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The harvest period is a well-deserved reward for gardeners for their hard work. However, to prevent vegetables from spoiling or rotting during storage, they must be collected on time. While the ripening period of vegetables growing on the above-ground part of the bush is immediately visible, the same cannot be said about root vegetables. Therefore, the question of when to harvest potatoes so that they are preserved until spring is quite relevant. This will be discussed in the article.
It's no secret that potatoes should be dug up in late summer or early autumn. But how to determine the exact timing? For deadlines harvesting potatoes influenced by many factors, including:
- Climatic conditions of the region.
- Soil fertility.
- Potato variety.
- Landing dates.
- The amount of fertilizer applied.
Factors influencing potato ripening
There is no exact date for harvesting potatoes. There is no specific day in 2024 when potatoes can be harvested. The ripening period of tubers largely depends on when the potatoes were planted in the ground. So, when planting tubers at the end of April, you can dig potatoes at the beginning of August.
Digging potatoes also depends on the variety used for cultivation.More detailed information about this will be provided below. The potato harvest is also affected by how the owners looked after the crop throughout the summer.
Some people start digging tubers at the end of July. This is not done for storage, but for preparing dishes from young potatoes or for sale on the market. However, it is impossible to collect young potatoes for winter storage. The young peel is easily damaged, as a result of which tubers dug up prematurely will quickly deteriorate and rot.
So, we invite you to consider several factors that influence the ripening period of potatoes:
- Soil fertility. If the soil is low in nutrients, then the time to dig for potatoes will come earlier. Well-fertilized, fertile soil provides a longer period of tuber growth, until late autumn.
- The amount of fertilizer applied. The ripening period of potatoes will be extended due to organic fertilizers.
- Amount of moisture. Lack of moisture during the growing season of the root crop accelerates the ripening of potatoes. It is not surprising that in dry summers the harvest, as a rule, leaves much to be desired, since the tubers come out small.
Weather forecast and harvest
The period of tuber ripening can be controlled to some extent by man, while weather conditions are beyond his control. Before determining when to dig potatoes, it is important to monitor the forecast.
- If prolonged rains are expected, potato digging should be carried out immediately. Otherwise, waterlogged soil will provoke deterioration in the quality of tubers, rot and diseases of root crops.Well, on the other hand, when harvesting from wet soil, a lot of soil sticks to the shovel and tubers, which complicates the work process and makes it less enjoyable.
- Cold can cause the tubers to turn black. The optimal air temperature during the potato harvest period is +10+17ºС.
- Digging potatoes should be done on a fine, clear day. After it has been dug up, you can air dry the tubers.
- If it is already cold in the morning in autumn, then it is better to dig potatoes closer to lunch. The air will warm up by midday and will be more consistent with the temperature of the soil, which still retains summer heat.
- It is necessary to harvest before frost. Otherwise, the tubers will no longer be suitable for storage and consumption.
How does the potato variety affect the harvest period?
The biological characteristics of the variety have a direct impact on the harvest period. Early varieties should be harvested in late July - early August. Mid-early potatoes are harvested in mid-August. Mid-season and mid-late potato varieties are harvested at the end of August or throughout September.
Depending on when the tubers were planted and the period when potatoes can be dug is determined:
- Mid-season varieties are harvested 90–100 days after planting.
- Medium late variety potatoes are harvested 100–110 days after planting.
- Late varieties - 120 days after planting in the ground.
If prolonged rains are not expected and the bushes have not been infected with late blight, then the harvest period can be postponed for a short time.
This event will protect the tubers from infection and speed up the process of crop ripening.
If you decide to leave early and mid-early potato varieties for digging in the fall, then you must remove the tops. This is done at the end of July if the potatoes are early and in the first week of August if they are mid-early. Over the next month, the tubers can still remain in the ground if weather conditions permit.
The stage of potato ripening can also be determined by the condition of the peel. A thin and easily peeled peel indicates that the time has not yet come to dig the potatoes. You can dig up 1 bush for testing; if the peel is not ripe, then you have collected unripe, young tubers. Please try again after 7-10 days.
Tuber harvesting methods
Digging potatoes can be done using several methods. Most often, gardeners use ordinary garden tools for harvesting - a pitchfork and a shovel. However, this method requires a lot of effort on the part of the summer resident. If you are already closer to advanced age, then your lower back may not be able to withstand such loads.
To facilitate harvesting work, special devices were designed, such as a walk-behind tractor and a potato digger. With the help of agricultural equipment, harvesting is much faster and easier.
But in order for potato digging to be carried out using special equipment, you first need to cut off all the tops. After a few days, you can begin cleaning work. All rotation elements on the walk-behind tractor must be well lubricated. The parts that loosen the soil should first be cleared of hardened clay, earth and pebbles. Dull edges need to be sharpened.
Rules for operating a walk-behind tractor when harvesting potatoes
There are a number of rules that must be followed when harvesting potatoes:
- To avoid having to change the direction of the walk-behind tractor when planting potatoes, you need to form even rows.
- Row spacing should be the same. The wheels of the walk-behind tractor should be placed between the rows to prevent damage to neighboring tubers.
- When working with a cultivator, it is better to dig up tubers every other row. Otherwise, one wheel of the equipment will move along the trampled path, and the other will move along the plowed ground.
Before harvesting potatoes from the beds, you need to prepare a place for drying the tubers. To avoid mechanical damage to root crops, it is better not to drop them. Otherwise, their shelf life will decrease several times.
It is better to cull unsuitable tubers immediately on the field, so that later you do not have to waste time on this again. Good tubers are placed in bags and stored in a cool, dark place. To ensure that sunlight does not penetrate to the harvest, the bags can be additionally covered with thick fabric.
If there are any left on the field after harvesting weeds and tops, then they can be left in the sun for several days, and then collected and buried in a compost pit. However, if there is fungus or other diseases on the tops, they should be burned.
Conclusion
By following the above recommendations, you can harvest potatoes with a minimum of effort, and the harvest will be stored until the next harvest.
So that you can get more information, we suggest you watch a video on the topic:
