Potato storage methods

With the right storage conditions, potatoes can lie for 9-10 months without spoiling. Therefore, after harvesting, it is important to properly prepare it and place it in a suitable place.

When choosing a place to store potatoes, it is worth paying attention to a number of points.

1. Temperature... It is very important that the room temperature is within 2-5 degrees. If it is higher, the tubers will begin to sprout. Such potatoes are no longer suitable for storage. After lowering the temperature, the tubers shrivel quickly. They also become less tasty. Therefore, shriveled potatoes are usually not used in cooking, but thrown away. You can control the temperature in the room by installing a thermometer there. When it is lowered, the potatoes will need to be covered, with a sharp increase - transferred to a colder place.
2. Humidity... Ideally, the humidity in the room should be between 80-90%. In such conditions, vegetables are stored very well. If the humidity in the room is too high, traces of mold may appear on the surface of the tubers. In addition, potatoes in such conditions rots and turns black inside. To avoid this, it is important to equip the store with a good ventilation system.
3. Lighting... All experienced gardeners know that solanine is produced in the tubers in the light. Potatoes gradually turn green and lose their taste. Such tubers are categorically not to be used for human food or for feeding livestock. To prevent the potatoes from turning green, they must be stored in a dark room.

For wintering, it is worth choosing healthy, mature tubers. You need to start digging up potatoes after all the tops have dried in the garden. About 5-10 days before harvesting, it must be cut. It is best to dig up potatoes in sunny weather. In this case, the tubers can be easily cleaned of dirt.

It is recommended to send for long-term storage varieties with high keeping quality. Gardeners should pay attention to the following options.

• "Lorkh"... This is a mid-late variety. It is popular with many gardeners. Its tubers are large and covered with a light skin. The plant is resistant to most common diseases.

• "Vesnyanka"... In this plant, the tubers have a pleasant light pink color. They are covered with small eyes. Delicious potatoes are perfectly stored until spring in any room.

• Atlant. This variety is medium late. He has good immunity. Therefore, plants rarely infect fungal diseases. The tubers are round and dark brown in color. They are perfectly stored both in the cellar and in the apartment.

So that the harvested crop does not deteriorate over time, it is important to properly prepare it for storage.

• Dry... The dug tubers must be spread out on the ground in a thin layer. It is important that they are not exposed to direct sunlight. The potatoes should lie there for about three hours. During this time, he will be able to dry out perfectly. The tubers prepared in this way should be moved to a cool room. This is done to harden their skin. For 2-3 weeks, the potatoes should be in a well-ventilated area or under a shed.

• Sort... Next, you need to sort the entire crop.Some of the tubers will be used for spring planting, the rest will be used for eating or feeding pets. All tubers cut or affected by pests and diseases must be destroyed. This is especially important because one spoiled fruit can infect others as well. Bulkheading potatoes can significantly increase their shelf life. It is also important to sort the potatoes by size. After all, the shelf life of different tubers is different.

• Process... Potatoes that will be used for planting are recommended to be treated with antifungal drugs. Usually "Zircon" is used for this purpose. Instead, you can also use potassium permanganate dissolved in warm water. After processing, the potatoes must be dried well. Vegetables prepared in this way will be perfectly stored all year round.

Most often, tubers are stored in a cellar or basement. Before moving potatoes there, the room must be prepared.

First, you need to ventilate it well. After that, the vegetable store must be treated with disinfectants. Most often, a solution of lime or potassium permanganate is used for this. After processing the walls and ceiling, the cellar must be well dried. Typically, site owners simply leave the door open for the entire day. By evening, the walls of the cellar dry out.

There are several ways to store potatoes indoors. Each of them has its own characteristics.

1. In boxes... Many gardeners put the harvested vegetables in wooden crates. About 10 kilograms of potatoes are placed in each of them. Drawers can be placed on shelves or racks. A distance of 10-15 centimeters should be left between them.

• In plastic containers. Such containers are quite lightweight. Therefore, it is convenient to carry them from place to place. Plastic containers can also be stacked on top of each other. Because of this, this storage technology is ideal for small spaces.

• In bags... It is recommended to store potatoes in canvas bags or nets. They are very breathable, so the potatoes do not rot. You can arrange nets or bags both horizontally and vertically.

• In wicker baskets. Such containers are also well ventilated. It is convenient to store potatoes in it. Plus, the baskets with sturdy handles are easy to carry from place to place.

Some gardeners store potatoes on the floor. So that it does not deteriorate and freeze over time, it should be placed on a wooden pallet or bedding made of straw or burlap.

If there is no cellar at the dacha, the crop can be stored in a pit. It is very simple to make it yourself. Usually, a hole is dug in an elevated area. The size of the trench depends on the number of tubers that will be sent for storage.

It is recommended to additionally insulate the bottom of the dug hole. To do this, it can be sprinkled with sawdust or straw. Some gardeners throw rags to the bottom of the trench instead. It is recommended to insulate the walls of the pit with sheets of foam or plywood. It is necessary that the potatoes do not come into contact with the ground.

