Fingerling Potato Plants: Is it Blight or Harvest??

[Brandywinegirl]

I planted Fingerling Potatoes the first week of April. Between the rain & Colorado Potato Beetles, the plants look pretty bad. Dying now - it has been 3 months. Should I wait for the plants to be completely dead to start digging??
Thanks!!

[TZ -OH6]

Fingerlings tend to be late season so I doubt that your's are ready to die off on their own right now. Mine are just now flowering. You could pull them for new potatoes, but if you want the potatoes to store for any length of time the tubers need to stay in the ground for a couple of weeks after the plant dies to harden their skins. You can kill the plant, it doesn't have to die by itself.

If they have late blight you want to get them out of there.

[Brandywinegirl]

Thanks TZ. I think I might dig around a little tonight to see what's happening. Picked my first tomato this afternoon. Love this time of year!!

[SPierce]

Squash all the potato beetles you find! They devastated my potatoes, too!

[Brandywinegirl]

Trust me, I did - after a while I didn't care & squished them with my bare hands!! Because the plant is dying, I don't see anymore for now. May not grow potatoes next year. The Potato Beetles crushed my spirit a little.