I'm growing long season Swedish yellow, some blues, and an early red. The reds are harvesting early, about the size of golf balls. I like to harvest without digging up the whole plant, too, The Swedish potatoes were very small this year, so I'm waiting a bit. I also think you might want to root around a little deeper and directly under the plant. I've found all my reds under, not to the sides. This year I hilled very high and I think the new roots went down around the stems instead of to the sides. Last year I used straw and found more potatoes at the sides. I'm in the experimenting stage. Also water is very impoortant and I've been watering alot. Karen

Thanks for your reply Karen. I will try digging deeper. As dry and hot as we have been, it is understandable that the plant would not want to put its tubers out to the side.

I haven't watered as much as I know I should. I have to carry it in buckets and that gets old real fast. I planted a gold, a red, and a russet. I have had two meals of tiny beets and now I am itching for some new potatoes.

I think I will try straw next year. I have heard of that before. And it would be good humus to dig in when fall comes. Carmellia

I almost dug a hill of Yukon Golds for new potatoes, but decided to let them grow bigger. The plants bloomed like crazy this year. I've heard that means they are either very happy or distressed. I hope it is the former. I watered them daily during the hot, dry period. I've been hilling them with soil.

Mine bloomed beautifully too! I hope that doesn't mean distress. I have a long row of potatoes - russet at one end, then red, and gold last. They bloomed white-pink-white. It was lovely.

Your potato row must have been beautiful Carmellia. I'm going to try a row of mixed potatoes next year hoping for that effect. My potato blossoms were as nice as some flowers I've grown.

p.s. The blossoms had a nice scent too.