Do potatoes keep growing after greenery dies off?

On Mon, 09 Dec 2013 16:25:26 +1100, F Murtz
wrote:

Do potatoes keep growing after greenery dies off?

No. But they'll re grow next season if left in the ground.

"F Murtz" wrote..

Do potatoes keep growing after greenery dies off?

No they don't but they are still alive so they do change depending on
storing conditions. What does happen as the hulms die down is they they
develop thicker skins which is better for storage but there is no benefit in
leaving them in the ground longer, quite the opposite is you have a slug
problem.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

The purpose of the potato is a dormant storage tuber so the plant can hide out the winter underground then start into growth next year. So once the plant has stored all the goodness from the leaves, the tuber stops growing (and it wouldn't be able to produce more "food" as that requires photosynthesis, which needs light, which needs being above ground).

The tuber stays underground, under attack from slugs and other pests. Then in spring, probably triggered by soil temperature, it starts putting out shoots, and converting the stored food into a new potato plant.

So from your point of view there is no point in leaving the potato underground once the top has died back, and very good reasons (slugs) to dig them up.

On Mon, 9 Dec 2013 18:28:51 +0100, kay
wrote:

So from your point of view there is no point in leaving the potato
underground once the top has died back, and very good reasons (slugs) to
dig them up.

I leave mine in the ground as long as possible, until the temps start
to rise after winter. They just seem to stay fresher that way... but
yes, you obviously have to dig them up before spring time.

Evidently, I planted too many last year and have three rows
re-sprouting, which I don't mind.

I'm lucky that I have no snails or slugs here - thanks to my poultry
pest-assassination squad.

Mind you, whenever I forget to lock up the veggie patch, the ducks get
a good feed of potatoes...