[dforest]

This is the 1st year I have tried potatoes. Mine are blooming and tall. I did mound the dirt twice.

Do you know a good way to dig them out after the leaves turn brown?

That is, if there are any under there.

[Petronski]

This is my first year too.

I was thinking I'd read up on it, maybe use one of these:

[Just mythoughts]

I use a ‘potato’ fork. Something like a pitchfork but smaller and the tines are more flattened and rounded so as to help prevent from digging into the potatoes instead of dirt. Potatoes grow near the top of the soil and can easily sunburn when the vines die down. A sunburned potato is green and bitter. The potato will continue to grow even after the vine dies down and needs to have some sort of mulch or soil covering over the top. I have found that at least 3 inches of straw works best as it is easiest to remove. This fork works also for digging out sweet potatoes.

This year I am hoping my soil is fluffy enough I can dig in with my bare hands.

[70times7]

My family had a rather big garden when I was growing up. A neighbor who was perhaps in his 60s in the early 70's told us to use a pitch fork (short "D" handle w/ 5 tines) to turn over the dirt.

He was a proud Irishman, and knew what it meant to do things the "old fashioned" way. As a young man he worked as a blacksmith. Back then he and his wife were still keeping chickens for eggs and a cow for dairy.

I suspect he knew what he was talking about. That's what we used and it worked well. Not sure how good your luck will be finding one though, the one we used was his and was probably already and antique then.

[tubebender]

Use a pitch fork if you must use a tool but if your soil is loose you can dig them by hand. Some varieties set spuds really deep and you will have potatoes where you don’t want them next year. On the other hand you will have spuds really early >:o