Here are two threads on this page that discuss potato-growing:

Potato Bin

Planting Potatoes

I believe that if your mulch is lightweight enough, you can completely cover the foliage and it will grow up through it.

Or you can try this:

http://www.ehow.com/how_2222722_grow-potatoes-garbage-can.html

Thanks for the links. My mulch source is chopped up leaves so I think they are light enough that stuff should be able to poke through. I went ahead and covered the green to where I could just barely see the tallest ones. Some got a little more buried than that since they weren't as tall as the others. I guess time will tell if I'm doing it right or not. Gardening is nothing but a big experiment from year to year right? I'll plan on going to the top of the wire cage before I stop mulching or I will keep an eye on the green.

Thanks again,
Michelle

Odd, my research has shown to leave the top inch or two uncovered. I'd be interested to see how that works. I'd also like to see pics of your system. Mine is linked below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Build-As-You-Grow Potato Bins!

sinfonian

Yes, leaving the tops of the plants exposed is what all the potato-growing sites advise, but this Spring I've inadvertently covered sprouts that weren't visible with leaf-mulch, and they eventually popped right up through it. But as I say, I think the mulch has to be relatively light-weight. It might not work if you entirely covered the plants with soil. (But I don't know that from experience.)

I guess the lesson is that you don't have to treat potatoes with kid gloves! Maybe a lot like tomatoes :-)

Sorry, no photos as of yet but soon. Well, over the course of about 2 1/2 days, the potatoes had one heck of growth spurt, the leaf mulch settled alot or a combination of the two because the tops were sticking out today just as pretty as you please. They didn't seem to mind the covering of chopped leaves at all.

We are supposed to get some rain tonight and into tomorrow. I will cover the green back up once the rains are gone.

So far I am pleased with this method. Course it's not till we are sitting down to a bowl full of mashed potatoes that I will get completely hopeful with this method.

Tops do look healthy, healthy, healthy. Actually, healthiest potatoes plants I've grown in the past 3 years of growing spuds!

Michelle

No tools required. Well, a pair of wire cutters. quick, easy, light weight. Storing shouldn't be a problem because if this works out, I'm going to try a fall crop.

My hands are small enough to go through the holes. Wonder if that monkey's hand in a hole thing will come into play? ;-)

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Your hands may be small enough to go through the holes, but are the holes big enough for the potatoes to go through them on the way out!

g'day shellva,

for me i would say keep building to about twice the depth you already have if that current depth looks to be around 10"s, just thinking maybe you could have some over crowding but time will tell? when we had cages we planted about 3 potato's per cage.

also for the plants near the edge i would be putting some mulch around the outside to protect the developing tubers from ultra violet effect that is if there is not enough cover they will go green.

we tried cages but it never was successful for us so we opted for what we call our instant potato patch, we have pic's on our site we get good returns for this no till method, with little effort just adding mulch as they grow like you are doing leaving the top say 4's showing, but we only mulch to a depth of around 20"s to proved u/v protection.

we get a 5:1 returm ie.,. plant 1 kilogram of potato's and get 6 kilograms or so back, that's not bad for little to no effort.

len

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

Anney, that's what the wire cutters are for;)

Len, yeah, I kinda figured I had over planted. Oh well, it's a wait and see game at this point. How come your wire cages weren't a success? How long till you knew it wasn't going to work for you?

Michelle