It's normal for potato plants to lay over as they age. One reason why they need such wide rows. Especially if they get limited sun exposure and so grow quite leggy. It poses so threat to the plant, staking is not required and damages the underground potatoes, keep the mulch to prevent greening of the potatoes themselves, slugs pose only a minimal threat to potatoes.

If they are in the way, blocking access to other plants you ban usually just lift the plant and lay it back the other way.

Dave

Wow, what excellent news. Thank you so much.

Yeah... not to worry. My potatoes are falling over and yellowing as they do every year at this time. But I happen to know there's plenty of spuds under the ground. When the vines are completely dead I'll start eating taters.

That is good news. Mine are starting to fall over too. They are also growing balls, as in the attached pic, are yours? And what are they for? Are they seeds?

{{gwi:86126}}

You have potato fruit, which will contain seed. Should remind you of green tomatoes (mistaken reports of potatoes producing tomatoes are common) and demonstrates how closely related these plants are. Yale

Potato plants are messy and unkempt. It's normal. As for changingitup's photo, those are potato fruits. They are similar to tomatoes but poisonous. You could let them ripen and they would produce true potato seeds. The seeds could produce small tubers if you plant them next year, and the tubers would produce potatoes the following year. But the potatoes they produce will probably be different and less desirable than the potatoes you started with this year.

Just took out two rows of reds. Didn't use hay this year--it doesn't work for me, it attracts voles. And with the rain we've had, I'd have had slugs galore. The potatoes were the biggest and most beautiful I've grown yet. Must have gotten 60 pounds from two rows, and a 5-pound bag of seed potatoes.

Nice.when did you plant them? The tops had died back already? Mine got planted late and are taking forever to die back. They are green and healthy and flowered already. No signs of being done anytime soon. I've heard of cutting off the vines and then letting the potatoes cure, but I always just wait for them to die back naturally. I would like to use the space for other things this year.