Picking (harvesting) Sweet Potatoes

Picking (harvesting) Sweet Potatoes

Harvesting sweet potatoes should begin before the vines die back and at least one week before a predicted frost. Because sweet potatoes are roots and not tubers like white potatoes they can be dug with a shovel or pitchfork. Be sure not to cut or stab the roots. Gently remove all soil until you see the exposed root. Sweet potatoes are very tender when dug and most are cured before storage. Cure the roots by keeping them in a hot (85º to 90ºF) moist area for a week. After curing, store them in a warm (55º to 60ºF) dry place.

Freshly dug sweet potato.
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Picking Potatoes (harvesting)

Picking Potatoes (harvesting)

Picking PotatoesPicking Potatoes (harvesting) can begin when the vines begin to turn yellow and die off. Lifting the potatoes out of the soil can easily be done by using a shovel or pitchfork. This needs to be with care so that you do not cut or stab the tubers that grow out from the plants above. Begin picking potatoes by digging as deep as possible starting about 8 to 12 inches away from the stem and work your way inward towards the row. Once removed from the ground you will want to wash the excess soil off the tubers and dry them by keeping them in a warm area until the skin dries brown. Avoid placing the tubers in sunlight or exposed to light in general because that could cause them to turn green and become inedible. Newly dug potatoes can be eaten immediately. To store tubers place them in a dark, warm (55º to 65ºF), moist area to heal over any scars and to toughen the skin for curing. After curing store in a dark, cool moist area like a root cellar. You should not refrigerate after picking potatoes.

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