When to dig new potatoes. When to dig potatoes: tips for harvesting. as well as mid-early

When to dig potatoes and determine that they are ripe? When deciding when to dig potatoes, you should understand that there is no specific date that would indicate when to harvest potatoes. The fact is that several factors can influence the maturation of a culture.

Vegetables and fruits must be harvested in a timely manner, otherwise the fruits may begin to deteriorate, which will also significantly affect their shelf life. If the fruits that grow on bushes and trees are visible, and by their appearance You can understand that they are ripe, but with root vegetables everything is different. In this article we will tell you about When dig potatoes, what are the signs of potato ripening and what are the average ripening times for vegetables, as well as methods for harvesting the seasonal harvest.

How to determine the timing of cleaning?

First of all, gardeners must understand that there is no specific date that would indicate when to harvest potatoes. The fact is that several factors can influence the maturation of a crop.

There is a certain dependence on what time the potatoes were planted in the ground. If planted at the end of April, harvesting can be done as early as early August. According to statistics, the most favorable month for planting crops is May. In this regard, potato harvesting can begin at the end of August or at the beginning of September.

It is imperative to take into account which varieties were used for cultivation in the current season. Early and late varieties can differ significantly in assembly time - from 4 to 6 weeks. Also, the timing will be influenced by how the owners cared for the site and crop during the summer, what the weather was like, and how much moisture and fertilizer got into the ground.

You can dig up a couple of bushes in the garden at the end of July if the vegetables will be immediately used for cooking, for example, young boiled potatoes. If the owners plan long-term storage potatoes, then early harvesting should not be carried out under any circumstances. The thing is that it will still have too thin a peel, which significantly reduces shelf life. After the slightest damage to the skin, the tubers will subsequently begin to deteriorate and rot. And if the unripe crop begins to deteriorate, then you can be left for the winter without stocks and without preparations for the next season.

When growing potatoes from seeds, summer residents find out the flowering time of the bushes, as well as the ripening period at the time of purchase of a particular variety. Also on the packages are usually given required deadlines. If, in the process of caring for the plant, the flowering time occurs on time, this means that the growth of the potato is proceeding normally and it will ripen on time.

Signs of potato ripening

Usually, most summer residents are guided by the appearance of the bush. After the tops begin to turn yellow, there is every reason to believe that the potatoes are ripening and are already at the last stage. When the tops have dried and the tops have fallen, then after a few days you can start digging.

If you still doubt the need to dig up potato plantings, try first removing one or two bushes and carefully inspect the tubers. Their large size and dense peel will immediately indicate that it is time to harvest the entire crop.

However, it often happens that some of the bushes have already turned yellow and dried out, while others have not. This may be due to the fact that after digging up the potatoes last season and harvesting the tubers, they were not sorted by variety and, accordingly, by ripening period. If you have a similar situation, then you need to dig up the mature bushes and return to the rest in 10-14 days. By this point, you will be able to see the changes, and after that, dig up the remaining potatoes. However, we must not forget to continue to water the plantings.

When summer residents plant one variety of crop, it will need to be collected after the same period of time. Usually the harvest is harvested after 70-100 days.

In some cases, wilted tops do not always indicate potato ripening. This can happen if there is not enough moisture in the ground during a particularly hot period. So after a few days the bushes will begin to dry out a lot. To prevent this, you need to take care of your garden.

With an excess of moisture or nitrogen fertilizers, the tops are able to grow strong, while the root crops themselves do not have time to ripen by the time of harvest.

There are varieties that have upper part will remain green even when fully ripe. In this regard, we can conditionally determine the most favorable time for harvesting - the end of August and the first half of September. If in doubt, you can always try to dig up a couple of bushes to check the condition of the root crops of this variety.

Another way to determine the stage of potato ripening is by looking at the peel.. If the peel is easily erased and it is thin, then it is better to hold off on cleaning.

Dig up one bush to check. If the peel is not yet ripe, try it after 7-10 days.

