You should have enough straw on them. You probably should have hilled with dirt until they just started blooming and then add straw.

I grew potatoes for the first time last year.I kept adding straw as the tops grew so just the tops were poking out. What a mistake!!!When the tops died back and it was time to harvest, I had to dig through 4 feet of wet moldy straw to find potatoes just at or below ground level.It was such a mess to clean up. It sounds like you have plenty of straw.The potatoes were good but the yield was poor. Not sure if I will try that again. Good luck to you.

>>> I had to dig through 4 feet of wet moldy straw.

I tried growing potatoes once using the "cage" method. I used straw to hill them but ended up with nothing but mold/garbage.

I'm glad this posting came up. Hilling the potatoes with straw has long been mentioned as beneficial, but not for me. It seems every time I try it, I get bugs that destroy the plants. Was also wondering if the straw might have had some type of weed killer - because it never worked right. Think I'll just stick with dirt hilling next time -and see if it isn't better.

Straw mulch always seems to attract lots of roly poly types, so hesitate to use it on young tempting growth.

Bejay

All straw i not created equal. It also needs to be applied properly by fluffing and then lightly sprinkling, it should never be packed down when you add it to your garden. There can be an issue where there are straw are seeds which might sprout but they're usually very easy to pull and add to your compost pile. It's good to know your source so you know what you're getting.

Hay and Straw Glossary

A popular organic mulch, hay is commonly used to protect soil and plants from the elements, to line pathways, and to address various needs in the garden. What many people don't realize, however, is that various products are often labeled as "hay" at garden centers, but there are many different types of hay and straw that are commonly sold in bales. While they are easily confused, it's important for gardeners to become familiar with the differences.

Salt hay
Salt hay, or Spartina patens, is a grassy plant that grows in salt marshes and wetlands. It is useful for keeping weeds from growing in paths, preventing runoff, and keeping soil from turning into mud whenever it rains or the garden is watered. A layer of salt hay will keep soil moist and encourage worms to come to the surface, which will help to aerate the soil. It also makes an attractive path to walk on between garden rows. Salt hay is an ideal all-purpose mulch because its seeds won't grow away from salt water so it won't germinate in your garden.

Golden straw
What is commonly termed "Golden straw" is either oat straw, Avena, or wheat straw, Triticum. This straw is a by-product of the process of separating oat or wheat seeds from their stalks. Golden straw is often used as bedding in horse stalls; because there are no seeds, the horses won't eat it. This straw spreads nicely, and the lack of seeds means there is no risk of it germinating in your garden. It can be used in the same way as salt hay.

Wheat straw
An excellent choice for straw for use in the vegetable garden. Lay down six inches in height in the fall then direct sow seeds in the spring. No need to dig. There will be a handful of weak sprouts from seeds, just pull them out.

Feed hay
Just as its name implies, feed hay is used to feed livestock. Though inexpensive and plentiful, it is not a good choice for use in gardens because it is full of seeds. The main ingredient of feed hay is alfalfa, Medicago sativa. It also frequently contains flowers and seeds from many other plants and weeds such as clover and golden rod. These seeds are likely to germinate, resulting in a garden full of weeds rather than flowers and vegetables.

Thanks to all for your response/excellent info.

we hill to about 20"s with hay or sugar cane mulch mostly, see our pic's of our instant potato patch.

len

Here is a link that might be useful: len's garden page

As an avid straw bale gardener, I tried potatoes for the first time this year in straw.

I used old straw from last year's garden and busted the bales up to form a short row.

I planted around March 1st. The plants came up nicely and a hard frost knocked those back, but another round of plants bounced back.

Here's the first pic dated 4/27/07

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:78977}}

Potato plants on 5/11/07

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:78978}}

Nice red potatoes on 6/11/07.

I was very pleased with the results.

Kent

Here is a link that might be useful: {{gwi:78980}}

A guy in line at one of the local ag stores was telling me not to mess with anything but the red potatoes. He said he has always gotten a bumper crop. Being dumb i grab a different type and i'm still waiting to see what i come up with.