I'm a newbie to growing potatoes. This year I'm trying 3 varieties in the Gardener's Supply potato bags. I read somewhere that you can harvest the potatoes when they flower? That can't be right - it's only June?
Any advice to a newbie?
Thanks!
flowers on potatoes
When they start blooming, that tells you they're starting to make taters. Check the type of potatoes you have against the date to maturity and then count from the time you planted forward however many days and that's when you should have mature taters.
You can try harvesting some new potatoes when they bloom, that may be what you
read.
If you want to try, the potatoes grow on thin white "umbilical cords" (as Gymgirl describes them) above the level of the roots. Very carefully search around just below the soil level so as not to disturb the other baby taters and their connections to the plant.
This message was edited Jun 21, 2010 12:59 PM
I've harvested "new" potatoes when they flower. Those would be the tasty baby potatoes. If you leave them alone, they'll grow to full sized potatoes or you can harvest them as babies and have much smaller yield. I just harvest a few to satisfy my curiosity and leave the rest to grow.
Thank you! Good to know. Right now the Buttes are flowering and Prairie blush is not far behind. Russet is the slowest.
"Potatoes on an "'umbilical cord...'" What a novel idea...
"Now where did I first see that term used?"
"Oh yeah, when I first used it to explain to someone how the potatoes grew underground!"
Never claimed I wasn't a plagiarist! :-)
I've edited my post to give you credit Linda.
Regards, Tyro!