To determine how many tubers you can collect from one square meter seedlings, you need to know what variety was used during planting. Please note that young potatoes will have smaller fruit sizes.

Video: Signs of harvest readiness

Potato harvesting methods

Many summer residents are interested in how many methods there are for digging potatoes. During harvesting, you can use several methods.

The most commonly used are conventional garden tools- shovel and pitchfork. At the same time, during work you have to experience considerable physical stress, and since most gardeners are no longer young, this can become a problem. The lower back will be stressed the most. For those who have problems with musculoskeletal system, it is better to use other methods, since if you are in poor health, back pain may appear within a few hours.

Large farms will need to cultivate much larger areas than summer residents. For large-scale cleaning, special devices were designed to significantly facilitate the work. These include a potato digger or walk-behind tractor.
Ordinary physical labor can put a significant strain on a gardener's back. In this regard, if the area of land cultivation is very large, and you have access to special agricultural equipment, then it is better to use it.

Everyone has their own method of cleaning: some dig with a shovel, some with a pitchfork, and some with a walk-behind tractor:

Cleaning using this equipment can be done after you have cut off all the tops on the surface. After a few days, you can get to work and dig up the potatoes.

Having determined when to dig potatoes , you need to prepare the equipment. First of all, you need to pay attention to the state of the rotation elements. They should be well lubricated. The parts that will loosen the soil and help harvest the crop must be cleared of old hardened soil, clay and pebbles. If the sharp edges become dull, then special sharpening will be needed.

It should be understood that using a walk-behind tractor requires compliance with a number of certain rules:

all rows of planted potatoes must be level so that there is no need to change the direction of the device;
the distance between all rows should be the same, since the wheels of the walk-behind tractor itself can drive into the adjacent planting, damaging the tubers;
when harvesting, it is better to use a special attachment for the cultivator, selecting a certain depth for digging up the soil;
the walk-behind tractor must be configured so that it moves easily, then the tubers will rise to the surface;
To facilitate the process of working with the cultivator, it is best to dig up potatoes through a row, otherwise one of the equipment wheels will move along the plowed ground, and the other along a trampled path.

Before starting work, it is recommended to immediately prepare the place where you will sort or dry the crop. It is better to try not to throw or drop the tubers to prevent mechanical damage to the fruit, otherwise they will spoil in a few weeks.

During the harvesting process, you need to immediately discard damaged and diseased fruits, so as not to waste time on this again later. Good harvest put in bags and place in a dark, dry, cool place. It is best to additionally cover the bags with thick cloth so that it does not break through to the harvest. sunlight. This measure will delay the germination of potatoes. Please note that it is better to immediately sort the varieties into bags to avoid confusion.

When tops and weeds remain on the field after harvesting, they can be dried in the sun. After a few days, everything should be collected and then buried in compost pit.

If during the work you notice that the plant has signs of disease or fungus, then it is better to burn the tops.

Try to follow these rules, this will help make your job of harvesting potatoes easier.

Video “How to dig potatoes with a mini walk-behind tractor”

This video demonstrates how to quickly dig up potatoes using a Jikov motor-cultivator or a mini walk-behind tractor with an attachment homemade equipment without a shovel.

When to start digging potatoes in different regions of Russia

Most of Russia's territory is located in the zone of risky agriculture. Therefore, you need to choose a potato variety very carefully, giving preference to zoned varieties. True, there are varieties that are universal. Thus, according to statistics, almost 70% of owners of household plots located from Kuban to Far East, they plant potatoes of the early Zhukovsky variety on their plots, which are characterized by high yields and resistance to weather conditions. Its only drawback is that the tubers begin to germinate at the slightest increase in temperature in the storage. If the autumn is warm, and the gardener delays harvesting, the potatoes may still sprout in the ground.

Potato harvesting in central Russia

In the north middle zone In Russia, frosts begin in the third decade of September. Accordingly, it is better to harvest potatoes before mid-September.

Although growing late varieties in such conditions it is very risky, skilled summer residents are not afraid of difficulties: they are very popular mid-late varieties:

Victory,
Nakra,
Altair,
Fambo.

