In this video, Buzz Bee Gardens takes viewers through the process of harvesting potatoes, an event that occurred on August 16th. The gardeners note that this year’s harvest came with some surprises, starting with the fact that the potato plants died off earlier than expected, around the end of July. Typically, they last longer into the season, so this early die-off raised some concerns. Buzz Bee Gardens planted the potatoes a bit earlier this year, using seed potatoes saved from last season’s harvest. Despite planting at the right time and seeing healthy, green plants throughout the growing season, the lack of flowers on the plants led to uncertainty about what kind of harvest to expect. Flowering can be a sign of tuber development, and the absence of flowers left the gardeners unsure about the yield.
They explain their planting technique, which involved burying the seed potatoes a foot deep in the soil. This method was chosen to avoid having to “hill” the potatoes, a process where soil is mounded around the plants as they grow. As they begin to dig up the potatoes, they find a mix of small and medium-sized tubers. Some of the potatoes have green spots, which could indicate that those parts are inedible due to exposure to sunlight.
The gardeners express mild surprise at finding any potatoes at all given the premature die-off of the plants. While they reflect on how tilling the soil this year might have impacted the crop compared to last year’s no-till method, they ultimately seem content with the outcome. Despite the challenges faced during the season, they consider the harvest a success and an opportunity to learn more about improving their gardening techniques in the future.