Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Eating and Drinking => Cooking, Storing and Preserving => Topic started by: cheshiredigger on November 26, 2011, 11:18

Title: Storing potatoes
Post by: cheshiredigger on November 26, 2011, 11:18

I am a relatively new gardner and have had a good crop of potatoes this year so I lifted them, sorted out any damaged ones and allowed them to dry off before putting into heavy paper sacks. Initially they were stored in the garage but with the threat of frost I put them in the cellar which has no natural light and is probably about 15degs and certainly frost free.

Yesterday I went to get some of the white variety only to discover that they are spurting. The reds are not.
What can I do?

Title: Re: Storing potatoes
Post by: Nikkithefoot on November 26, 2011, 11:24

Not a lot unfortunately, apart for moving them to a cooler place. The absurdly warm weather has started a lot of things growing when really they shouldn't.

I would have thought the spuds would be fine in a closed garage as unless there is a mega severe frost or weather like last year.

Title: Re: Storing potatoes
Post by: Paul Plots on November 26, 2011, 11:27

Try for cool. If the garage is cooler stick them back in there for now.

Go through the sprouting ones, remove the sprouts and re-bag. Use those first. Save the reds till later.

Title: Re: Storing potatoes
Post by: Gandan57 on November 26, 2011, 11:31

Your cellar is certainly too warm to store potatoes long term, you need to return them to the garage, but with the temperatures we are experiencing at the moment, even out there they may continue to sprout.

We buy potatoes by the 25 kg sack and they stay in our garage with just a few being brought indoors just before consumption.

It would take a severe prolonged frost to affect potatoes in a garage, as you can insulate the bags with other materials.

Title: Re: Storing potatoes
Post by: gavinjconway on November 26, 2011, 19:34

I would open the paper bags so they can breathe.. they prefer to be in hessian if you can get... but they will still sprout on a hottish year like we are having.. Ebay for hessian sacks..

Title: Re: Storing potatoes
Post by: rowlandwells on December 08, 2011, 16:51

 whats said is basically correct i store our potatoes in our greenhouse on a pallet so there off the ground the greenhouse is rat and mice proof some are  in paper and some in hessian bags

i cover with old hessian sacks leaving space for ventilation if it gets very frosty i cover up an old thick carpet if its a good crop like this year they should last us till about March

i find its best to check the bags of potatoes periodically for bad ones and strip all the shoots off when they start shooting also i grade my Tate's small ones in bags and large ones separately in bags the very small discard