From early varieties, which can be harvested at the end of August - beginning of September, the owners personal plots prefer:

Bashkir,
Bellarosa,
Nora,
Rosaru.

In the south of central Russia, frosts occur later, at the beginning of October. The climate here is milder, so you can grow any variety of potatoes, even the latest ones.

Of the later varieties, the varieties of Belarusian selection most loved by gardeners are Belorussky 3 and Lasunak,
from the middle-late ones - Lorch, Mozart, Pobeda, Golubizna.

Potato harvesting in Kuban

The southern regions have their own specifics. Here they pay more attention not to frost, but to the summer heat. From about mid-July, the temperature rises so much that potatoes in the ground stop growing. Therefore, in the South of Russia it is profitable to plant early and mid-season early varieties ripening until the end of July.

Cleopatra
and Skoroplodny,

as well as mid-early:

Svitanok Kyiv,
Cardinal,
and Reserve.

And Arrow is recognized as the most delicious of the early varieties grown in the Kuban.

Potato harvesting in Crimea

Although the first frosts in Crimea begin only at the end of October, due to the hot climate here, as in Kuban, it is more profitable to grow early varieties.
Crimean breeders specially developed a heat-resistant Crimean rose variety, ideal for local conditions.

If watering is organized on the site, then heat-resistant early varieties:

Agave,
Tiras,
Laura,
Arosa

In the conditions of Crimea, they can produce two harvests per season: the first is harvested in June, the second in early October.

Potato harvesting in the Urals and Siberia

In the Urals and Siberia, frosts begin in the second ten days of September. The climate is characterized by late spring frosts, possible July drought and heavy rains in August. Therefore, it is least risky to grow early and mid-early varieties, which can be harvested in the second or third ten days of August.

The most common varieties here are:

Lugovskoy,
Luck (both frost and drought resistant),
Redstar.

Potatoes are one of the most common vegetables, without which it is difficult to imagine summer cottage plot. The ripening time of potatoes depends on many factors. First of all, this is the variety of tubers itself, as well as climatic conditions. If the first factor can be influenced, then you just have to put up with the second. If the summer is cold, then the harvest may be poor.

When planting potatoes, it is important to consider your region of residence. IN different areas The time period from planting to harvesting of the same variety may vary due to differences in climate.

Early potatoes, the ripening period of which is approximately 50–61 days after planting the tubers in the soil.
The early ripening variety ripens 66–85 days from the moment of planting in the ground.
The mid-season variety will ripen 86–95 days after planting.
Medium late - from 96 to 115 days, after planting the tubers in the soil.
Ripening time late potatoes start from 115 days.

The growing season may vary up or down. Again, this depends on the weather conditions during the season. It is impossible to influence this.

What determines the rate of tuber ripening?

But even if you choose a variety based on the ripening period of the tubers, after planting you cannot be sure that the harvest can be obtained by a specific date. The growing season is influenced by a large number of factors.

Factors that influence the growth rate:

In what region is the vegetable grown?
Planted potatoes will grow earlier if you plant the tubers in early May.
Weather conditions.
Application of large amounts of mineral and organic fertilizers.
The growing season of potatoes is shortened if you plant them in poor, nutrients, soil. On fertile soil growth does not accelerate, and the harvest can be harvested until late autumn.
Lack of moisture also affects how quickly tubers grow. If the summer was dry and there was little rain, then the potato harvesting period is shortened.

If the growing season has been shortened for the last two reasons, then such potatoes will not be as tasty and will also be poorly stored. Therefore, if possible, it is advisable to water the potatoes regularly (if there is no rain in the summer) and before planting potatoes in open ground, add mineral and organic fertilizers to the soil. When the tubers ripen on time, they turn out tasty and can be stored for more than one month.

How to speed up the ripening of potatoes?

