You may not be aware of gopher damage until you're ready to harvest. Otherwise gophers, which come above ground at night, can climb over it. Potatoes are heavy NPK feeders. They require a lot of organic nitrogen during the first month of growth. Manure and fish emulsion are good organic sources of nitrogen.
Potassium is also important for thickening the stems.
Potatoes need moderate to heavy watering. The soil needs to be moist but not wet. Overhead watering will spread funga1 diseases, such as Late Blight. From day 1-30, you'll see new plant growth above the soil. From day 30-60, new potatoes will form which have a low starch and high water content.