Harvesting potatoes from below without disrupting plant

[DiMart]

I'm thinking of growing potatoes in containers this summer. I came across an interesting project that will allow me to harvest potatoes from the bottom without having to dig up the plants. I have a question: If I take potatoes out from the bottom without pulling up the plants, will the plants continue to grow more potatoes?

I've never grown potatoes before, so I'm interested in learning about how to grow them and when they can be harvested. Does one have to wait until the end of the season to harvest potatoes? How long will they continue to produce?


Thanks,
DiMart

 

[Midwestnoob]

I think I've seen the same project you're talking about. It would be interesting.

 

[marlingardener]

As soon as the foliage starts to turn a bit yellow (and our potatoes are in-ground, not containers) I "dibble" for new potatoes. Dibbling is a sort of treasure hunt, conducted by your fingers scrabbling around the plant and finding little potatoes down in the surrounding soil. It's fun, although dirty, and removing a few potatoes doesn't slow the plant's production down one bit. Don't see why harvesting from the bottom would be much different.
However, potato plants do have a limited life, and once the foliage turns yellow and gets limp, it's harvest time!

 

[Durgan]

I always dig a whole potato meaning never take tubers away from a growing plant. As soon as the flowers have been blooming for a few days there are usually enough potatoes to dig. The longer the more potatoes. I always grow enough for Season Summer use. Then let the vegetation die off for the main harvest. I mark the seed potato with a stake for the center of the plant which makes digging easier, since there is often no vegetation when harvesting.
http://durgan.org/2016/September 2016/2 September 2016 Potatoes/HTML/ 2 September 2016 Potatoes
Dug the last of the Red Pontiac Potatoes. The average weight of tubers per plant was 4.9 ponds. Anything over four pounds is a good harvest. After culling, 20 pounds were selected for storage. They will be left out one day to thoroughly dry. The quality is excellent.

 

[DiMart]

I found the link for the video:

Has anybody tried this? I'd like to hear about your thoughts and experiences.

Thanks

 

[Durgan]

The video is almost silly IMO.The harvest impresses the ignorant. Potatoes grow just above the seed potato and in at a diameter of about one foot. They need be covered only to hiderthe new tubers from light to prevent them form turning green.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?BKWAI 11 September 2010 Yukon Gold Test Box Potatoes
Yukon Gold Potatoes were harvested today. A total weight of 23.5 pounds was harvested from the 4 by 4 foot test area. The quality is excellent. Another plant could probably be placed in the center of the area without crowding. The average weight per plant was 5.9 pounds. From my experience anything over 4 pounds is acceptable.

For reference.
http://www.durgan.org/URL/?XWWLI 19 May 2010. Test to determine quantity by weight of four Yukon Gold potatoes.
A box 4 by 4 feet by 11 inches high was made in ideal soil and location to determine the quantity of potatoes by weight that can be produced. Each plant has about a foot on each side to insure minimum crowding of the root system. The seed potato was planted just below ground level and covered with soil about two inches on top.
Soil was placed in the corners for the first hilling. After the first hilling the growing plant will be covered adequately with bedding wood chips until the end of the season.
This test is to establish by weight the quantity, and size quality of potatoes that can be grown in a small space.

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?CZJZE 26 June 2010 Yukon Gold Potato Growth in 4 by 4 foot Test Box
The potatoes were hilled once and heavily mulched. A string was tied around the vegetation to keep upright. The premise being that the more vegetation exposed to the sun feeds the new tubers. This opposed to deep hilling and hiding the vegetation.