Digging for treasure, or potatoes and other goodies

I was watering our potato patch this morning, and saw a glimmer of red where the soil washed away near a plant's stem. I did a little finger-digging, and got enough new red potatoes for our dinner!
I love gardening--it's like a big treasure hunt with delicious eating thrown in for good measure. So much is a surprise, as when you pull a carrot and find it's 6" long and straight! That's the one you remember, not the stubby forked ones. And cucumbers--lifting a leaf and finding a nice green cucumber for tonight's salad. Squash surprise you daily (or hourly) with their growth rate. Now I'm waiting to be pleasantly surprised by a tomato.

 

My potatoes are not quite there yet but it will not be long. Have had squash,, giving away lettuces. (Can`t eat that much salad) Zuchinni in a day or two. Broccoli are making side shoots. Love that stuff. Tomatoes are loaded but only half way ripe. Looks like a good year doesn`t it ??

 

We've had a couple meals off the squash. And given a way a bit to one of the aunts. Also just had to cook up some fried green tomatoes.
Munhed on a few cucumbers and jalapenos... but that's about it for now.
Some of the ears of corn are already about 5 inches long!

 

you guys are so lucky in Texas - I'm in NoCal on the coast - hoping to rototill next weekend ... if it doesn't rain and all my plants are still seedlings in the windowsills - or seeds in bags

 

Since I'm new to Potato gardening how will I know when I'm ready to harvest them? TIA

 

Well, you can always do a little finger-digging around the stem of the plant. You'll uncover some potatoes, and be able to judge from the size if you want to harvest them. Of course, if they are small, I harvest the exposed ones and we have baby red potatoes with dill butter!
The potato plant will start to get a yellowish cast to the foliage and the plant will not look robust. Don't dig right up against the plant because you'll fork a lot of potatoes. I use a digging fork and start about 2' out from the plant, just lifting the soil and hoping to find treasure!
Potatoes from your garden are the best!

 

Even though your season is later than ours,,I hear you can really grow some whopper vegetables !! Don`t remember where I heard it but it sounds good !! True ?? I am curious !!

 

Thanks! Again I'm new to the potato stuff so when the plant gets a yellowish cast and I've harvested all the potatoes do I still leave the plant in the soil or do I remove it fully for the season?

 

Finger digging, a good phrase for it. I call it having a furtle. That excitement and joy is why I have the 2 allotments and grow as much as I can. At the moment, I appear to be the only one on our allotment site harvesting anything and am full of glee when I come home with a bowl of strawberries, broadbeans, lettuce and radish. Bliss.

 

Kate, remove the plant and put it on the compost pile.
Potatoes shouldn't be planted in the same spot in consecutive years, so I always mark on my plant calendar where they were when, and make sure to avoid that area for tomatoes, eggplants or potatoes the next year.
EJ, I thing "furtling" sounds like more fun than finger digging!

 

I'm so jealous! I'm at the other end of the growing season, so love to hear when others are harvesting! Well done.

 

hmmm ... I'm still pretty new at this, had some "whopper" zucchinis, but I don't think that counts - pretty sure anyone can do that - lol!but I was pretty happy with my harvest last year. hopefully it'll be even better this year! Still haven't been able to till - maybe this weekend. Keep your fingers crossed!

 

Thanks!

 

One thing that MG forgot to say,,you don`t have to wait till the plant starts to die back to dig new potatoes. Check for them anytime after the plant blooms. If not big enough just cover them back up and wait a week, then check again. You remove the whole plant at final harvest. I have been eating from mine for a while but will not dig them all for 2 or three weeks yet.

 

Thanks for all the help. I guess I'd better get out there and start digging as they are getting real big especially since we've just had a few days of really hot weather.