Sometimes potatoes never flower. People just use the flowering as a sign that the plant is ready to develop tubers.

There's only one reason not to harvest new potatoes from growing vines - this will keep any more tubers from sprouting on the stolon. I don't let this stop me, I'd rather have new potatoes than more potatoes or bigger ones.

I just wouldn't take any more than you plan to eat immediately, though.

Are you growing them strictly to use as new potatoes and use right now or also growing them for harvest and storage? Makes a big difference as to when you begin to harvest them.

If you want potatoes that will keep/store as most do and not rot then you need to wait until the vines completely die back and then wait another week to 10 days before digging them up.

This doesn't mean you can't steal a few to use now as new potatoes but they won't keep for any length of time. They will need to be used within a few days as explained in the other posts on potatoes further down the page.

Dave

I usually wait until the plants start to look sad before harvesting. Even though my potato bed is probably 12 by 20 my home grown potato supply never seems to make it to the real cold weather.. Those little potatoes are so good fried with a little butter..OMG cant wait

Lots of talk about bugs this year has me worried. I wonder if the warm winter is the culprit? We cut some trees down so I am hoping for a bigger yield!

My Expanding Potato Bed

I pulled aside the straw today from one larger plant that's staring to flower, and there were a couple of stolons starting to run. They got a slow start, but they're on their way.

I planted the early potatoes that I'm growing for new ones along the edge of the bed so I can easily reach in and nab them.

Jodie, Are the huge potatoes new ones? This early in the season is seems hard to believe that the potatoes would be so large already......unless you are seeing the old seed potatoes.

Thanks everyone for the great info! I remember in April before the frost one plant was about to bloom and then the frost came. Now of course I'm worried about bugs since I had to dig one plant up because it had been demolished by what I suspect was a corn borer. I had 3 big and one tiny potato off that plant. (They are in the oven right now.)Some of the plants are starting to look a little tired but since they haven't flowered, I don't know if it's because they are done growing or if they are being eaten by something.
Wayne - Definitely not the seed potatoes. They are usually in clumps of 2 or 3 under each plant.
Dig dirt - I'd like to have the best of both worlds, but mainly I would be using them for storage simply because I imagine there will be quite a few potatoes to eat.

Sounds like you're right on schedule, since you planted in Feb -- aren't most potato varieties ready in 60 - 90 days?

I didn't know they could go without flowering -- I learn something new here every time I come in :)

Dig dirt - I'd like to have the best of both worlds, but mainly I would be using them for storage simply because I imagine there will be quite a few potatoes to eat.

Then you will want to wait to harvest/dig those until well after the plants have completely died off so they will be well cured for storage.

Dave

My first year planting potatoes, I didn't get any flowers before the vines wilted and died back. I thought I lost the whole crop, but checked just in case. I ended up with a pretty good harvest.

two years ago I decided to grow my own potatoes. I live in Cyprus so what could go wrong. first of all I dug the ground over and over then I planted the six potatoes I had with roots on into the mound I had made. then covered them slightly. after a couple of weeks I noticed the shoots, then the flowers. i started to worry a bit when they reached about four feet high. I then put canes in to stop them from falling over, the flowers kept on blooming. after growing another two feet I decided to bag them up. would you believe it, nothing but the six spuds I originally planted. help what did I do wrong

You can rob potatoes, I "steal" potatoes early in the season; poke around and see if there are anything under them. Even with the ran I was surprised that potatoes did pretty good this year, I just harvested several bushels and planted another 100lbs today.

Hi bmiracle57,

I believe you may have had too much nitrogen in your soil/compost/fertiliser. The nitrogen encourages LEAF growth as opposed to tubers

the post you responding to was bmiracle57,

Also, said covered slightly. Probably not planted deep enough. You should keep adding dirt when the foliage comes through at least about 2 feet deep but you could go even deeper. The deeper you go the more tubers you get.