Potatoe storage help needed!

[Carol Dee]

I have a corner in my basement with part of two outside walls. I block off that area of the basement with insulation between studs to keep that end cool and dark. That's where my spuds and flower roots spend the winter. I used up and/or planted the potatoes that were left once planting time came around.

We will try the basement back room this winter.

 

[digitS']

I just harvest too early for my storage conditions. I assume things would go better if I grew long-season varieties and harvested in the fall.

The very earliest harvested (Viking Purple), I brought back upstairs, sat them in a shady corner of the deck, and let 'em cool down. Of course, that was about the end of September and plenty cool on that deck but not freezing under the deck roof.

The year I had 200# harvested and I carried them all down and up and down - ain't gonna do all that again! ... it does help and keeping the sprouts off helps.

I've got a bowl of chopped leeks for lunch, need to get down those stairs for 3 or 4 potatoes. Have a package of beef sausage in the fridge. Then, it's soup!

Steve

 

[Carol Dee]

I just harvest too early for my storage conditions. I assume things would go better if I grew long-season varieties and harvested in the fall.

The very earliest harvested (Viking Purple), I brought back upstairs, sat them in a shady corner of the deck, and let 'em cool down. Of course, that was about the end of September and plenty cool on that deck but not freezing under the deck roof.

The year I had 200# harvested and I carried them all down and up and down - ain't gonna do all that again! ... it does help and keeping the sprouts off helps.

I've got a bowl of chopped leeks for lunch, need to get down those stairs for 3 or 4 potatoes. Have a package of beef sausage in the fridge. Then, it's soup!

Steve

YUM

 

[Carol Dee]

Well here we go.... the potatoes are in the crates waiting for DH to move them to the back room in the basement.

 

[Smart Red]

Hum. Mine are still in buckets upstairs. With the new heating system going down in the basement, I haven't tried making room for them yet. Some went in the soup today.

Looking good, there, Carol!

 

[Smiles Jr.]

Looks good Carol Dee.

Have any of you dug out a cache in a hillside for rootcrops? There is a nice one here at the homeplace and I plan to use it next year. Hmmmm, that is if I have a nice potato, beet, onion, J-choke, etc. harvest.

 

[digitS']

A hillside might make things easier. I can imagine one with a door ...

Here is what I do with carrots, parsnips and celery root, @Smiles . Onions do just fine in a basement room.

This is located in a new place every year but somewhere not far from the backdoor. Yes, I have to shovel my way through the snow several times to get to it.

About 8" of soil goes over the veggies. About 8" of pine needles go over the soil. This is a much better place for storage than the crisper drawer in the fridge, although they can move from here to that drawer for a week or so.

I don't know how it would work for potatoes. Potato "clamps" are traditionally made with straw on the inside and soil over the top - the reverse of what I do. Maybe, they benefit from drier conditions. My soil drains easily, by the way.

Steve

 

[thistlebloom]

Looks good Carol Dee.

Have any of you dug out a cache in a hillside for rootcrops? There is a nice one here at the homeplace and I plan to use it next year. Hmmmm, that is if I have a nice potato, beet, onion, J-choke, etc. harvest.

Oh, pictures would be nice @Smiles! I have enjoyed seeing how @digitS stores his carrots. It's encouraging to me that he has such good success with that pit, being in the same climate as he is.

Our property is flat, but I've wondered at ways to store the potatoes in the ground where it would not be too inconvenient to get to them when needed.
Maybe a couple of dump trucks of soil over a small block cubicle?...
I will probably think it to death and continue to use my garage box until I'm too old to want to mess with a project like that.

 

[w_r_ranch]

I grow about 300 pounds of 'Red Pontiac' & store them in plastic bread trays in the garage (bear in mind that I live in a hot, humid climate) & use a fan to move the air through the racks during the day. They stay good for 6 months with this method.

I am also going to try slicing some & dehydrating them next year (they will then be vacuum packed) as an experiment next year.

 

[digitS']

Temperatures would really vary over such a long period, Sam.

Is it air movement?

I don't really think that this area imports much or any potatoes. Commercial storage conditions must be sufficient. There are never any days of the year when potatoes aren't in the produce bins at the soopermarkets.

Steve