Not at all sure if this will be helpful, but I saw a video not long ago (just looked, can't find it right at the moment) that tested several methods of growing potatoes: Standard burial, Trash cans with holes in the sides, and a couple or three others.
Far and away the most productive technique involved simply scraping a row of ground flat, laying the seed potatoes on the bare ground, and covering them with moist straw. I believe they added more straw over the season. No fertilizer or other additives. More and larger potatoes than any other method.
I'm already trying it this year.
