# When to harvest red potato's



## Rockytopsis (Dec 29, 2007)

DH planted our red potato's on March 31. The plants have been beautiful and I have been on CPB daily and picking and squishing the little critters. Now the plants are falling over and the ground is cracking open. 

Is it time to dig them up?

Nancy


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

You could dig a hill or two for eating now. For the rest, leave them until the vines are nearly or completely dead. Until then, the skins will not have developed enough for any lengthy storage.

Martin


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Update on mine is that I got tired of eating either rice or pasta and wanted to get potatoes back into the kitchen. Red Norlands planted 19 March have long completed blossoming and were beginning to sag. Two hills of them were dug Friday, 18 June, and resulted in about a dozen lovely tubers about the size of small or medium chicken eggs and about the same as large marbles. New potatoes on the menu and it's still officially spring by the calendar. Certainly can't complain about that! 

Martin


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

I don't dig them, I just start to finger under them and take a few, then water well. My soil is so mellow that it does very little damage to the plant. I just do each plant once down the row and then 3 weeks later do it over again. We eat more potatoes this way than we harvest for storage. Love the new potatoes with baby carrots and green beans or pod peas. Don't peel just wash good. Add a little milk sometimes to make creamed with some fresh ground black pepper. OH so good. Yukon Gold are even better....James


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## Kstornado11 (Mar 17, 2006)

You're only supposed to plant potatoes in the spring, is that right? I just harvested my first patch (actually DH went out & yanked em up, I would've waited another few weeks ).


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

I have planted potatoes up to the 4th of July here. Sometimes they aren't keepers, The tops need to die for the potatoes to keep well....James


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## Sara in IN (Apr 2, 2003)

Come spring potatoes go in the ground as soon as it can be worked, maybe with hoop and plastic if really early - before March 17 and then keep on planting til the first of July. Last year, the last of the potatoes came out of the ground in very early December due to lack of the ground wanting to freeze till then. With a dry fall, the potatoes kept very well in the ground till December.


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## Yellow Creek (Nov 15, 2007)

This may help. See page 2.

http://migarden.msu.edu/uploads/files/8/veggieharvest1.pdf


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## Rockytopsis (Dec 29, 2007)

That is a handy thing to have around so I printed it out. 
Thanks
Nancy


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