant has flowered, I think it's best to abound types specifically bred to be earlies. They'll crop earlier and be bred for flavor and texture as an early. Leave maincrops to abound into the biggies they're supposed to and shop them for use over the winter.
Harvesting Maincrop Potatoes
You harvest main crops in late summertime, typically in August to September and y'all know the time is correct when much of the foliage on all your plants begin to turn yellow. Information technology will and so shrivel upwards and turn dark-brown and dry out, and eventually only shriveled leaves and stems will be left. At any time during this process, cut the found off about an inch from the basis and go out the tubers in the footing for a couple of weeks before digging them upwardly. This helps harden up the pare and makes them better for storing.
This is natural die-back and will be dissimilar from a disease. If you encounter black spots on the foliage or if the dice-off is only affecting some of your plants and then you should investigate potato diseases. If the problems are happening earlier the twenty-week mark then it'southward likewise an indication that something is wrong.
Storing Maincrops
Unlike early potatoes, you can store maincrops for months at a time. First, you should dry them completely before putting them in numberless or boxes for storage. Whatever wet areas could innovate rot, or actually be rot. Spread them out in a garage or greenhouse, or outside in the sun, turning them over afterwards one side is dry. Leaving potatoes in the sun for any longer than a day or two tin crusade them to turn green. Small amounts of light-green are harmless but if a potato turns dark light-green, you want to avoid eating it.
Store maincrop potatoes in a cool garage or shed and make sure to eat the best ones offset. A friend once tried to save the best ones for concluding but past the time he got to them, the mice had already had their plow. If you're looking for recipe ideas for larger second earlies, try Hasselback potatoes. With their tender skin, you don't fifty-fifty accept to peel them.
Source: https://lovelygreens.com/when-to-harvest-potatoes/
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