Before I started to intentionally plant mine in/next to my compost pile, I found the ones I had thrown out onto the compost pile at varying times during the previous year and over winter coming up in my compost pile every spring. That's why--when I figured out what it was that was coming up--I started my "official" Compost Pile Potato Garden, right next to my compost pile. Now I do wait till early spring--April this year--to plant the growing potatoes I have in the cabinet in my "official garden," but this year when I was cleaning the soil out to plant the potatoes on the bottom, I did find a few very, very small ones that were accidentally left last fall that were starting to grow again. I don't know that I would ever intentionally plant them in fall since I want to know the space will be available to me in early spring so I can plant them when I know for sure they'll successfully grow, but I am gradually coming to the conclusion that potatoes aren't really terribly particular about the temperatures and conditions with which they are presented! Above ground foliage will definitely freeze if it gets down to freezing, and I've never seen any sort of active growth over winter, but they do seem to just "bide their time" when it's cold out, waiting for warmer temps. I'm sure there must be some limit to the cold they can take over winter----well, I'm not really so sure about that! Before I started the official garden, at least some of them ALWAYS seemed to make an appearance in spring. As long as you have enough space to plant a batch in spring--to ensure a crop if the "overwintered" ones should fail, I'd say go for it!

Was never a potato grower until I found them coming up in the compost pile---and discovered how good home grown potatoes are!

Skybird

Milehighgirl, I have carrots, parsnips, celeriac stored in the ground (covered pit) each winter. They do fine in there. The color of the carrots I dug a couple of weeks ago is just brilliant!

A gardener I know stores potatoes like that (& beets). He uses those potatoes for seed in the new garden. Seems a little risky disease-wise but, I don't know.

My basement storage room works fine for dahlias but is apparently too warm for potatoes. It was 51F when I carried the dahlias out and probably that temperature when I took them down there. It can go as low as 35F during long periods of subzero weather - when I worry that it is too cold! Whatever the case, it just ain't good enuf.

I have left volunteer potatoes before but, for some reason, they haven't produced as well as those I've planted. . . limited experience with that.

Steve

Milehighgirl-What kind of potatoes were they? I noticed a few LaRatte fingerlings I had missed coming up a few days ago too! They are not in a neat little row though since we rototilled that area twice this year already. I also had carrots and onions overwinter(not in my raised beds) this year.

Yeah, I had decided to put something else in the potato bed this year, so was pretty thorough--or so I THOUGHT--cleaning it out last fall when I harvested. However, I have three coming up so far. I'm heading out there now to throw some sprouted grocery spuds that I didn't know we had (funny what you find at the back of the pantry...)--guess we'll do potatoes there again this year lol

I'm with you--next year, I'll just leave the bittie baby ones in the ground and see what comes up. Can't say they were or weren't buried 8" deep--I'm betting it doesn't even need that much depth.