Russet potatoes are the storage potato: thick, russeted skins, dry fluffy flesh, and the ability to keep for months in a cool dark place if they are harvested and cured properly. They are also the potato that most rewards patience. Dig too early and the skins are thin and rub off, and the tubers will not store. Wait until the tops have died back and the skins have set, and you get a crop that feeds you all winter.
Russet potatoes take 90–120 days to mature, according to the Garden Grove crop data. They are a frost-tolerant vegetable in the Solanaceae family with moderate water needs, so they grow through a long season and tolerate cool weather better than most warm-season crops. The tops tell you when they are ready, and the skins confirm it. For the full growing picture, see our growing guide for russet potatoes, and use the Harvest Date Calculator to work out your digging window from your planting date.
Russet potatoes at a glance
| Growing factor | What russet potatoes need |
|---|---|
| Days to maturity | 90–120 |
| Category | vegetable |
| Family | Solanaceae |
| Cold tolerance | frost-tolerant |
| Water needs | moderate |
Signs a russet potato is ready to dig
The tops are the first sign. When russet potatoes are ready, the plants yellow, flop over and die back — the foliage goes from green to yellow to brown and collapses. This is the plant finishing its work: the tubers have stopped growing and the skins are setting. Wait until most of the tops have died back before you dig the main crop. If the tops are still green and vigorous, the tubers are still growing.
The skin-set test is the second and most important sign. Dig one test plant and rub a tuber firmly with your thumb: if the skin rubs off easily, the potato is not ready and will not store well. If the skin stays firmly attached, it has set and the crop is ready to dig. This test matters more than the calendar, because skin set depends on the weather and the season, not just on days.
Size is the third check. Russets are a large potato, long and oval with a rough, netted brown skin. A mature tuber should feel heavy and dense, with the characteristic russeted skin fully developed. Small tubers are fine to eat — they are just young — but the main crop should be well sized. For the waxy, thin-skinned potato, see our guide to when to harvest red potatoes.
How to dig russet potatoes without damaging them
Dig with a fork, not a spade, and start wide. Push the fork into the soil a good distance out from the plant — at least a foot — and lever the soil up gently, working around the plant in a circle. Russet tubers spread wider than most gardeners expect, and the ones at the edge of the row are the ones most often speared by a fork pushed in too close.
Lift the plant and the soil together, then pick the tubers out by hand. Do not throw them into a bucket or drop them: russets bruise easily, and a bruised tuber rots first in storage. Set each tuber down gently in a shallow basket or crate. Go back over the row a second time with the fork, because there are always a few tubers left behind — and a forgotten tuber left in the ground will sprout next year as a volunteer.
Harvest on a dry day if you can, and let the tubers dry on the soil surface for a few hours before you move them under cover. Do not wash them: brush the loose soil off and let the skins dry. Washing drives moisture into the skins and shortens storage life.
The best time of day to harvest
Dig potatoes in the morning on a dry day, so the tubers have the whole day to dry on the surface before you move them into storage. Morning digging also means you are working in cooler soil, which is easier on both you and the tubers.
Avoid digging in wet weather or from sodden soil if you can — wet tubers are harder to cure and more prone to rot, and wet soil clings to the skins. If rain forces your hand, get the tubers under cover as soon as they are dug and spread them out to dry. And never leave dug potatoes sitting in the sun for long: sunlight turns the skins green, and green potatoes contain bitter compounds and should not be eaten.
How often to pick
Potatoes are a single-harvest crop: each plant gives you one dig, and the row comes ready at roughly the same time. Dig the row once the tops have died back and the skins have set, and the harvest is done. You can, however, steal a few "new potatoes" earlier in the season by gently digging at the edge of a plant and taking the smallest tubers, then covering the roots back up — the plant will keep growing.
Because russets are frost-tolerant, a light frost on the tops will not ruin the tubers underground, but a hard freeze can damage tubers near the surface, so do not leave the crop in the ground once the tops have died back. Dig promptly, cure the crop, and store it. See Zone 6 russet potatoes for an example of seasonal timing, and check your local extension service for digging dates in your area.
What happens if russet potatoes are left too long
A russet left in the ground after the tops have died back will not get bigger — it will get worse. The tubers can be damaged by slugs and wireworms, which are drawn to dying plants, and by rot in wet soil. Tubers left in the ground through wet autumn weather are also more likely to develop blight and other rots.
Tubers left in the sun go green, and green parts should be cut away generously or the tuber discarded. If you find tubers that have been left too long and have gone soft or rotten, compost them — do not store them with the sound crop, because one rotten tuber can spoil a whole crate. Dig on time, and the crop will keep.
How to store russet potatoes
Short term, fresh russets keep well in a cool, dark place for weeks. After digging, let the tubers dry on the surface for a few hours, then move them under cover to cure: spread them in a single layer in a dark, well-ventilated place at cool room temperature for a week or two, until the skins are fully dry and tough. Turn them occasionally and remove any that are damaged or soft.
For longer storage, russets are the best-keeping potato there is. Store the cured tubers in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place — a cellar, a garage or a cool cupboard — in a crate, a paper sack or a mesh bag, in a single layer if you can. Darkness is essential: light turns potatoes green. Good airflow matters too, so do not store them in a sealed plastic bag. Well-cured russets keep for months this way, and they are at their best baked, mashed or roasted.
Only store tubers that are firm and sound. Any tuber that is cut, bruised, green or soft should be used first. Check the stored crop every few weeks and remove any tuber that has gone soft, because one rotten potato can spoil its neighbours. Do not store potatoes near onions, which release moisture and gases that make potatoes sprout.
If you grow a lot of potatoes and want to plan quantities, the Vegetable Yield Estimator can help you work out how many to plant next season.
Succession and continuous harvest tips
Potatoes are not succession-sown in the usual sense, but you can stretch the harvest by planting early, mid-season and late varieties, so the crops come ready in sequence. Russets are a late, maincrop variety — plant an early variety for summer new potatoes and russets for the winter store, and you will have potatoes from midsummer to spring.
Keep the plants earthed up while they grow, so the developing tubers stay covered and do not go green. Water steadily while the tubers are swelling, then stop watering once the tops start to die back — dry soil helps the skins set. Do not feed potatoes late in the season, or the tops will stay green and the tubers will not ripen. Browse the full guides hub for more harvest timing advice, and check your local extension service for varieties that store well in your climate.
Frequently asked questions
When are russet potatoes ready to harvest?
When the tops have yellowed and died back and the skins pass the rub test — the skin stays firmly attached when you rub a tuber with your thumb. Maturity is typically 90–120 days.
How do I cure russet potatoes?
Spread the dug tubers in a single layer in a dark, well-ventilated place for a week or two, until the skins are fully dry and tough. Then store them cool, dark and ventilated.
How long do russet potatoes last in storage?
Well-cured russets keep for months in a cool, dark, ventilated place — they are the best-keeping potato. Check them every few weeks and remove any that have gone soft.
Can I eat russet potatoes straight after digging?
Yes — new russets dug early are delicious, but their thin skins mean they will not store. For the main storage crop, wait until the tops have died back and the skins have set.
Why did my potatoes go green?
Sunlight. Tubers exposed to light — in the ground or in storage — turn green and bitter. Earth up plants while they grow, store tubers in the dark, and check your local extension service for storage advice suited to your area.