Was the growing mixture so loose that the potatoes simply gravitated towards the bottom?

Were the potatoes uniformly well-shaped when harvested?
(shaped as expected per variety)

This method does not produce the hundreds of pounds suggested by the hype. There is much written on this forum and the internet concerning this myth. I myself tried several years with results similar to you. I now grow potatoes hilled in the garden and in plastic tubs with excellent results.

I tried the potato bin before I moved here. I also planted some extra seed potatoes along the edges outside my raised beds. IIRC, the bin didn't produce especially better than those planted as an afterthought.

This year, I tried the "instant bed" by pretty much putting down a small amount of leftover soil I had from filling the new raised beds, along with what compost I could muster up and mulched with straw. I won't be repeating that. It seemed the best "pockets" of potatoes were those in the most soil. I think I'm going to plant them in a more traditional dirt-hilled method next year.

This year's garden barely got planted, as we bought the house last summer, and have been remodeling. We ended up doing a kitchen remodel in the spring, when I had planned to do do the raised beds. I knew the way I planted to potatoes was iffy, but I had higher expectations for the yield.

Here is a link that might be useful: Tales of a Transplanted Gardener

It helped me to learn that late potatoes set tubers multiple times, so do well in hilling or mulching multiple times.

Early potatoes set once like determinate tomatoes.

More info http://www.potatogarden.com/

Here is a link that might be useful: yields of various potato growing methods

nice work corrine!

I have tried all the methods except the wire cage. The wooden box I would rate as a complete failure and the straw method nearly so as I had voles under the straw munching away on my spuds. My garden has raised beds without sides and I dig an 8" trench right down the middle for potatoes amd then hill a few times. Harvest is easy because the soil remain very loose in my beds. This method has given the highest yields. I also grow in containers and this method works fine. I use plastic tubs and grow bags. This past season I started a large gro-bag in my green house and then moved it outside when the weather moderated. I got an very early harvest in June and I liked that a lot I make lots of compost and I grow the potatoes in 1/2 compost and.1/2 sand and they do well keeping them evenly watered. Harvest time I just take the bin/bag to the compost pile and dump it out. Fun finding the Taters!!!

The gopher population where I live prevents me from planting in-ground. I have been growing potatoes (although, mostly garilc) in bins for over a decade. I get 13 to 15lb. of potatoes from each pound of seed.

I use 2X4 plastic coated wire fencing for my bins and they are 3' in diameter and 2' tall. The soil is between 16" and 20" deep. I continue to add layers of soil (usually just twice) as the potato vines grow up.

This method requires thoughtful feeding and regular irrigation. And no "dirt."

How do you know what your yield is if you do not quantify? You may be more successful than you realize or less if you don't measure, you will never know.