truth or not? potato question

I earth up my first-earlies little-by-little when frost is forecast. My reckoning is that its the devils own job to keep the frost off them until, potentially, the end of May, so when they can see daylight they grow less strongly [upwards] than when they are in the dark, and with their leaves in the light they can generate energy for the plant.

Of course this is no good if you are away from the plot! although in my case if I go away for a couple of days I earth up a bit and am confident that the spuds won't make that much new growth, and poke through, in that time.

Others earth up when they plant and leave the spuds to it.

Interesting. I earth up my tubs so as not to cover the leading growth - so that there is always some green converting sunlight to food

But I do wonder if it makes any difference? I suppose next year I could just fill one tub to the brim, and the other bit-by-bit to keep its "head above water", and see how they compare.  My tub-spud plants are humongous already ...

All mine are showing leaves now so i'd better earth them up.

Bit of a shaggy dog tale this, but I was told by one of the local farmers that when he was a boy they had a German POW working on the land - the farmer (or his Dad) was shocked to find the POW chain harrowing over the potato crop to take off the frosted tops, and was told that that was how they always dealt with the problem - the potatoes then happily regrew new tops and cropped ok.

That sounds quite believable