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When to dig new potatoes: think before you pick up a shovel
12.07.2024 14:23
Experienced gardeners can determine by eye that it is time to start digging up young potatoes.
Beginning gardeners have to take into account the vegetable variety, weather, and planting time.
Let's find out how to determine whether young potatoes are ready to be dug?
Deadlines
Not the most reliable indicator, but on average, gardeners focus on the beginning or middle of July.
All this is very conditional, because much depends on the timing of planting, care, weather and the variety of vegetable.
Therefore, experienced gardeners watch for other signs.
Bloom
After the potatoes bloom, summer residents wait another 15 to 20 days, after which they begin harvesting.
Tops and tubers
If the tops start to turn yellow, this means that the tubers are taking away nutrition from the plant, which means that they are forming.
You can also check the maturity of the crop by checking the size of the tubers. You can safely dig if the tubers have grown to 5 cm.
You can check by digging up the bush or paying attention to the condition of the soil - it may crack due to the growth of tubers.
Late varieties
Usually the late potato crop is left for storage and is therefore harvested in the second half of August or early September.
But in any case, you shouldn't wait until the tops become completely dry. It is believed that by this time the potatoes will be overripe.
