Dig potatoes too early, and you'll harvest a measly crop of minuscule tubers. You'll also risk stressing the plant and its precious root system, so although you could try replanting it, the plant might not thrive. Wait too long, and your potatoes may get damaged by frost, or begin to sprout, crack or rot underground.
All potato varieties can be harvested as new potatoes — dug up before the plant reaches maturity, while its tubers are still small. By the time that the plants have begun to flower, most of them will have developed at least some immature tubers ready for harvest.
Harvest “new” potatoes, small ones with tender skin, 2 to 3 weeks after plants stop flowering. Eat new potatoes within a few days (curing is not necessary); they will not keep for much longer. Harvest larger, mature potatoes 2 to 3 weeks after the foliage has died back.
If the potatoes are still firm and the skin is not green, yes, then you may certainly eat them. When you harvest them, inspect them for diseased looking tubers. If the potatoes appear fine, then yes, you can also use them to start new potatoes. Though it is recommended to plant certified disease free tubers.
Don't leave your crop in the ground for too long after the plant dies, or they could start to rot. It's also a good idea to harvest potatoes before frost. If you can't get to them in time, they should still be fine, but make sure to dig them up before it gets below freezing.
Generally, potatoes need between 1-2 inches of water per week; this could be provided by rain events or you to make up the difference.
Don't Wash Before Storing
Since potatoes are grown underground, they often have dirt on their skins. While it may be tempting to rinse off the dirt before storing, they will last longer if you keep them dry. This is because washing adds moisture, which promotes the growth of fungus and bacteria.
Can you eat potatoes right after harvest? Sure can! While we recommend curing them for long-term storage, freshly-dug potatoes are perfect for eating right out of the ground (maybe clean them off a bit first).
The short answer is yes. Potatoes that have sprouted are still OK to eat, but only once you've removed the sprouts.
Potatoes should be harvested between 5 am and 2 pm, to avoid high temperature which can decrease the shelf-life potential.
Harvest after about 15-20 weeks, when the leaves start to yellow. If you can't wait, you can sneak an early crop of 'new' potatoes after the plant has flowered by digging gently under the plant with your hands and pulling out a few spuds.
Signs Your Potatoes Are Ready To Harvest
The plants continue to grow for the next several months, and eventually the leaves and stems start to turn yellow and flop over. Mature storage potatoes are ready for harvesting a few weeks after the foliage has turned brown and died back completely.
When you see flowers on your potato plants, I recommend cutting them off for two main reasons. First of all, you don't want the flowers to produce a fruit that small children or pets might be tempted to eat. Secondly, pruning the flowers is a great way to increase production of spuds.
If you have really long sprouts that are really delicate, lay those in a trench horizontally and gently bury them so you don't break them. They'll send vertical shoots up off that long sprout and you'll get a better yield that way since potatoes will grow all along the original sprout line you laid down.
Flowering just means that the vines are mature enough and have enough leaf area to start forming tubers. It doesn't mean the tubers are ready to harvest. Until they reach mature size, your potatoes should be watered regularly though the summer, from 1 to 3 inches of water per week, as needed.
White potatoes belong to the nightshade family of vegetables, which includes tomatoes; like tomatoes, raw potatoes contain solanine, a compound that is toxic to some dogs. However, cooking a potato reduces the levels of solanine. If you do feed your dog a potato, it should be baked or boiled, with nothing added to it.
When you accidentally let your potatoes get old and they grow sprouts… Don't throw them away! You can plant those sprouts and grow several new potatoes.
So when is it time to toss a tater? University of Illinois Extension recommends that soft, shriveled, or wrinkled potatoes with or without sprouts should not be eaten.
They are safe to eat and a staple in many diets. Potatoes can last for up to several months in a cool pantry. If stored at room temperature, they are best if eaten within one to two weeks. Once cooked, keep them in the fridge for no more than three days.
In late summer when the potato foliage has died back, your potatoes can be dug and “cured” for storage. Curing toughens up a potato's skin and extends its storage life. Cure the tubers by laying them out on newspaper in a well-ventilated place that's cool (50 to 60 degrees F.) and dark (so they don't turn green).
The key is to store potatoes in a cool dry place, like in the cabinet of a pantry, in a paper bag or cardboard box. It's important to keep potatoes at the cool, ideal temperature (but not, surprisingly, the fridge) to prevent them from turning green, getting soft spots, or pre-maturely sprouting.
Cure potatoes at a temperature of 45 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit and high relative humidity (85 to 95 percent) for two weeks. Healing of minor cuts and bruises and thickening of the skin occurs during the curing process. Once cured, sort through the potatoes and discard any soft, shriveled, or blemished tubers.
They also vary in size from marbles to three-pounders. Varieties behave similarly when planted, though some may take longer than others to reach maturity. Prepare Soil and PLANT: Potato plants prefer cool moist weather. As long as the soil isn't too wet, get them into the ground before March 1 for a June harvest.
If you want grow potatoes bigger than your fist, you will need to space the plants at least 14 inches (36 cm) apart. Some people go even wider and plant potatoes in hills, with 3 plants per 24-inch (61 cm) diameter "hill". Actually, potato "hills" are flattened mounds about 6 inches (15 cm) high.