I started out digging from a standing position with a garden fork, but this is truly back-breaking work, with the constant bending and lifting. It was a big advance to get down on my knees, a position in which the digging is much easier and more ergonomic, and the potatoes can be more easily picked up.
But that still left me lifting lots of soil with the garden fork. Instead of lifting the soil, the potato fork pulls through it, bringing the spuds along. The work is far easier, and the potato yield is higher, with far fewer damaged potatoes or left-behinds. I pull the fork toward me through the soil, coming up slightly as I go along. Voila, spuds! I pick them up and put them in a bulb crate, which I drag along the row as I move down it.
No matter when you decide to harvest your potatoes, remember to keep hilling up soil around the plants until you are ready to harvest. You should not wash freshly dug potatoes. Getting them wet makes them more likely to rot in storage, even if you think you dried them off well. Instead, use a brush a clean paintbrush would work to dust off the soil. If the soil is wet, wait a little while and let it dry out before brushing it off. According to Michigan State University, you can expect about 3 to 5 pounds 48 to 80 ounces of potato tubers per plant.
Most potatoes weigh 6 to 13 ounces, so you can expect anywhere from 4 large potatoes to 13 small potatoes from a single plant. You can learn more about the best type of soil for growing potatoes in my article here. After harvesting, remember to keep your potatoes out of the sun. Otherwise, they will start to turn green due to chlorophyll and produce solanine a toxic substance with a bitter taste.
You can learn more about why potatoes turn green in my article here. Next, cure your potatoes. Give them about 10 days in a dark place at 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit 18 to 21 degrees Celsius.
Then, use a dry brush to remove the dirt from the tubers. Do not wash potatoes for storage. Instead, wait until right before you cook potatoes to wash them. Finally, identify any potatoes that are cut or bruised, and use those ones first. Store the rest in a cool, dark, humid place at 42 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit 6 to 10 degrees Celsius. Your potatoes should keep for quite a while months if you store them properly.
If you cannot go through them all, you can always find a pressure-canner recipe to preserve some potatoes for the long-term. You can learn how to plant sprouted potatoes in my article here. Now you know some ways to dig up potatoes. You also know when to harvest them and how to prepare them for storage.
I hope you found this article helpful. If so, please share it with someone who can use the information. Hi, I'm Jon. Let's solve your gardening problems, spend more time growing, and get the best harvest every year! Philodendron spiritus sancti will make a great addition to your houseplant collection. It is a vine with long, narrow green leaves that are paler on the underside, but there is a lot more for When planting tomatoes, the location is one of the most important factors for your success.
If you choose a spot without enough sun or that has poor soil, you will have poor results regardless Skip to content If you are growing potatoes this year, you might be wondering how to dig up potatoes without damaging them. What is the Best Way to Dig Potatoes?
Digging up the whole potato plant to get all of the tubers at once is one option for harvesting. A good pair of gloves will save your hands when digging in the soil for potatoes. A trowel makes it easier to dig through the soil to find potato tubers. Subscribe to our Newsletters. Potatoe digger 3pt potatoe plow, needs 1 point that I may have, if not easy to copy!
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