When can I dig up young potatoes for food after flowering, after what time

For a novice gardener, it is important to know the answer to the question - when is it better to dig potatoes? The keeping quality of tubers in winter and losses during harvesting depend on this. The timing of the start of harvesting is influenced by the ripening time of the variety and the observance of agricultural technology when growing root crops. Before starting work, you need to familiarize yourself with the weather forecast, it is better to dig potatoes before rain for 4-5 hours, so that it can dry out before storage.

Knowing a few secrets and recommendations from experienced gardeners will help determine the best time to dig potatoes.

Signs of ripening potatoes

According to most lovers of the "second bread", the drying and complete death of the tops of the bushes indicates the ripening of root crops. This occurs when the growth and development of the ground and underground parts of the plant slows down.

Root crops stop developing, if they are not dug up in time, they begin to germinate and deteriorate. On the surface of the tubers during this period, a strong peel is formed, the tubers accumulate nutritious useful elements.

The connections of potatoes with the root system are weakened, and the bush breaks up into separate root crops. This is the period of ripening of root crops and the optimal time for harvesting. Losses are minimized, and the harvested crop will be well preserved throughout the winter period.

Knowing the variety and level of precocity of vegetables will help to name the exact date for the start of digging potatoes. But you should also take into account the time of planting, weather conditions during the growing season of the bushes, the level of plant care.

In the south of the country, they begin to harvest already at the end of July, in the middle lane they dig up only at the end of August - the beginning of September. In the summer, after the bushes have faded, you can undermine or completely dig them out for cooking dishes from young potatoes. For winter storage, root crops must ripen, covered with a strong peel. Unripe or overripe potatoes are not suitable for long-term storage.

Starting the harvest when the tops of the bushes turn yellow is the wrong decision, which can lead to poor preservation of the tubers. Bushes affected by pests or the Colorado potato beetle begin to dry out before the ripening period. It is better to additionally use knowledge of the ripening dates of the variety. The approximate harvesting time is 70-100 days after planting the prepared, germinated seeds in the soil.

Weather forecast and harvest

In dry periods with high temperatures, in the absence of irrigation, the crop will need to be harvested earlier, but the truth will be less in terms of the volume of planted potatoes. Excess moisture in a rainy summer with cool air increases the time the potatoes are ready for harvest.

From excessive moisture, the roots begin to rot, and the tops will remain green.

But if the soil on the site is well fertilized and drained, there is no particular effect on the ripening time of root crops. And let the ripening time increase in the soil with a balanced diet, but the size of the crop can please any gardener. With an excess of moisture, it is not recommended to use a nitrogen type of fertilizer - this will cause the formation of root rot on root crops.

Potato harvesting is carried out on a sunny or cloudy day. It is not recommended to dig potatoes immediately after heavy rains - the root crops cannot be dried and they will begin to rot during storage. Root crops are left in the garden for drying and airing, then they are cleaned in a dark place, having previously laid the crop in bags. After 10-14 days, the peel will become dense, and if the plant has been affected by diseases or pests, the consequences of their activity will be easily detected.

Important! Having dug up and removed the potatoes in the cellar, be sure to remove all weeds and tops of the bushes from the site.

Such work will save future plantings of vegetables from pests and diseases. Insects and pathogenic myceliums will definitely settle in abandoned plant waste for the winter.

How does the variety affect the ripening period

Varieties and various hybrids are subdivided according to maturation time. The vegetative period of plant development, the time of harvesting potatoes and laying them for storage depend on this value:

1. Superearly varieties of root crops. These plants will be ready for harvest already 35-36 days after planting varietal or hybrid tubers. Among such plants, the varieties Bellarosa, Riviera, Minerva are distinguished.
2. Early ripening of root crops. Harvesting begins 40-50 days after planting. Zoned species are popular: Vineta, Arrow, Colette, Dnepryanka.
3. Plants with medium early maturity. Harvest is dug after 55-80 days. It is recommended to plant the seeds of Mriya, Sineglazka, Nevsky, Zabava.
4. Mid-season potatoes - these plants are ready to be dug up already on the 95th day. High yields in varieties Picasso, Sante.
5. Late - these potatoes ripen by the 120th day. These varieties include: Zhuravinka, Asterix, Lorch.

Important! When choosing varieties of planting material, the timing of planting and harvesting root crops should be taken into account.

If late varieties are planted in a region with sudden spring frosts on the soil, potatoes will have to be dug from under the snow. This type is suitable for planting in the southern regions, early planting will allow you to grow a crop of large potatoes and put them in storage in the fall, and not in the summer heat.

Tuber harvesting methods

In household plots and small vegetable gardens, potatoes are dug up with the help of cultivators or with the help of a proven shovel and strong hands. Digging potatoes in large fields is done with a tractor and a potato harvester. A small bed is not a place to use a walk-behind tractor or agricultural machinery. We will analyze the step-by-step process of harvesting potatoes in a personal plot in simple ways.

Rules for the operation of a walk-behind tractor

When using walk-behind tractors, it is recommended to plant potatoes at a certain distance using a plow, and then it will be easier to dig up potatoes and other root crops without damaging the crop. Row spacing should be slightly larger than the cultivator attachment grip.

Having driven into a row, a plow or a home-made device for harvesting root crops is deepened to a distance of 200-250 mm and, on medium gas, they pass along the entire length of the bed. Potatoes are thrown out of the ground to the top of the curb, but with slow passage, some tubers will dig into the ground. After passing the entire site, it remains to select the root crops from the ground, dry them in the sun and under the wind and put them in a storage place.

For greater clarity, it is useful for inexperienced gardeners to watch videos on the Internet. To protect neighboring rows, it is recommended to dig potatoes through one row, so the possibility of cutting tubers is excluded. Harvesting a good crop of tubers will not take much time, you will have to look for potatoes in the ground more than work with a walk-behind tractor.

Digging by hand

Digging potatoes by hand with a pitchfork or a shovel is not an easy task, especially for an inexperienced person. Much in this process depends on physical strength and experience. For an adult male, it is not difficult to dig up several acres of root crops during the day. The absence of weeds on the site and 3-time hilling of the rows will facilitate the work.

It is better to dig, having settled down along a long row. Gradually advancing, the forks are driven into the soil to the full length and turn over a clod of earth with potatoes. It is recommended that if the tops remain, hold it with one hand and gently pull it out of the ground when turning the soil. So it is possible to shake off half of the crop directly into the bucket or into piles along the rows.

The shovel is driven into the soil opposite the bush and at a distance from the stems - this way it is possible to avoid potato cuts.

In this way, all the ridges with potatoes are dug up, after several hours the potatoes are placed in bags and transported to the cellar. The operation is simple, but time-consuming, so gardeners come to the aid of garden motor vehicles with a set of tools.
Why do you need to dig up potatoes on time?