Potato question
I have some "cal red" potatoes growing. According to the timely line suggested by the supplier of the seed potatoes, I should be able to harvest them in a week or so.
My wife pointed out that only a couple of the plants have flowered.
I'm wondering about the relationship, if any, between potato plants flowering and the production of the actual potatoes.
Thanks for your help.
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(post #12589, reply #1 of 8)
I've always heard that about 2 weeks after the plants finish flowering, you can start "stealing" a few for new potatoes by carefully loosening around the plant and fishing under it for some of the larger potatoes. However don't disturb the plant too much; it's not done growing. The rest of the potatoes can be dug a week or two after the plant top dies.
(post #12589, reply #2 of 8)
Yes that is correct Catskill Deb, I just got done harvesting my kennebec white, pontiac reds and yukon golds two weeks ago due to a varmit making the rounds. Usually the flowers will indicate the color of the tater, then you can rob a few and wait until the flowers die and then harvest anytime afterwards. Suggest leaving them in a shady windy area for 2 days before storing them unwashed in a basement or root cellar. Leave the dirt on the taters.
Best of luck and happy eating
Farmer Frank
(post #12589, reply #3 of 8)
The deer ate all the tops on my potatos just as the were flowering. Should I dig down now and see if anything is there?
BJ
(post #12589, reply #5 of 8)
If it will make you feel better go ahead and check under one plant, but I don't think you need worry. You don't actually need flowers on the plants to get potatoes, they just do that naturally, and sometimes they will then set seeds. I have read that some gardeners actually cut the flowers off as they feel it increases production of potatoes. I don't know if it does, but it makes sense-I try to cut off the bloom stalk as soon as my spring flowers are over the hill, so to speak, so they put their energy into making bigger bulbs instead of seeds. And you must have voracious deer, they don't bother potatoes generally for me.
(post #12589, reply #8 of 8)
OK, I'm going to try digging if I can find the place where the potato stems used to be.
BJ
(post #12589, reply #4 of 8)
That leave the dirt on the taters thing is a silly myth, or old wives tale, whatever. I have been rinsing the dirt off my potatoes for many years and I never have any storage problems with them. I just spread them out on the lawn, hose them down, then let them dry for a day or two before storing them in brown paper grocery bags in a cool area. Have you ever seen potatoes with dirt on them in the grocery store?
(post #12589, reply #6 of 8)
I never heard that before, that the bloom color tells you what color the potato is. I'll have to run out in the morning and look at ours. We should have white blooms and purple blooms.
(post #12589, reply #7 of 8)
I grow All Red, Blue, Yukon Gold and a couple of other varieties of potatoes and my potato patch is very pretty in bloom with pink, lavender, and white shades of flowers. In fact the blue and red varieties have slightly different color stems on the plants too.