I've seen a couple of utubes about growing potatoes in dead leaves so I'm trying it this year. I guess I can't ask any questions on utube so I thought I'd see if anyone here has done it. I started them on top of tilled soil and covered them with about a foot of dead leaves. It seemed to take a long time before I saw plants but eventually I did. When they got 6 inches above the leaves I covered them again. It only took 3 days until they were 6 inches above the leaves again (today) so I covered them again. I'm wondering how many times I should cover them up. The utube I watched said to stop covering when they start to flower but if I keep covering them when would that be? Here are pics of them before and after covering today:

That is a version of soil top planting; I have done it several times and yield was disappointing.
Now:
I cover my in-ground potatoes with a foot to sixteen inches of leaf mulch every summer; by the end of the summer there is from two to zero inches of leaves left.
You will continually be covering the plants all summer or you will have green potatoes.

I would broadcast a general fertilizer over the field once as soon as you can, or take soluble fertilizer and soak each plant once as leaves suck minerals out of the soil.

You will find rain is more of a pain in the arse with that method you used than an ally if it rains too often.
It will be a learning experience for you. (I used straw for mine which does not rot away quickly.)

I've covered them over now 3 times. I have about 18 inches of leaves on top and I've used over half the leaves I collect every year for mulching. I may stop now and let them grow.

I've used leaves, but only after planting about 6 or 8 inches down as well. and let us know

Did you keep piling them on as the plants emerged? I don't know how high to make the pile before I start letting the plants grow.

I filled the trench with leaves and dirt, and tried to pile as well, but give up at some point. What you're doing is making sure you have underground stem for tubers to form off of.
I tried putting potatoes in a bag of leaves from fall, it grew but got no tubers and a lot of ants.
OTOH, I have a beautiful plant this year that I found as a potato sprouted in my compost. I replanted the sprouted whole potato. And more potato foliage coming from the compost bin now.
I think with mulch you're also trying to keep the soil cool as long as possible. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/....

So while mulch or hilling has a reason, don't ignore water and fertilizer to make it grow before hot weather comes there.

kwinch said: Did you keep piling them on as the plants emerged? I don't know how high to make the pile before I start letting the plants grow.

Leave rot away quickly, the more rain the faster they go away.

Keep adding leaves till you have no more.
If you have 18 inches of loose leaves , I would stop adding for a bit; potato plants depending on variety can take a LOT of spaces and you will not see what is going on under the greens , often.

Let it go for now and in a month, check leaf depth and feel for potatoes.

It's been about a month now. Plants that came up are starting to flower. Leaves are about 16 inches deep still. I haven't checked yet for potatoes yet. I'll wait until the green beans are coming in then I'll dig up some new red potatoes.

I watched about a 5 foot long snake going into the leaf pile the other day. I think it was what we call a hog nosed snake. Hope he don't eat potatoes but he can have any mice or moles he finds in there.

It is looking good.

OK, now (on Jun 22) I have some flowers on potatoes. Mostly the russets but only a few flowers on the rows of red potatoes. My beans are about ready to start being picked. Do you think there will be small red potatoes yet? I hate to start removing the leaves if there aren't any ready yet.

You could feel around in the leaves but Im not sure what you'll find. Don't cut off leaves.

I couldn't feel anything at the base of plants on the outside row. I picked beans this morning so I guess I'll have to buy new potatoes.

Since the rows of red potatoes are intended to be eaten as new potatoes anyway, I decided to dig up some to see what I get. I dug about 10 feet of the first row and got enough for my first pot of green beans, new potatoes and ham. Now I got to go to the store to get ham hocks. The subdivision won't let me raise a hog

Those will taste great!
I am no pro but Ive never had new potatoes above the soil. Only what grows actually in the soil or mulch level just above planting depth.

I dug up a few more plants and I'm getting pretty good spuds. Each plant has 1 or 2 potatoes about 3 inches in diameter and then few smaller ones. But all the spuds are on the bottom of the plant. I thought a benefit of growing like this would be I'd get potatoes in layers up the stalk. Maybe later in the year when the plants die off I'll see more like that.

This has been discussed on some thread- were some varieties more likely to do that than others? I forget.
But in fifteen+ years I too have not gotten the extra ones off above ground stalks.