First Year Garden Potato Harvest | The BIGGEST Spuds We've Ever Seen! 

All you need now is copious amounts of garlic, sour cream, chives, butter and YUMMM!

That rooster is a star 🌟. OMG I kept listening and by halfway through I thought that rooster was going to come screaming into frame and take over. Can you possibly ship him to me?...I have a backdoor neighbor with an endlessly barking dog. That rooster will handle him.

I'm so glad you found a worm, that means your garden is healthy.. I can not believe you Ariel and Eric, you both have nailed everything. Just an example of what a young Beautiful Couple can accomplish together, but you two work so hard, you are both an Inspiration.. What an Amazing crop of Potatoes, Perfect Carrots, that Rooster omg so loud, Ducks in the little pool so cute. Thank you both from Australia xx hug's.

Do i have land to grow plants? NO Am I still watching? Yes

Don’t stop posting vids, you are living my “someday” dream..live in Anchorage and someday off grid ❤️

So much for everything being bigger in Texas! Looks like Alaska holds the trophy now... Awesome harvest.

It's really heart-warming to see how happy you both are, and how great your relationship seems to be. When you are doing something together that you both love it seems that your relationship grows as well as your food!

That last part was super funny!!! I had to keep re - watching it..... blahhhhahahahah .....Life is a garden, dig it!!!

I love digging up potatoes by hand too. Seems more like a treasure hunt that way. Big pats on the back for your whopping harvest. You must be so happy. Cheers from BC

First time I have ever watched your videos. I love the bloopers! Marriage is full of bloopers, my husband and I have been married 35 years and you have to have a sense of humor for life's ups and downs! How fun you two are!!

Sprinkle cornmeal on the top of your soil to get rid of slugs. Working for me for 40+ years. Love your critters talking in the background. Looks like so much fun in your garden. Potatoes are beautiful, look at the color palette. Thank you. I'm hoping you have a video showing what you did to your soil prior to planting.

We get the potatoes with our hands too. One of our favorite crops. We are a family of 6, so we eat all ours before they go bad, harvesting as we need them for meals, rather than a huge harvest. We also grow ours in late winter and harvest may-June.

Your first Alaska garden has been impressive. Love the “hands on” harvesting technique. Congratulations on your channel progress - approaching 50K. Thank you for sharing your adventures.

Adding cinnamon sticks among your potatoes in the cellar will keep them fresh much longer.

I have watched a lot of Potato Harvests and I have never seen so many Mammoth Potatoes in one Harvest! WOW!

Hello Eric, Ariel!! Y’all got a nice haul! Before cell phones/internet/electronic games, kids went outside, played n the fresh air, soaked up vitamin D, and dug n the dirt...people were less sick then, because most of the entertainment was done outside, they were more active, for most people nowadays, it’s the other way around, and that’s why a person gets sick a lot. Got a garden, dig it, for the healthy stuff it provides, yes, of course, for the vegetables to! Enjoyed it!! Thank u

The Irish would be very happy with that beautiful crop of spuds.

Homegrown potatoes are the best and so fun to harvest!!!!

Your soil is just so so good. Most people have to use tools to harvest because their soil is so hard. I love how much you prep your soil. So many people just shove the seeds/potatoes in and wonder why they have a smaller crop. Great video. You and Eric really know your stuff.

That was a really impressive first harvest you got there in 2019! I like how you want to do it almost all by hand. You’re so much more connected to the earth and the plants. Great progression Illias family!

I love the roosters crowing away! I have 4 and love them making noise and hanging with me during my farm/barn chores.

As an avid gardener, you both did extremely well. Have now watched at least six of your videos and am very envious of your lifestyle. My family will be there soon I hope.

The reds are my favorite, potatoes keep good also, I accidentally missed some when I harvest and found the next planting season and they was perfect shape. Enjoy y'alls channel.

I'm new to this channel. Awesome video. Year ago, I bought food grade 55 gallon barrels. I filled them up with chopped straw, compost, dirt, leaves, etc. I filled it up about 3/5ths of the way and planted my seed potatoes. As the plant grew, I threw in more leaf compost which was heavy and dirt. I kept building til it reached the top. When the plant died, I just knocked the barrel over and then picked up the potatoes. Pulling on the plant made them slide out easily while tilting it. They have always turned out picture perfect, no bugs or rot. When I was a kid, I'd help my grandfather in the garden. At around 10 yrs old, I never once considered "chores" to be work. I gladly helped him and we got stuff done and I enjoyed his company more than words could ever express. Not only planting but enjoying the mouth watering home cooked food we ate. People today buy so much preserved food and chemicals sprayed on frozen stuff they think that's normal. He died in 1985 and I think of him almost everyday. Watching video's where people actually work and plant reminds me of very good times. Thanks for taking your time to share your life. It brings the outside world in when some people can't get outside very much. (I have copd. I leave the house about once a month)

I love potatoes. And fried chickens.