You can try to speed up the ripening of potatoes after the flowering period so that young potatoes do not have to be dug up in late autumn. This will help those summer residents who have delayed planting planting material. You can also try to increase the growth of potatoes if it is a cold and rainy summer.

What to do if the bushes have grown a lot and you can’t delay harvesting?

The easiest way is to cut off the green tops when planting material It has recently begun to sprout, and the bushes have not yet begun to bloom.
To ensure that potatoes ripen earlier, you can spray the bushes with a solution 14 days before harvesting. copper sulfate. The product draws moisture from the leaves and the maturity of the tubers comes faster. The tops begin to grow in the same month brown spots, curl and dry out.
You can speed up the ripening of potatoes if you have had a long and cold summer using magnesium chlorate. For 1 liter of water you need to take 25 grams, dilute the chlorate in water and spray the bushes with it. The stages of potato ripening will then be reduced, and after a while it will be possible to dig it up. If the weather is dry, then the potatoes ripen after spraying already on the 6th day.
To ensure that potatoes ripen earlier than expected, they can be treated with superphosphate. Spray potatoes after flowering. For 1 liter warm water 25 g superphosphate. It is better to choose the time for the procedure in the evening.
Tubers ripen faster if they are germinated before planting in the soil. This is not difficult to do and germination takes little time. Potatoes are germinated in a well-ventilated area. You can put straw or hay on the floor. During the day the temperature should be no more than +15. At night, for complete germination, it needs to be lowered to +7. Potatoes should germinate in 2–4 weeks. After the first roots begin to grow on the tubers, they are watered with a solution of sodium chloride, ammonium nitrate and superphosphate (15:15:55 per 10 liters of water). After two days, the tubers need to be watered. This will promote growth rate when the potatoes are planted in the soil.
Drying is another way to speed up growth. The potatoes need to be laid out in one layer (it is not necessary to lay them out so that the sun hits the tubers). After a week and a half, eyes should appear on it. Then you can start planting. Plant dried potatoes in the usual way.

After these procedures, the stages of potato growth will be shortened and then you can safely dig up young potatoes without fear of damaging them in the ground. This question is especially relevant for those summer residents whose plot is located in a lowland, where water accumulates or when the ground contains a lot of peat and potatoes grow slowly.

When to dig up potatoes?

As mentioned earlier, potatoes ripen in different ways. By what signs can you determine that it is time to dig up the crop?

The main signs of potato ripening:

The main sign by which you can determine that potatoes are ripe is dried tops. In early ripening varieties this may begin at the end of July. After all the tops of the grown potatoes have dried, you can begin harvesting.
Second important point Something worth paying attention to is the weather. It is better to dig up potatoes in dry and sunny weather. As a rule, potatoes ripen by the end of August. Therefore, it is better not to delay until autumn and do it before the rains. If the shade of the vegetative organs of plants (leaves, stems) is green, then you should think about artificially accelerating ripening.
Ripening also depends on sowing. If the potatoes were planted at the end of May, then they will have to be dug up no earlier than September. This can be determined by the phases of development of the bushes. If the tops are still green in August, it will take several weeks before they dry out.

You can dig up a potato crop at a temperature not lower than +17 degrees. Then, during storage, the potatoes will not turn black and spoil. The most unfavorable time is the morning hours, when frost has already set in. If you dig up potatoes at such a time, they will quickly wither and cannot be eaten.

After harvesting, it is necessary to collect all tops and weeds. If this is not done, then by the next goal the area may be overgrown weed grass and then it will take a lot of time to get it out of the garden.

When digging up potatoes, you can immediately select the best and largest tubers for further planting. They need to be left in the sun for several days so that solanine begins to accumulate in the potatoes. The peel should take on a greenish tint. Such tubers will be stored longer and will not be spoiled by rodents. And on next year You can grow a good harvest from them.

If space allows, then before putting the potatoes in the basement, you need to keep them in the sun for some time. In this way, you can kill all pathogens and also increase shelf life.

