First Potato Harvest of 2023: Part 2!

The same day I harvested my first 3 containers of potatoes, I also harvested half of a raised bed I planted potatoes in this season. Last year I made this raised bed to grow peanuts. I decided it wasn’t worth the time it takes peanuts to grow and harvest. This resulted in an open bed. I also had extra seed potatoes and did not want to throw them away. So, I planted them in this bed, half Red Norland and half Yukon Gold. The bed is made from cedar fence pickets and is approximately 4’x8’. I planted four rows of four seed potatoes for each variety.
Both varieties have grown very well. The Red Norland were planted a couple weeks before the Yukon Gold. These plants, like my container potatoes, got beat up pretty badly by the several spring storms that brought really high winds. We were spared the hail though in my immediate area.
It’s not the greatest camera work and sound could be better, but I think you can see the bed was pretty productive. Ideally, I cut the foliage off my potatoes and then leave them in the ground for 7-10 days so the skin cures and toughens up a little. This makes it less likely that I damage the potatoes when I harvest them and improves their storability.
However, I decided to dig these potatoes after just four days because of the threat of rain. You don’t want potatoes with dead or cut tops to sit in soaked soil. They will likely start to rot. My decision to dig the potatoes when I did has proven to be the right call! I dug them on a Saturday. It rained all day Sunday. We got more rain Monday and are now under a flood watch through Wednesday night.
Finally, it was HOT when I dug the potatoes. It was so hot, my camera overheated and shut off! I did not know this had happened!?!? I was just playing in the dirt and then looked at the camera and was like, “Well, dang it!” But I think you will still get the idea of what I harvested.
Let me know in the comments if you leave your taters in the ground for any amount of time after you remove the foliage.
Thanks for watching and I hope you have a great potato harvest!

[@Tulip879]

What a nice pool you have!!!

[@rizesgardening]

Nice red harvest!

[@TheWoodlandGardener]

Wonderful!

[@larrystone5749]

Good job and harvest thank you for sharing enjoyed it Be safe stay well and God Bless

[@uppanadam]

Definitely a much better harvest for sure!!

[@MissBetsyLu]

Number of earthworms maybe only because of letting ground dry out. The dryness made the worms go deeper below the surface seeking moisture. Blessing to all of us.

[@paulandbarbie1969]

Nice harvest...My wife and I primarily raise bed garden too, but also container and a couple of in ground plots. Watched your video with the 15-gallon containers. I used 5-gallon buckets with on average 2 seed potatoes per bucket but 3 if they were small. We planted 4 buckets of Norland Reds, and 4 buckets of Yukon Golds. I didn't weigh but we had an approximate 20 to 25 lbs. Enjoy your channel, zone 8a Panama City, Florida

[@greyghostgardening5353]

I have a few more 5 gallon buckets with some different varieties - Carola, Yukon Gold. They did not have their foliage smothered by other plants so I’m hoping for better production from them. I’m shocked that Panama City is in Zone 8b! Seems awful far south for that. Thanks for watching!

[@paulandbarbie1969]

@@greyghostgardening5353 , I will continue to plant potatoes in 5 gallon buckets, but plan on putting a few in the raised beds next season. My wife uses the raised beds for sweet potatoes and has pretty good results

[@brusharp]

In the last frame you look like Bert in Big Bang Theory! Would be nice to know your USDA grow zone and latitude. Too hot to grow a second crop?

[@greyghostgardening5353]

I’m in 9a, just northwest of Houston, TX. I am going to grow potatoes again in the fall. It’s wayyyy too hot to grow potatoes in late spring/summer where I live.

[@2frogland]

too many seeds planted for area,you worried too much about spuds getting wet as long as its not weeks it wont hurt,we harvest when its wet they just need to dry before storing

[@MissBetsyLu]

You didn't say how much they weighed.

[@greyghostgardening5353]

At 6:28 in the video there is a picture of the weight. They weighed 14.5 pounds. I don’t know how this stacks up for an in-ground/raised bed harvest, but I was very pleased. Thanks for watching!

[@MissBetsyLu]

@@greyghostgardening5353 oops, I missed it. I think catalogs that are selling seed potatoes usually say 1-5 lbs or 5-10 lbs per hill. Many blessings everyone.

[@2frogland]

still very poor compared to mine i grow in ridges, i leave maincrop from april to end of september by that time tops have well died off and skins hardened

[@greyghostgardening5353]

Where are you growing? My plants won’t survive the summers where I live.

[@2frogland]

@@greyghostgardening5353 england