There’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of harvesting your own potatoes. The simple act of pulling these little beauties from the earth and storing them away is a feeling that’s hard to beat. In this article, we’ll explore the best way to harvest and store your potatoes so that you can enjoy them for weeks to come.
Harvesting Your Potatoes
Behold the humble potato, a treasure buried deep within the earth. Its journey begins with sprouting, then flowering, and ultimately, dying back. This cycle is crucial for knowing the perfect time to harvest your bounty. As the plant’s foliage withers, it’s time to prepare for the grand reveal.
Another simple way to determine if they are ready is to rub the skin with your finger, if the skin peels right off, it may need a little more time. If the skin stays in tact, they are ready to rock and or roll!
With gentle hands, uncover the soil and search for the treasure trove of potatoes nestled within, about 4-6 inches deep. These golden nuggets may hide in unexpected places, spreading far and wide like the roots of a tree. Take care not to puncture them, lest their magic be lost. And so, with a pitchfork or your own hands, unearth the wonders of the earth, for the bounty of the soil is ripe for the taking.
Curing Your Potatoes
Curing your potatoes is easy. Keep them in a cool, dry, and dark place to prevent sprouting. Ideally a temperature within the 38-40 degree range will do. When you first bring them in from the garden, brush off any dirt and place them in a well-ventilated area for about two weeks.
We used a table covered with newspaper but you can use chicken wire or screens. The curing process will harden the skin of the potato, which will protect it from bacteria and rotting.
If you want to enjoy your potatoes before the two-week curing time is up, go for it! They’re safe to eat the day you harvest them. Just gently rinse them with cool water and scrub the dirt away.
Storing Your Potatoes
Storing is simple. We like to use milk crates. We layer a full sheet of newspaper on the bottom. Then we add a layer of shredded paper from our paper shredder. Lastly, we add a layer of potatoes. Then repeat. Full sheet. Shredded paper. Potatoes. We keep them in the coolest part of our house which is the basement. If you do not have a basement, a cool closet will work just fine.
We like to separate them by size, this gives us an idea of how many seeds we will be saving for next years garden.
Speaking of Saving Seeds…
Saving seeds is quite simple, just like this entire process! Simply keep the largest ones as seeds for next year. The easiest way to store them is in a brown paper bag or wrap them in newspaper and store them in egg cartons. The main point is that they are stored in a cool, dark, dry place until ready.
How to Know When You’re Seeds Are Ready to Plant
By the time you are ready to use your seeds they will have sprouted, these sprouts are also known as “eyes.” These eyes will have also grown green little shoots all down itself. Now, you can either do two things, one, cut the potato in half so that both ends have eyes OR you can pick the side that has the most eyes and plant it pointing upward in the soil.
If cutting in half, you will have to allow the cut side to dry and skin over before planting. This should only take a couple of days. The benefit of cutting in half is that you double the amount of seeds you have. The benefit of not cutting is you don’t have to wait an additional two days to allow the cut side to skin over! I mean, time is of the essence on the farm, right!
Easiest Way to Plant Potatoes
We don’t put effort into making fancy garden beds. We discovered a no dig method and that has worked out beautifully for us. To learn more head over here. Other than simplifying your garden beds, just be sure to space out your seeds. We found that the more space we gave them the bigger the yield. Potatoes like to be covered, like mentioned above when exposed to light they can produce a toxin called solanine. So, as your plants grow keep an eye on them and keep hilling (mounding dirt around the base of the plant) them up.
Conclusion
- Two weeks after the foliage dies back, pull those little suckers out of the soil.
- Allow to cure for about 2 weeks
- Store in milk crate or basket with newspaper in a cool, dark place.
Harvesting and storing potatoes is a simple process that can be done by anyone. With a little bit of effort, you can enjoy fresh, delicious potatoes for weeks to come. So grab your gardening gloves and get ready to harvest some spuds!
Oh, and for some more fun, head on over here to learn what to do with all your broccoli leaves!
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