A Philosophers have struggled with the moral implications of this question for centuries, and no doubt the debate will continue for many centuries after you and I are dead. But if you need a quick answer, sure go ahead. Just do whatever makes both you and the potato comfortable, and don't kiss and tell. A Oh come off it. As long as you leave your potatoes underground, they will keep going at it.
Nothing turns a potato on more than dirt.
It is basically the same principle as applies in the case of rabbits which have brown fur in the summer and white fur in the winter - it helps them hide from foxes. Q My potato plants produced small tomatoes this year. I planted them next to my tomatoes. The lower foliage on my potato plants is beginning to turn yellow and is covered with brown spots. When I dug my potatoes, they were covered by small, raised bumps.