Growing potatoes the modern way

For the past two years I have tried growing potatoes in my back yard garden with moderate degrees of success.  I decided this year to approach the potato growing in a scientific way.  What I am describing is actually not terribly scientific--for example I did not apply for external funding--but I am going to keep track of what I did and whether of not it worked.
Naturally, I started with a comprehensive literature search which allowed me to come to the following two conclusions:

1. There are hundreds of ways to grow potatoes.
2. There are hundreds of ways not to grow potatoes.

The one thing which really stands out is that if you can successfully grow potatoes, it is necessary to write it up for a blog--either your own or someone else's.  The blog entries also fall into two categories:

1. The successful ways to grow potatoes, which means you write up how you did it at the end of the season after you forget what all that you did; and 
2. The unsuccessful ways, which means you carefully describe what you did at the first of the planting season then never mention potatoes again.

Being cheap I did not buy seed potatoes, so I may be introducing all kinds of blights etc. into the garden.  My wife saved a half dozen bakers that had started to sprout and I had a basket of small potatoes from last year that had also started sprouting:

Following everyone's suggestion I cut the larger potatoes into segments and let them dry for two days on the picnic table.

The next step was to prepare an area in the garden.  I picked a spot by the back fence which was about 5' x 5' and tilled it (using my cultivator) to a depth of about 8" (as deep as it will go).   A layer of relatively recent compost was then added, as well as some well composted leaves.  After tilling this mixture I installed fence posts in each corner and used chicken wire to enclose the area.

  

I then split the remainder of the bale of hay into sections about 6" thick and placed them on the prepared surface.

Slots were then created in each of the sections and the potato started placed on a small amount of leaf compost in the slots and the crevices between the six sections.  Following this the potato starts were all loosely covered with a layer of straw, and the bed thoroughly watered.

Now, if you find this is the last entry on potatoes on this blog you will know that none of this worked!  I am actually confident that I will have at least some success, so I will keep you informed.