GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post

Glenna Rose · 01-07-2007, 05:15 AM posted to rec.gardens.edible

et writes:
Lilah Morgan wrote:
How do I know when they're ready to harvest? I don't wanna dig them up
and
disturb them to find out, and was wondering if there's another way. I
would
have done a web search to find out, but I didn't know the ISP hadn't
been
paid this month, so since yesterday all I can do is newsgroups. Can't
even
check my email. Hopefully that will be taken care of on Tuesday(payday)
at
the latest.

The stalks will begin to wilt. When they look half or pretty well dead
(mostly yellow), I cut them back to just above soil level and leave the
spuds in the ground for about two weeks to give the skins a chance to
harden...then dig and dig and dig.

That's what I do for the first ones, but I leave them in the ground and
dig as I want them. My garden has good drainage so there's not a problem
with spoilage. As the weather starts into the 30s, the potatoes (and
carrots) get much sweeter. There is no potato like one that has just been
dug from the garden on New Year's Day. :-)

New Year's Day last year, we had sauerbrauten with potatoes and cabbage
straight from the garden. I could not believe that unpicked cabbage could
still be good, but inside the outer bad looking leaves was delicious
cabbage (purple for sweet and sour cabbage). I expected the 'taters to be
good but certainly not the cabbage.

Our gardens are full of surprises and most of them are good surprises.

Glenna