How Do You Know When To Pick Your Potatoes

You know when to pick your potatoes by watching for key signs in the plant’s growth, the weather, and the passage of time.

But knowing when to pick your potatoes isn’t a one-size-fits-all answer because it depends on whether you want new potatoes or mature storage spuds.

If you’re wondering when to pick your potatoes for the best flavor or the longest shelf life, the timing really matters.

In this post, we’ll cover the exact signs to look for so you know when to pick your potatoes, plus tips for harvesting both early and late varieties.

Let’s dig into the details.

Key Signs For When To Pick Your Potatoes

The most reliable way to know when to pick your potatoes is to observe the plant above the ground and test the tubers below.

Here are the main signs that tell you when to pick your potatoes.

1. Flowering Signals Early Harvest Time

When your potato plants start flowering, that’s your first clue about when to pick your potatoes for “new” or baby potatoes.

New potatoes are small, tender, and thin-skinned, perfect for salads or boiling.

The flowers appear about two to three weeks after the plants have established themselves.

Once you see those blossoms, you can gently dig around the base of the plant to check the size of the tubers.

If they’re about the size of a golf ball or larger, you know when to pick your potatoes for that fresh, early harvest.

Just remember that new potatoes won’t store well, so eat them within a few days.

2. Yellowing Foliage Means Mature Potatoes Are Ready

For mature, storage-ready potatoes, you need to wait until the foliage begins to yellow and die back naturally.

This is the classic sign of when to pick your potatoes for the main harvest.

When the leaves turn yellow and start to flop over, the plant is telling you it’s done sending energy to the tubers.

At this stage, the skins have thickened and hardened, which is what you want for long-term storage.

Wait about two to three weeks after the foliage dies down completely before digging.

This waiting period allows the skins to set properly, so they don’t scrape off during harvest.

3. The Two-Week Rule After Frost

If a frost kills the potato foliage before it naturally yellows, you still need to know when to pick your potatoes.

After a frost, the tops will turn black and collapse quickly.

Don’t rush to dig them up right away.

Instead, wait about two weeks after the frost kills the tops.

This gives the potatoes time to finish curing in the soil, which improves their storage quality.

So if you’re unsure when to pick your potatoes after an unexpected cold snap, just count 14 days from the frost date.

4. Checking Tuber Size and Skin Firmness

Sometimes the foliage signs can be misleading, especially in wet or dry seasons.

To be absolutely sure about when to pick your potatoes, you can do a test dig.

Carefully lift one plant with a garden fork, starting well away from the stem to avoid spearing tubers.

Feel the skin on a few potatoes by rubbing your thumb across the surface.

If the skin rubs off easily, they’re not ready for storage yet.

If the skin is firm and doesn’t scrape, that’s your definitive answer for when to pick your potatoes for the main crop.

Factors That Affect When To Pick Your Potatoes

Beyond the visual cues, several external factors influence when to pick your potatoes each season.

Let’s look at what can speed up or delay your harvest timing.

1. Potato Variety Determines Days to Maturity

Different potato varieties mature at different rates, so knowing your specific variety helps you predict when to pick your potatoes.

Early varieties like Yukon Gold or Red Norland are ready in about 70 to 90 days.

Maincrop varieties like Russet Burbank or Katahdin need 100 to 130 days.

Check your seed packet or plant tag for the expected days to maturity.

Then count forward from your planting date to get a rough idea of when to pick your potatoes.

Of course, weather and soil conditions can shift this timeline by a week or two.

2. Soil Moisture Levels Impact Skin Set

If your soil is too wet when you’re deciding when to pick your potatoes, the skins will be thin and prone to bruising.

Dry soil conditions actually help the skins set faster and firmer.

So if you’ve had heavy rains, you might need to wait a bit longer.

On the flip side, if the soil is bone dry and cracking, the potatoes may have stopped growing.

In that case, you know when to pick your potatoes because the plant will show early dieback from drought stress.

3. Temperature Affects Dormancy and Curing

Potatoes stop growing when soil temperatures exceed about 80°F (27°C).

In hot summer regions, you might notice the foliage dying back early even if the tubers aren’t fully mature.

If that happens, you still need to know when to pick your potatoes, and the answer is to harvest them quickly.

Potatoes left in warm soil can start to resprout or develop a bitter taste.

Cooler autumn temperatures, on the other hand, slow down growth but improve sugar content.

So the best time for a main crop harvest is usually after the heat of summer has passed but before the first hard freeze.

How To Harvest Potatoes At The Right Time

Once you’ve figured out when to pick your potatoes, you need to handle the harvest properly to avoid damage.

Here are a few tips for getting them out of the ground cleanly.

Use a Garden Fork, Not a Shovel

A shovel can slice through potatoes easily, so a digging fork is a better tool.

Insert the fork about 12 inches away from the plant’s stem and push it deep into the soil.

Then gently lever the soil upward to loosen the roots.

This method helps you find when to pick your potatoes without turning them into mash before dinner.

Harvest on a Dry Day

Pick a sunny, dry day to dig your potatoes.

Moist soil clings to tubers and makes them harder to clean, plus wet potatoes are more likely to bruise.

If the soil is too wet, wait a few days if you can.

If you must harvest during wet weather, be extra gentle and let the potatoes dry thoroughly before storing.

Let Them Cure Before Storing

After you’ve decided when to pick your potatoes and you’ve dug them all up, don’t wash them yet.

Instead, leave them unwashed in a dark, well-ventilated place with moderate humidity for about two weeks.

This curing period helps any small nicks heal and thickens the skins further.

Once cured, brush off loose soil and store your potatoes in a cool, dark, and dry spot.

Temperatures around 45 to 50°F (7 to 10°C) are ideal for long-term storage.

So, How Do You Know When To Pick Your Potatoes?

You know when to pick your potatoes by watching the plant’s flowers for early harvests and the yellowing foliage for mature storage potatoes.

You also know when to pick your potatoes by feeling the skins for firmness and counting the days since planting for your specific variety.

So the next time you’re standing over your potato patch wondering when to pick your potatoes, just look at the leaves, do a test dig, and check the calendar.

That’s really all it takes to enjoy the perfect spuds all season long.