Dried potatoes should be scattered into bags, after discarding spoiled and gnawed tubers. It is advisable to store potatoes away from direct sunlight to prevent them from sprouting. The room should be well ventilated, the humidity in the cellar should be high. By following all the rules of planting and storage, you can eat potatoes all year round.

Before harvesting the entire potato crop, it is necessary to ensure that the tubers are ripe. When to Harvest Potatoes- you will learn the main signs and timing of digging from our article.

Potatoes must be harvested on time, otherwise the fruits will begin to deteriorate, rot and become unfit for consumption.

If you dig up potatoes early, then the protective crust will not yet have time to form and will be thin, which is why the potatoes will be easily damaged and poorly stored.

If it's too late to dig up the potatoes, then the tuber may already begin to grow, sprouts will begin to form - therefore, a lot of useful substances from the tuber and taste will pass into these sprouts. Such potatoes are difficult to store and have poor taste.

Potato harvest time

The average statistical time for harvesting potatoes in central Russia falls on the period from late August to mid-September. The timing of harvesting directly depends on the specific variety and weather in the current region.

Since to harvest tubers you need to choose dry, sunny weather, and if heavy rains are predicted in the near future, then you need to try to harvest the crop faster.

Heavy rains at the end of potato ripening can provoke various fungal diseases, such a crop will be stored much worse.

Defining potato harvesting time it is necessary to take into account the varietal characteristics of maturation. For early ripening variety 80 days are enough, mid-season varieties need 100 days, late varieties need 120 days.

The total volume of precipitation for the entire season affects the ripening period of tubers - the drier the summer, the faster the fruits ripen, but the number of fruits varies (often small in size), the taste is worse.

In addition to the ripening period, there are visual signs of potato harvest readiness. Thanks to these signs, you will be able to correctly determine the time to dig potatoes.

The most obvious sign is withered tops. If the ground part of the bush dries out, then there is no point in keeping the tubers in the ground. Moreover, if the potatoes are not harvested within 2-3 weeks, the crop may become overripe and even begin to rot.

Attention: sometimes dry tops can be a sign of potato blight infection.

If you doubt the readiness of the potatoes, then dig up a couple of bushes for testing, take 2 tubers from them and rub them against each other - the peel does not rub off, and at the same time the tubers are large enough, which means the potatoes are ripe.

Video - When to dig potatoes?

How to properly prepare potatoes for storage?

After you have dug up the entire crop, it is better to immediately select planting material for the next year. Choose smooth, healthy, medium-sized tubers from the most productive bushes.

Dry the planting material, keep it in the light so that the tubers turn green and store it in the cellar until next year.

The main harvest after digging is required dry in the garden for 3 hours. Then put them in boxes and transfer them for 3 weeks to ripen in a dark, well-ventilated room with a positive temperature.

Over time, when storing potatoes, you can dust the potatoes with wood ash, which will provide additional protection for the tubers from rotting.

After harvesting potatoes, do not forget to collect all the tops and burn them. After which the area is disinfected with a solution of phytosporin and sown with green manure (a mixture of mustard and oats).

To ensure that the time and energy spent on caring for potatoes is not wasted, the harvest must be harvested on time. Here it is very important to correctly calculate the timing of potato harvesting: tubers dug up too early, due to too thin and fragile skins, will deteriorate and will not last until spring. Potatoes left in the ground longer than necessary to ripen will most likely begin to rot from the inside. If, before digging, heavy rains begin or frosts strike, you can say goodbye to the grown tubers.

Factors influencing potato ripening:

Variety According to ripening time, potato varieties are divided into:

super early (35–50 days);
early (50–65 days);
mid-early (65–80 days);
mid-season (80–95 days);
medium-late (95–110 days);
late (110–120 or more days).

When choosing a potato variety, gardeners usually focus on the climatic conditions of their region. If persistent frosts in a given area occur earlier than the expected ripening period of potatoes, it simply does not make sense to grow such a variety.

Climatic conditions. In hot weather, without watering, potatoes ripen faster. If the summer is cool and rainy, the tubers ripen longer, although they may begin to rot.

