Harvest guide

Potato harvest guide: when to pick and how much to expect

Potatoes hide their harvest underground, so timing is mostly about reading the plant above. This guide covers early and maincrop potatoes, what a row can give, and how to store tubers for winter.

Days to harvest: 80–120 days from planting(Montana State University Extension)
Harvest months: June–October(RHS)
Typical yield: 6.8 kg per 3 m row (15 lb per 10 ft)(Mississippi State University Extension)
Spacing: 30–37 cm (12–15 in) apart, rows 60–75 cm (24–30 in) apart(RHS)
Family: Solanaceae (nightshade family)
Botanical name: Solanum tuberosum

Potato planting and harvest calendar

Plant March–May. Harvest June–October.(RHS)

Potato season timeline

Plant
Harvest

Months are for a temperate Northern Hemisphere climate, based on RHS (UK) guidance. Shift them earlier or later to match your own frost dates, or by about six months in the Southern Hemisphere.

Plant out
Harvest

When to harvest potatoes

Early potatoes are usually ready when the plants flower or the flower buds drop. The tubers should be about the size of a hen's egg.(RHS)
Maincrops are ready once the foliage starts to die back.(University of Minnesota Extension)
Not sure? Gently scrape soil away from one plant to check tuber size, then cover them back up if they need longer.(RHS)

How often to pick

Earlies are best dug as you need them. For storage, cut off the yellowing foliage of maincrops, wait about 10 days so the skins firm up, then lift them all.(RHS)

How many potatoes to expect

A 3 m (10 ft) row typically gives about 6.8 kg (15 lb) (scaled from 150 lb per 100 ft).(Mississippi State University Extension)

Yields vary with variety, weather, soil and care. Treat these as ballpark figures, not targets.

Plan for your family

For 4 people eating potatoes fresh, plan on about 61–122 m (200–400 ft) of row(University of Missouri Extension). That should give roughly 136–272 kg (300–600 lb)(Mississippi State University Extension).

See the full planting-per-person guide →

Storing your potatoes

Let tubers cure for about two weeks at 10–16 °C (50–60 °F) before long-term storage.(University of Minnesota Extension)
Then store them in the dark, cold and humid, ideally 0–4 °C (32–40 °F). Potatoes meant for frying keep better at 4–10 °C (40–50 °F). Expect about six months.(University of Minnesota Extension)
Throw away any green potatoes. The green parts can be toxic.(RHS)

Track it

Log every potato harvest

Harvest Journal is a private garden journal for your phone. Tap to log each picking of potatoes by weight or count, and see your season add up, with no account needed.

Prefer paper? Make a free harvest report PDF in your browser, with no account needed.

Potato harvest FAQ

How do I know when potatoes are ready to dig?

Early varieties are generally ready around flowering, when the tubers are egg-sized. Maincrops are ready once the leaves yellow and die back. You can always scrape back a little soil to check before lifting a whole plant.

Are green potatoes safe to eat?

The RHS advises discarding potatoes that have turned green, as they are potentially poisonous. Keep stored potatoes in the dark to stop them greening.