Hi Ya'll. I'm growing potatoes really for the first time this year. I don't know what they are suppose to look like when they're ready. They look pretty horrible right now. I don't know if it has a nutrient deficiency or its suppose to look like that when it's ready to dig up. It's yellow and the leaves are all curled up. Does someone have a pic I could see of the plant when it's ready to harvest??? Help!!

Eden, I dont have a pic to show, but I can tell you....if you planted the seed in April or May...or even early June, and they have already flowered, there should be potatoes under there.

I planted a row in late April, and dug the entire row already, and had monster potatoes.

All Potato plants will grow nice and tall, then flower, and then start to sprawl over and get ugly, then the plants will start to die off...if your plants have been through those stages, they are ready. If you want them to keep for a long time, and the weather is fairly dry...cut the plants off and leave the potatoes in the ground for a week or 2, to develop good skins.

If you just want potatoes for the next month or 2, dig them up with a fork, carefully, and store them away from the sun, in the garage or kitchen...dont wash what you wont eat in a week or 2, but you should have plenty of spuds there, I would think.

Let me know

I agree with gte66. Sounds like the taters have done there thing. I admit.. I'm new to growing potatoes after being away from "the farm" for 30 years. This is my second year doing potatoes. They are easier to grow than I ever remember!

My family (and me for a while) always planted lots of potatoes & when the tops start to die back, you could dig some or wait till the tops were dry and then dig them. We would dig them and let them lay out for a day( No more than that) and let them dry (or cure) before filling the bushel baskets. Some would be layed out under the house with lime sprinkeld on them for storage. These would keep well till the next spring if they lasted that long...LOL Some times..like when the first green beans came in, we would grub (or we would call it "stealing") some "new potatoes" for a special treat...Now that's good eatting.

I planted late. Mine are just flowering. Should I wait until the flowers die or the plant dies some?

When they are flowering they already have little potatoes under there but I have found that if I start rooting around I just damage the ones I am not taking (except for the county fair- I sacrifice a couple plants and dig). So it is best to wait a little longer.

Remember to save some of the potatoes to plant next year. I never store mine well enough to make it through the whole winter and early spring so I have some amazing long eyes on them and plant those ones. At least they aren't wasted. I still buy some new variety most years too.

I planted a row around July 7 or so...just starting to flower...wait unti the tops start to fall over and look kinda ugly...then there will be sizable spuds under there.