Potato harvesting

Your own potatoes always seem tastier than purchased ones, especially when you plant them yourself, fly them, dig them and store them. But growing potatoes is a very labor-intensive process, and especially novice agronomists do not always know how and when to dig potatoes so that they can be stored well in winter. In this article we will try to give useful advice to those who independently grow this vegetable on their own plot.

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First you need to determine when the potatoes are ready for digging

Of course, each potato has its own period, and this period depends on the type of potato, on the time of planting in the soil, on its care, on the composition of the soil, on weather conditions. But, as a rule, you need to dig potatoes in the fall. In order to determine whether a potato is ripe or not, it is necessary to carefully examine and analyze it. The potato tops should be dry, and if you dig up a potato bush, the potatoes should easily tear off or fall off the shoot; its skin should be thick, rough and not separate directly from the potato when pressed. If all maturity indicators match, then you can start digging.

The entire digging process can be divided into several points

1. First you need to prepare the potatoes for digging, and for this you need to mow the tops at a level of 15 centimeters from the ground a few days before digging. This is necessary so that the mineral substances that are present in the soil do not go to feed the tops, but specifically to the formation of the tuber. In the future, this procedure is necessary for the safe storage of potatoes in winter.
2. Storing potatoes in winter also depends on the weather in which the potatoes are harvested, so you need to choose average weather, that is, not rainy and not brightly sunny, but preferably cloudy and windy.
3. Digging potato tubers is a very labor-intensive process, so modern society has come up with a lot of ways and methods for harvesting potatoes, especially on large plots of land. But in your garden, you want to dig up potatoes efficiently and without damage, so it’s better to dig with improvised means and very carefully. You can dig in with a shovel and then carefully rake it out with a hoe. You can also burn out a row with a plow and then rake it away. Some people buy a walk-behind tractor to help them, after which they just need to collect the potatoes.
4. After the potatoes are harvested, they need to be given time to dry, especially if they were dug in not completely dry weather.
5. Before storage, the potatoes must be sorted out, throwing away very small ones, as well as rotten ones (so as not to spoil the entire harvest).

 After the potatoes are harvested from the field, you must make sure that there are no more tubers and tops left in the ground, since this suppuration in the ground can cause fungal diseases in the ground. Potatoes must be stored in a dark and cool place, preferably in a basement, cellar or pit, which is well covered with straw and soil for the winter.