100+ mile round trip for straw. I do have lots of oak leaves I can mulch with the mower.
Ellendra; looks like a good way to do this, especially if you have a lot of spoiled straw.
3 Ways of growing potatoes under straw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYL4B6KlvyM
A pleasant young lady w chickens in the back ground hilling potatoes with straw.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxojKXEekgQ
Maybe I will try one of these (For fun!) (Potato tower does not require much of a garden foot print!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R833pkaDBSY
My method was kind of the result of necessity. The way my potato patch is situated, it’s pretty much impossible to hill them after they start growing. Add to that the fact that I have a hard time digging, and some very aggressive weeds to contend with.
My method is to first till the area well, then lay the seed potatoes directly onto the ground. Cover with a very thick layer of straw, then top it with some kind of mesh fencing laid flat. That last step is because of the high winds on my farm. There are times you can get blown sideways out there! Pinning down the fencing is sometimes a tricky job, my soil has a lot of rocks.
Potatoes can find their way through just about any covering. One time I stored some seed potatoes in a paper bag, which was inside a cardboard box, with every possible opening taped shut, which was then stored in the darkest corner of my basement. I was late getting things planted that year, and by the time I got around to planting potatoes, they had forced their way through the corner of the box and were sticking out 2 feet high!
So, don’t be afraid to really pile the mulch on. You’re not going to smother them.
I’ve never tried it with woodchips, but it seems like any high-carbon, low nitrogen material ought to work, as long as it’s soft enough not to damage the potatoes. Shredded leaves or ground-up corncobs should also work fine.