It is also important to correctly lay the potatoes.... It is advisable to sprinkle every 2-3 layers of vegetables with a layer of straw. From above, the tubers are also covered with dry material, and then covered with boards. On one side, the boards can be covered with a layer of earth. After that, the pit must be covered with roofing material or any other insulator.

There are several ways to store potatoes in an apartment.

If the refrigerator has a large storage compartment for vegetables, some of the potatoes can be placed there. The tubers can be stored in paper packaging. But you should not use plastic bags for storage. The potatoes in them may start to rot.

You can put not only young tubers in the refrigerator, but also potato dishes. A boiled or fried product can be stored for 4-7 days. Potato salads should not be left in aluminum containers. Also, don't leave a metal spoon in the bowl. This accelerates the deterioration of the product.

You can also save peeled tubers. They must be thoroughly washed and placed in a container of cold water. The shelf life of fresh peeled potatoes in the refrigerator is 2 days. After that, the potatoes should be used for cooking.

Storing potatoes in the freezer is not recommended. But a small part of the tubers can be peeled and used for harvesting. To do this, the potatoes must be cut into cubes or strips, and then rinsed. Before placing in bags, they must be blanched. To do this, the potatoes are placed in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, and then in ice water. After that, you need to dry it with paper towels. Properly prepared potatoes are stored in the freezer for a very long time.

You can also freeze potato dishes. The food should be placed in a small plastic container and then sent to the freezer. The workpieces must be placed in small containers and consumed immediately.

Due to the fact that food is often prepared in this room, the temperature there is constantly changing. Therefore, it is not recommended to leave a large amount of potatoes in the kitchen. You need to store tubers in cabinets located away from the stove and household appliances, which heats up during operation. It is very important that they close tightly. In this case, no light will enter the tubers.

Most often, potatoes are stored in boxes or baskets installed in a cabinet under the sink. Special vegetable cabinets are ideal for storage. Each of them holds about 20 kilograms of potatoes. The lid of such a curbstone is soft. Therefore, it can be used like a regular chair.

The previous methods are suitable for storing small quantities of potatoes. The rest of the crop should be moved to the balcony. This can be done only if it is glazed and insulated. In such conditions, washed and dried potatoes will be perfectly preserved until spring. The main thing is to sort it out from time to time.

When planning to store potatoes on the balcony, they are usually placed in sealed double bottom boxes. Some gardeners additionally insulate containers with foam. From above, the boxes are covered with a cloth or lids. This is done in order to protect the tubers from the sun's rays and prevent them from turning green.

If it is not possible to store potatoes on the balcony, it can be taken out into the corridor or staircase. The temperature there is much lower than in the apartment. Therefore, potatoes are stored there perfectly. In addition, it is always at hand.

It should be understood, however, that this storage method has its drawbacks. Potatoes stored in the entrance are not protected from temperature extremes. In addition, it begins to germinate very early. It is also worth noting that potatoes stored in the entrance can simply be stolen.

City dwellers can store potatoes not only in the entrance or on the balcony, but also in the garage. It is worth equipping a pile in this room. To do this, the potatoes need to be folded in a small pile, and sprinkled with earth on top. This structure must be covered with straw and thermal insulation material. You need to install wide boards on the sides. At the bottom, it is important to fix the ventilation pipe, next to it, dig a small depression to drain excess liquid.

It is not recommended to make the shoulder too high. The potatoes stored there may well start to rot.This happens due to the fact that in the middle of such a heap it is difficult to control the temperature regime.

Some city dwellers use thermo boxes for storing potatoes. This method is good because they can be kept at the desired temperature all year round. Therefore, there is no need to worry about the safety of potatoes.

But this storage method also has its drawbacks. First of all, it is worth noting that this design is expensive. In addition, after its installation, electricity costs increase significantly.

To increase the shelf life of potatoes, novice gardeners should follow the advice of more experienced people.

1. To protect the potatoes from sprouting or rotting, you can put mint or rowan leaves on the tubers. Dried wormwood, onion husks or fern will also help with this. These products are used to shift potato rows.
2. When planning to store potatoes in boxes, it is worth choosing designs made from pine or spruce boards.... Some gardeners also recommend replacing the tubers with coniferous branches.
3. When harvesting potatoes for the winter, it is important to choose the right "neighbors" for them. It is best to store it next to beets. But putting tubers next to cabbage is not worth it. This will cause the vegetables to spoil very quickly.
4. You need to store potatoes of different varieties separately. Usually tubers are placed in separate boxes or bags. If the potatoes are stored on the floor, the different heaps can be separated from each other with simple wooden planks.
5. Potatoes stored in the kitchen or on the glassed-in balcony must be inspected and turned over regularly. In this case, it will be easy to identify tubers that are starting to deteriorate or sprout.

If you follow all the rules, the potato crop will be perfectly stored until spring.