Post #1311243

2026-04-15 14:12 UTC

Hi everyone, we need advice from #farmers. We’re not experienced with growing potatoes. We found many already planted on our land, and now they’re flowering. We added soil around each plant as recommended just recently, but we are not sure what to do next. We really want a healthy first harvest 😊 Any guidance is welcome #Farming #Potatoes #Agriculture #FoodSecurity #Learning #Uganda #SustainableFarming

Replies (7)

@scogings@mastodon.world 2026-04-15 14:21

@econetwork@mas.to Those are not sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas). They are potatoes (Solanum tuberosum). Different family, but same order (Solanales). Ramping the soil around the bases is good. Wait for the flowers to die before harvesting.

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@AndiBarth@muenchen.social 2026-04-15 14:30

@econetwork@mas.to Is that for you, @kartoffelkombinat@geno.social (though weather and circumstances are quite different)?

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@nusher@mastodon.scot 2026-04-15 16:41

@econetwork@mas.to Depends on whether you want “new” small potatoes or earthier bigger ones. Flowering shows the plants are starting to form little potatoes, if you want the biggest ones, wait until the leaves start to go yellow or wilt a bit. And others have said pile up soil and keep a steady degree of moisture.

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@KorinnaAllhoff@ecoevo.social 2026-04-15 18:38

@econetwork@mas.to Not sure this is helpful - but I had potatoes in pots on my balcony (in Germany) several times. Each time I simply waited until the above ground parts of the plants started to die off and then the harvest was very good.

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@GoblinQuester@dice.camp 2026-04-15 20:35

@econetwork@mas.to I have grown potatoes for many years as well as my folks since generations back, and there is many types of potatoes that all have their own ideas of when they are ready. Unless the soil is too wet you can keep them down there well after the plant itself have gone try and wilted. But in warmer climates I guess they can start to grow themselves and that is to be avoided. One can pick the tubers almost from they first start to form, but when small they are a bit of a wasteful delicacy

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@pico@mstdn.science 2026-04-16 07:31

@econetwork@mas.to Adding to the conversation about "how do I know the right time?" Potatoes can stay in the soil however long you want (barring frost and heavy rain, which cause rot). The longer they stay, the more they grow, the more risks of disease/pest/animals they incur in.

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@neceseres.bsky.social@bsky.brid.gy 2026-05-09 17:54

water them and they'll be ready in about 3 or 4 months after planting. The best way to harvest them is with a fork.

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