Fall planting potatoes

Does anyone here have experience with fall planting potatoes in Zone 5? I read about the technique and found a blog post from some actually a bit north of me go said it works, but it seems to be a southern thing. I’m trying it this fall just to find out if it works, but I’d love to get stories of the good, bad, and ugly from people who’ve tried it. For reference, I’m in west Michigan, Zone 5 (between 5a and 5b).

Hi Anna, could you share the link to the blog you mentioned please? I am interested in the topic and here is the link to a similar thread I started last year.
https://permies.com/t/170019/Planting-potatoes-fall-winter-early

So at least it's doable in my zone 6 but don't expect the yield to be as high as the conventional ones. When I used whole buds of 1/4 lb in weight, I typically got 1.5 to 2 pounds per plant. The tops appeared weeks before last frost in early April so mulching with thick layers of leaves and even covering with cardboard boxes with late frost would be necessary. I harvested mine in June and this year it was especially helpful as we stayed over 90s since early June. I interplanted potatoes far apart with squashes. So after the potato harvest, squashes would fill in the space and enjoy the leaf mulch that got broken down by potato roots.

This method won't be as practical or worthwhile if you want high yield and large scale planting, or have a long cool season for optimal potato growth. How about experimenting with some this year and see how it works in your area?

I always leave some potatoes in the ground when I harvest, and they usually grow better the next year than the ones I plant in the spring. I put mine either on top of the soil or just a little below the surface, depending on how much mulch I have to put over top. I try to have 12-18" of mulch. They sometimes come up early enough to get frost, but they just grow back again.

I have no idea what zone I'm in anymore. This area is zone 6-7, depending on how close to the river you are, but we're in a cold microclimate. We can get frost anytime starting beginning of September through to mid June. Winters can get down to -20C, but are usually warmer. Our frost depth is only 30", and often the ground doesn't freeze at all cause we have deep snow all winter.

May Lotito wrote:Hi Anna, could you share the link to the blog you mentioned please? I am interested in the topic and here is the link to a similar thread I started last year.
https://permies.com/t/170019/Planting-potatoes-fall-winter-early

So at least it's doable in my zone 6 but don't expect the yield to be as high as the conventional ones. When I used whole buds of 1/4 lb in weight, I typically got 1.5 to 2 pounds per plant. The tops appeared weeks before last frost in early April so mulching with thick layers of leaves and even covering with cardboard boxes with late frost would be necessary. I harvested mine in June and this year it was especially helpful as we stayed over 90s since early June. I interplanted potatoes far apart with squashes. So after the potato harvest, squashes would fill in the space and enjoy the leaf mulch that got broken down by potato roots.

This method won't be as practical or worthwhile if you want high yield and large scale planting, or have a long cool season for optimal potato growth. How about experimenting with some this year and see how it works in your area?

https://www.homestead-acres.com/planting-potatoes-in-the-fall/

This is the blog I read- they are in 5b and did well with their potatoes. I’m in between 5b and 5a but my microclimate leans cold and snowy because we are in the deep dark woods. I ordered a bunch of fall potatoes, I guess I will see what happens. My plan is to bury them, then roll out some ruined round bales of hay over them for the winter, then scrape it back for the rows when the normal potato planting date arrives. Hopefully that will protect them and encourage them to focus on root growth while it’s still cold.