Question about plating Potatoes....

[seanymike]

I ordered a set of Yukon Gold from Gruney's Seed and Nursery Co. The instructions that came with it are a little confusing. First I should say that I will be planting them in "Potato Bag" planters (Self contained and movable sacks of earth that are designed for potatoes). The part of the instructions that is confusing is where they say,

Comments

[jadzia]

Generally you want to carefully dig in the soil around the tubers, feeling for the larger ones. Usually, potatoes are grown on mounds, so you can access the sides easier. When we grew red potatoes last year we just wanted till the end of the season to harvest them all. But we also grew them in containers, so it was easier for us to just upend the container onto a large tarp (and more fun too heh)

[atlanticat]

The part about digging the larger tubers without digging up the plant refers to harvesting "new potatoes." That's when you'd just want to go hunting some of the larger potatoes and leave the smaller ones to grow the full season. You can cure the skins of the new potatoes the same way if you like, but when I'm digging new potatoes, I tend to bring them inside just before I'm cooking them (or leave them outside if I'm grilling them). No curing necessary if you're not storing them.

At the end of the season, dig up the whole plant and leave the potatoes out in the garden for a day to cure, then store them in a dark airy place.