If you are planting potatoes based on the Farmers Almanac, then your potato seeds need to be in the ground by the first full moon in February. For this year, the full moon is February 22, 2016.
Here is the link for the full moon calendar for 2016-2017.
Three days before, I cut the seed potatoes so that each piece I cut has a good “eye” on it. I lay the cut potatoes on some newspaper so that they can dry out a little before planting.
When I am ready to plant, I dig trenches in the garden about 4 inches deep and place the cut potatoes, eye facing up, down in the trench. I cover them with dirt, leaving some dirt piled on the sides of the trenches. As the plants begin to emerge, I start mounding up some of the dirt around the plant. You can also use hay around the plants as they grown. This gives added support to the plant.