Ruth stout failure?

Western NY. I planted magic molly seed potatoes 3 weeks ago in 3inches of compost and a 4-6 inch old hay mulch, but they don’t appear to be doing anything. A few I’ve checked have sprouted a bit but I believe many had sprouted before even putting them in the ground. It’s been rainy and anywhere from 50-70 during the day. What’s going on?

Here are my guesses: 1) I’m impatient and need to wait a few more weeks 2) Hay has herbicide or something in it. The source said no sprays, and the lettuce and onions that it’s mulching don’t seem terribly unhappy (though not growing much yet either)

Any ideas? Thanks in advance