Digging forks, wooden baskets and lots of anticipation for the upcoming enjoyment - nothing more was necessary when families used to go out to the fields together during the autumn weeks to pick delicious potatoes. Even today, many hobby gardeners still enjoy harvesting the he althy tubers from their self-sufficient garden. However, in order to enjoy this popular vegetable unadulterated, it is particularly important to choose the right harvest time - and this depends on various factors.
Choosing the harvest time – preliminary considerations
Basically, the optimal harvest period for potatoes can be determined based on four different criteria - from:
- of the variety used
- the condition of the vegetable foliage
- the appearance and texture of the shell
- the climatic conditions
The general harvest period includes the months of May, June, July, August, September and October and can then vary depending on the criterion taken into account.
New potatoes
The classic early potato refers to the tubers that are harvested in late spring or early summer. The hobby gardener can already purchase very early varieties in
May, get early varieties out of the ground in June; however, the harvest takes place before the potatoes are fully ripe. To accelerate ripening, resourceful gardeners also use garden fleece or garden films.
The harvested potatoes have the following characteristics and properties:
- paper-thin skin
- Skin rubs off easily
- limited shelf life (2 to 5 weeks)
The early varieties are never classic storage potatoes, but rather fresh produce that must be consumed quickly; This is due to the specific composition of the early tubers, which contain a lot of water and have a low starch content. In terms of taste, they are therefore perceived as particularly tender and aromatic. New potatoes can be combined very well with fresh asparagus dishes. The “Annabelle” potato is a classic among the varieties.
Medium early varieties
The medium early potatoes are characterized by the following properties:
- Ripe time between mid-August and the end of September
- firmer shell
- can be stored for up to three months
The most popular varieties here include the “Alexandra” and “Linda” varieties.
Autumn potatoes
If you want to harvest typical storage potatoes that can then be consumed throughout the cold season, choose the late varieties. These have a lower water content, but a considerable starch content. In addition, the comparatively thick shell ensures excellent storage stability. The tubers become ready for harvest from mid-September - but the hobby gardener can still get very late varieties out of the ground until the end of November. It's a good practice to leave fall potatoes as long as possible; In this way, the vegetables cork optimally. Late varieties include:
- Amado
- Aspirant
- Cascada
- Laura
- Danuta
- Highland Burgundy Red
Identify the harvest time correctly
Even if the approximate harvest time of the selected potato variety is known, it cannot be determined precisely due to climatic fluctuations. Then it is necessary to take additional external factors into account. Late potatoes, for example, can be harvested when the skin is as firm as possible; When rubbing over the potato, the peel should not come off. Additionally, the color of the tuber should also be taken into account; The following applies here: the darker the color, the riper the potato is.
In addition, the attentive hobby gardener should pay attention to the potato leaves; After this has dried out above ground, you can wait a period of three weeks before the harvest takes place.
Tip:
These criteria do not apply to new potatoes. They are taken from the field when the herb still has green leaves and the peel can be rubbed off.
Optimal climatic conditions for potato harvesting
If you want to harvest potatoes, you should choose a day with the optimal weather. A warm and slightly cloudy day on which there is no rain is particularly suitable for this. Then the hobby gardener benefits from several advantages:
- Loose soil makes harvesting easier
- Dry substrate enables clean work
- No risk of sunburn for the harvest workers
The latter point in particular should not be underestimated; Anyone who harvests their potatoes in the blazing midday heat risks damage to their he alth - especially because the potato harvest usually takes several hours.
But no matter which day the hobby gardener chooses to harvest his potatoes - in any case, the inimitable enjoyment of fresh potatoes awaits the hard-working harvest helpers at the end.
