Growing and Harvesting Potatoes

 

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When this...                                                                             looks like this...

It's time to harvest the potatoes.

For several years I've been using potato bags. This year I used three, - one each for red, white, and blue potatoes.

These are the blues.

This is the largest blue.

Here are the reds.

    And the whites. 








The soil from the bags is spread into a raised bed for next year's garlic crop.

The bags will be folded and stored for next year's potatoes.

The blossoms produce berries that provide potato seed. Many people use this TPS - True Potato Seed - to grow the next crop. I've always used cut potatoes. 

I saved some of the TPS. Next year I plan to compare growing potatoes from seed with those grown from cut potatoes.

And to try a few new varieties...

Update: This year, as an experiment, I am using potatoes from the grocery store that have started to sprout. I planted them very deep into the soil and I will keep covering the leaves with topsoil as they emerge. Potatoes are fun to grow.

I invite you to check out my newest blog here: Resolutions.

Thank you!

Happy Gardening!