I find you guys to be so inspiring! Both in terms of the life you're living, and your down-to-earth yet playful personalities. Love from Norway!

I live in SE Asia...and I love your posts. You both are very charming, obviously knowledgable, and fun to watch, likely because I also believe that the best way to 'connect' with the soil is to go into it with your hands and count its blessings with and through your fingers. And you, lady, I love the impish humor in your eyes. Oh, and you two are easily my favorite homesteaders from whom I learn a lot.

I love watching these golden oldies! Loved, LOVED the blooper segment!

I never would have believed that you could grow such a garden so far north, good job !

I laughed aloud when you pulled up the head sized potato..you should name that treasure. And, it might be a good potato to store for seeding next year.

That huge potato is the size of a meteor! The huge sizes are a testimony to the soil you created for them. Congrats!

That Goose going off was really awesome. I love him or her.

Take a shot every time the rooster crows

Digging potatoes was my favorite vegetable to harvest as well. We had a hole lined with straw that we stored our potatoes in. It worked perfect. We kept straw bales on top of cover for additional insulation. You all have had a tremendous harvest.👍👍

Harvesting potatoes is so rewarding, it's like a "treasure" hunt!

Thank you, It was a lot of fun watching you harvesting them potatoes, Hairy, Larry & Bob

And this is what a green thumb looks like. lol

i can just imagine what my wife would say if she sent me to the store to by 5lbs of potatoes and I came back with just 2 spuds lol.

Every time I miss gardening during the wintertime I watch this video. It actually inspired me to order my potatoes for next season today😅a little early, I know,but I saw a really rare variety I really wanted. Please, more videos like this, it's so strangely satisfying watching someone harvesting potatoes

2019 i won ak state fair for the largest spud it weighed in at 2.20 lbs , while wrking at Denali Family Resturand in Wasilla Ak , i weighed in the after the fair when full harvest came , i weighed one in at 3.30 lbs , Alaskas state record is 4.5 lbs , Love what You Pholks Do , Alaska Grows Bigger

You two are wonderful. I’m here in Australia, just recently planted my first potato patch. Your planting, harvesting & storing potatoes is such a help to me. Thank you, looking forward to your carrot harvest now. :)

Holy potatoes.. I love digging for them with my hands.

I used to work for Food Bank of Alaska. Every year, during the holiday season we would pick up potatoes straight from Alaska growers. We would purchase 29,000 pounds and hand just about every family 3 pounds each, and hand out over 15,000 turkeys. All of this would happen in one night on the week of Thanksgiving. For Christmas we only handed out about 18,000 lbs. Apples were also an Alaskan grown product we purchased and handed out. Awesome video. Potatoes hold a special place for me.

Pulling out the crop is the best thing there is. I also loved the sound those birds making, gives the flavor of countryside. Great video. Thank you.

Those big potatoes at around the 9 minute mark may be "Kennebec", I grew some 2 years ago and the bottom potato on each plant was about 8 inches in diameter, and then many large ones farther up. I read somewhere they need to planted close together (8-9 inches) so they don't get that big, but it was kinda cool being able to make a whole bowl of potato salad from one potato.

So satisfying to see you both harvesting those great potatoes, very good harvest indeed 💖💖

Wow I just planted 15 seed potatoes. This is so encouraging. Amazing potatoes! Great job!

I'm a simple woman. I see potatoes, I click. And I may also like and subscribe. I had my first respectable potato harvest this year. Three varieties (purple majesty, banana fingerling, Yukon gold) weighed in at 136 pounds for my fairly little potato patch, and I've been eating them out of the cellar since late August or early September. I could probably have left them in longer, but travel schedules meant we'd either pull them, or not get around to it until mud season. I've tried making potatoes happen in containers before, with little success, so I sort of gave up until this year. My grandpa used to grow all the potatoes, onions, and pickles the extended family ate throughout the year on his allotment, but I don't remember how. I do remember the backbreaking weeding and irrigating the plot by hand. Makes me and my bad back appreciate no dig gardening more every year.

Very interesting. I was told by my parents and grandparents you could never let the frost touch potato and sweet potato vines because it ruins the potatoes..in flavor and longevity. But we always planted Red Pontiac and Kennebec. I don't remember the sweet potato, it has been 30 years since any have been grown. Your crop is amazing!

Life's a garden, lets dig it up 😂😂😂

you seem to be good, down to earth people....it is interesting to watch your efforts grow as you build your farm/ lake cabin

I like how the potato harvest video is one of the first ones to get the most views.

I love harvest season. I harvested my potatoes in midsummer. I just threw them in the flower pot and they grew.

Digging in the dirt with your hands is part of the fun of gardening!

