Is It Possible To Harvest Potatoes In November?

by Colleen

Potato harvesting in our garden usually happens between June and September. This year, I found myself wondering if it was posible to harvest potatoes in November.

When And How I Planted Potatoes For A November Harvest

In early spring, as I normally do, I planted our seed potatoes after they had chit. But this time I saved two Yukon Gold and two Kennebec seed potatoes to plant later. I put the four seed potatoes in brown bags and stored them in a cool, dark room. My intention was to plant the 4 seed potatoes in the summer—3 months later than I normally would plant them. I wanted to know if it was possible to have a late fall potato harvest.

Filling The Grow Bags

In July, I planted the 2 Yukon Gold in 1 grow bag and the 2 Kennebec seed potatoes in another grow bag. I added compost and bone meal to the soil in the bags. 

Through August and September, the potato vines grew and I added more compost. 

When the rain started in October, I moved the grow bags under our home’s soffits so they wouldn’t get too wet. I checked on them every couple of weeks to make sure they were getting enough water (but not too much). 

potato growing in a cloth grow bag on a patio

By late October, both the Yukon Gold and Kennebec vines were starting to die back—a sign that we could soon harvest the potatoes. 

By early November, both potato vines had completely died. At this time, I decided to stop waiting and start harvesting. Harvesting was easy. I simply dumped the contents of the grow bags. No digging. The yield wasn’t great, but we had enough potatoes for at least two meals for my husband and me. I had my answer: yes, it is possible to harvest potatoes in November.

newly harvested potatoes on top of soil in cloth grow bag

We roasted the Kennebec potatoes and mashed the Yukon Golds. By the end of November, 2 months had passed since we had eaten homegrown potatoes and I had forgotten how flavourful our potatoes are compared to the ones we buy. 

Will I Plan To Harvest Fall Or Winter Potatoes Again?

You bet! Harvesting potatoes in November is worth the wait. The potatoes were delicious, easy to grow, and a tasty treat during a time of year when our harvests are limited. But there’s some things I will do differently: I’ll grow scab-resistant varieties. I’ll plant more seed potatoes so I can harvest more potatoes. AndI’ll hope to harvest some of the potatoes for Christmas Day. Learn how to grow potatoes, and then try growing potatoes for a November or December harvest, too.