Soil fertility. In fertile soil, potatoes take longer to ripen, but grow larger. Therefore, in well-fertilized areas, harvesting begins later. If nitrogen fertilizers were used on the site, it is better to hesitate with digging up the tubers. To prevent rot, such fertilizers should not be abused.

How to choose the right time to harvest potatoes

Potatoes are considered to be ripe when 60–70% of the tops have fallen and dried out. However, there are exceptions to this rule: the tops of some varieties turn green until late autumn, despite the fact that the tubers have long ripened. In addition, the tops may die prematurely due to illness.

In order to accurately determine the timing of potato harvesting, it is necessary to periodically dig up one bush per different places area and evaluate the condition of the peel by eye. Young tubers cannot be stored for long: they are best eaten.

Potatoes of the most common mid-early and mid-ripening varieties in Russia ripen approximately 40–45 days after flowering. In different regions, potatoes are dug from mid-August to the end of September.

When deciding when to dig potatoes, you should focus on the weather forecast: if prolonged rains or frosts are expected, it is better to dig up the tubers a little sooner than later to collect them rotten, with clods of earth stuck to them.

If the tops have not dried out, then they need to be mowed approximately 2-3 weeks (at least a week) before harvesting the potatoes. This is necessary so that the skins of the tubers in the ground ripen. In addition, green tops can draw useful substances from potatoes, as a result the pulp will become less tasty.

It is better to harvest on a dry, clear day, closer to noon, when the air warms up to at least +10°C, otherwise a sharp difference between the temperature of the soil and the air can negatively affect the condition of the tubers. Optimal temperature for digging potatoes – from +10 to +17°C.

Potatoes that are ready for harvesting have a fairly rough skin, this is the main sign of readiness

When to start digging potatoes in different regions of Russia

Most of Russia's territory is located in the zone of risky agriculture. Therefore, you need to choose a potato variety very carefully, giving preference to zoned varieties. True, there are varieties that are universal. Thus, according to statistics, almost 70% of owners of household plots located from Kuban to the Far East plant potatoes of the early Zhukovsky variety on their plots, which are characterized by high yield and resistance to weather conditions. Its only drawback is that the tubers begin to germinate at the slightest increase in temperature in the storage. If the autumn is warm, and the gardener delays harvesting, the potatoes may still sprout in the ground.

Potato harvest in central Russia

In the north of central Russia, frosts begin in the third ten days of September. Accordingly, it is better to harvest potatoes before mid-September. Although growing late varieties in such conditions is very risky, skilled summer residents are not afraid of difficulties: the mid-late varieties Pobeda, Nakra, Altair, Fambo are very popular. Of the early varieties that can be harvested at the end of August - beginning of September, home gardeners prefer Bashkir, Bellarosa, Nora, and Rosara.

In the south of central Russia, frosts occur later, at the beginning of October. The climate here is milder, so you can grow any variety of potatoes, even the latest ones. Of the late varieties, the varieties of Belarusian selection most loved by gardeners are Belorussky 3 and Lasunak, and of the mid-late varieties - Lorch, Mozart, Pobeda, Golubizna.

Potato harvest in Kuban

The southern regions have their own specifics. Here they pay more attention not to frost, but to the summer heat. From about mid-July, the temperature rises so much that potatoes in the ground stop growing. Therefore, in the south of Russia it is profitable to plant early and mid-early varieties that ripen before the end of July.

It has been experimentally established that the same Zhukovsky produces high yields only in the first year, then the variety degenerates, losing resistance to heat. But in these climatic conditions, the early varieties Cleopatra and Skoroplodny, as well as the mid-early ones, performed well:
Svitanok Kyiv, Cardinal, Raj and Reserve. And Arrow is recognized as the most delicious of the early varieties grown in the Kuban.

Potato harvest in Crimea

If irrigation is organized on the site, then the heat-resistant early varieties Agave, Tiras, Laura, Arosa can produce two harvests per season in Crimean conditions: the first is harvested in June, the second in early October.