How to Harvest Potatoes in a Bucket

Growing potatoes in a bucket is a favorite gardening habit for apartment dwellers and others with small or non-existent garden spaces. Growing potatoes in a bucket is easy enough, but harvesting them is the simplest part!

Things You'll Need

• Potato bucket
• Tarp, blanket or sheet
• Paper bags

Show More

Instructions

• 1

  Once you are ready to harvest the potatoes in a bucket, set a sheet, tarp, or blanket next to your potato bucket. Your potatoes are ready to be harvested when the plant turns brown.

• 2

  As gently as possible, turn the potato bucket onto its side to pour the soil and potatoes out of the bucket onto the sheet, blanket, or tarp. You may be surprised at the amount of potatoes you have been able to grow in such a small space.

• 3

  Pick the potatoes out of the potting soil and wash them gently. You can wash them in the kitchen sink using your hands to gently rub the dirt off the potatoes. Don't use a brush, as the skin on the potatoes is not thick at this point.

• 4

  After washing the potatoes, carefully inspect them for signs of disease or damage. The potatoes' skins may have ripped during harvesting. If the potatoes have black spots or green spots, throw them away. Black spots indicate disease. Green spots indicate that the potato itself was exposed to sunlight. Exposing potatoes to sunlight causes the starches within the potato to turn to poison. Green potatoes are not edible and must be thrown out.

• 5

  Place the potatoes in single layers in brown paper bags to dry for up to two days in a dark, cool dry place.

• 6

  After taking the potatoes out of the brown paper bags, carefully inspect them again for signs of damage, disease or mold. Again, bad potatoes must be thrown out. Place the good potatoes in a dark, cool, dry place for long-term storage for up to six months. Do not store them in the refrigerator.