Why are there any NEGATIVE or THUMBS DOWN comments on her channel... OMFG can't you animals enjoy the FREE INFORMATION being given of someone's time and love of what they do. Who CARES which potato grows BIGGER in which states... who cares... no one! THANKS 👏👏👏 Simple Living Alaska

Gardening should be one of the things we teach small kids and harvesting it would really be fun. I don’t have grandkids yet but growing potatoes will be on my grandma bucket list

Magnificent video! Come fall we allow the neighbors ducks into the vegetable garden to eat any slugs or snails. Since we don't want slug or snail eggs hatching come spring.

That is a really nice potato harvest. 🌻🌻🌻🌻

she is so wholesome

Rooster audio bombing this video: "And the Grammy goes to......" 🤣🤣🤣🤣

WOW, them tatters look great. And them big one's holy smokes

I’ve only just recently pulled up my first ever potato yield and it really is like digging up gold! It was so exciting

I did not realize how much gardening you are capable of in Alaska. My great grandfather went up there and panned gold in the early 1900's.

Alaskan garden, now that is a first for me, love it!

Your rooster is having an anxiety attack :-)

So cute to watch you chickens playing in the background !!!

The blues have always produced the best of any other varieties I've tried in my garden.

Harvesting with a handgun on the hip. Love it!

Congratulations! That's a tremendous amount of potatoes. So many varieties as well.

You guys are so knowledgeable about this stuff! I love watching your videos and getting tips for my future gardens.

I've heard that veggies grow very large because of the sunshine during the long days. It's great watching your videos of life in Alaska.

"life's a garden, let's dig it UP" .... that sounds way better!! Heh heh!! I like it. :D

I have only seen potato's that large once in my life.. I was growing some potato's in the garden one year and one night I saw a bright light. There was red, green and white lights. They were going in circles. The lights were on a round disc type thing and it just came out of the sky. hoovered over my crops. It was not that large of an object. Maybe about 6 or 7 feet across. At harvest time of that year we got some large potato's about 4 or so. So I am thinking the object that visited my potato's might of visited yours. I gotta go now the nurse is telling me it is time for my meds. Love your videos.

My sister when she planted potatoes added ash and chicken poop and most of her potatoes were just huge. She lives in similar weather as Alaska.

Your videos are better than anything I've seen on TV for a long long time... well done and keep e'm coming...

Interest and fun to watch:) Very natural and down to earth people. Love it!

I could watch the two of you all day long🤣

I love potatoes. It’s my favorite vegetable 🥔

Love the Ruth Stout gardening method. Makes it much easier to grow and harvest potatoes.

Wow some big Tators! Well the huge ones you can cook and mash for several meals! Potato pancakes, potato bread, Shepherds pi, burger gravy over mashed, it’s endless! Loved watching!

I've watched a LOT of potato harvests in the last year (my favorite too by far) and have never seen anyone grow them that big. I was told as a girl that it is the minerals that make things grow so big in Alaska. I am gobsmacked and you would never in a million years know that those ones were Fingerlings. More like Footerlings. I think knowing what you're doing plays a big part in it too. Pun, lol. Very well done you two and the colors were fun.

no potatoe,s were harmed during the making of this video

I love the Joe Dirt reference, what a good movie. My favourite line from that movie is - Keep on keeping on. I use it all the time.

The vegetation around shows how fertile the soil was ....you deserve the harvest...it was spectacular 👌worth the efforts darlings thx for this upload.

Digging potatoes with my hands is my favorite thing to harvest in my garden also. Your so lucky I wish I could get that amount when I grow .

Oregon huh? I was born in the Dalles, 65 yrs. ago on Monday. Dang, your spuds are nice! I didn't realize they grew so prolifically there. Nice garden young folks; you're living the dream!👵😊💞

Woooooow I've never been more inspired to start gardening.

What a wonderful crop. Thanks for filming your harvest.

Purple Viking are my favorite! The flavor is phenomenal!

Lol, that ginormous spud looks like a boulder:)

It's such a peaceful life, beautiful nature and fresh fruits. No greedy corporations and board director. Wonderful. And it's an honor to have you visit our channel, we can discuss more about our experiences in harvesting and building farms.

Oh my fried potatoes and roasted potatoes and cheesy potatoes mashed potatoes and so little time 👍🏼🤩

I've never seen a "purple" potato, so I have been waiting since y'all planted these to see these. BTW... Us older folks understand "Dig It". :)

Felicidades!!!! Hayyyy que deliciodosas todas esos vegetales... Frescos y grandesmmmmmmmm. Saludos desde Honduras.

Oh my gosh, you guys are amazing... Life's a garden, dig it up, lol ;)

What you’re doing now is going to be the NEW WAY OF LIVING🙋🏾‍♀️ God bless

Love that he’s packing in the garden.

As a Carbivore I love this video :)

What a sweet couple

Wow what a nice crop- I experiment and if a potato starts getting eyes- I’ll plant in my flower bed or stick them on the side of a tree- it’s fun to see how well they do. We don’t use huge amounts of potatoes- have to watch carbs but we love them.I learn and get so inspired from u guys. Thanks for sharing