If potatoes are not harvested and left in the ground till next year what happens to them.?

Question

Yes, they sprout.

But do they grow one plant, many plants, big potatoes, small potatoes or do they flower.

Answer 1

They rot.

Answer 2

They become self-aware.

Answer 3

They will  remain as such for some time. When they get suitable season they start to grow.

Answer 4

It depends on where the potatoes are, and what varriety.

I live in Idaho, in the very heartland of potato country.  70% of the potatoes eaten in the U.S. are harvested in the county I live in (not the state, but the county...lotta potatoes grown here!).

If potatoes were left in the ground here, they would rot, to complete mush when spring thaw came.  This is high mountain desert.  The ground freezes HARD as concrete several feet down in the winter.  Come spring the potatoes would simply rot.

Potatoes grow best in high mountain desert areas.  If you had one of the wild varrieties from Peru, they might do ok in certain locations.  Here it just gets too cold, too deep.

If you lived in a milder climate the potatoes would regrow.  The potatoes they would form the next year would be much smaller.  

Yes potatoes flower.  The flowers actually smell very, very good, when they are in bloom!

One potato will grow a vine that flowers.  Many potatoes grow from that one vine.  If left in the ground (in a milder climate), the potatoes would resprout, and grow new vines.  The new potatoes that grew would be much smaller.  Commercial varrieties of potatoes would not do well with being left in the ground over the winter.  The heriloom, or wild varrieties of potatoes could handle that much better.

~Garnet

Permaculture homesteading/farming over 20 years

Answer 5

they grow to plants