Terms and means of properly storing potatoes for the winter in an apartment and cellar
Experienced gardeners know exactly how to store potatoes. This vegetable is fastidious, if the rules of storage are violated, the tubers sag, grow, turn green. Spoiled harvest should be discarded. Flabby potatoes have no benefit, but green ones can be poisoned.
General storage rules
Sorting preserves the crops until spring. The tubers are sorted, the diseased and damaged are discarded, the rest are sorted by variety and size:
- for long-term storage, medium-sized ripe potatoes are selected;
- until the middle of winter, the large tubers retain their commercial properties; voids form in their pulp if they remain lying down until spring.
The shelf life of tubers depends on the variety, growing conditions (soil composition, weather conditions, use of fertilizers). Most summer residents lower the crops grown in the cellar, use alternative storage places if there are none.
Optimal conditions
The room where the potatoes are stored should not be lit. The luminaires can be switched on for short periods. Artificial light and sunlight stimulate germination and solanine production.
This organic substance is produced by all members of the nightshade family and is poisonous. The crust containing solanine turns green. Green tubers should not be eaten.
The temperature at which the tubers are best stored is slightly above zero - 3-5 ° C. The shelf life is reduced to 2-3 months if higher. The potato dries quickly and long shoots appear. At low temperatures, the pulp becomes sweet.
Indoor humidity should not exceed 80%. In the damp, potatoes rot, they are affected by a fungus. Too dry air affects the structure of the pulp. It loses its elasticity, the skin wrinkles.
How to properly prepare potatoes
After digging, the potatoes are not immediately sent for storage. Tubers are dried, ripened, and mechanical damage is cured.
Sunbath
If the weather is good, the tubers are scattered to dry on arable land, and on rainy days they are taken under a canopy. Potatoes are kept in the sun for no more than 2 hours, then they are dried for 2 weeks in a barn or under a canopy.Ultraviolet rays, they represent 10% of the spectrum of sunlight, have a bactericidal effect, kill fungi and bacteria and increase the keeping quality of potatoes.
Healing
Mechanical damage during digging cannot be avoided. Infection can enter through wounds in the skin. They dry out quickly and become covered with a dry skin at a temperature of 13-18°C. It does not take more than 2 weeks to heal. If the temperature is lower, the process is delayed up to 3-4 weeks.
Fall asleep
The tubers must undergo gradual cooling before being stored. In industrial potato storage facilities, the temperature is reduced daily by 0.5 ° C. The process takes 10-15 days. Summer residents are helped by the weather. When the air temperature drops to 2-4 ° C, the potatoes are sent to storage. Due to a gradual decrease in temperature in the tubers, all processes (physiological, biochemical) are stopped.
Varieties recommended for long-term storage
Late and mid-late varieties retain their commercial properties until spring. Semi-early potatoes should be eaten within the first 2 months.
Lorsh
Medium late variety. Branched bushes, the flowers are red-violet, the color of the skin is beige, the pulp is white. The average tuber weight is 100-120 g and the starch percentage is high. Maintaining quality is good.
Nevsky
Medium early variety. The mass of tubers is 90-130 g, the starch content is 12%, the keeping quality is 95%. The skin is yellow, the flesh is creamy. Productivity is 10-15 tubers per bush.
Scarlet
The skin is red, the flesh is light yellow.Starch content - 15%. Tuber mass 100-120 g Early ripening variety (45-55 days). Productivity 20 kg/m².
Tuleyevsky
The rind and flesh are yellow. Medium early variety (80-100 days). Keep the quality 90%. The starch in the pulp is 15%. The mass of tubers is 120-250 g.
Zarnitsa
Oval-shaped potatoes, ripening on the 120-140th day. Weight 120 g, pink skin, light yellow flesh color. Starch 12-17%.
Seagull
Medium late quality (120 days). 6-12 pieces weighing 70-125 g are collected from a bush. The shape is oval-rounded, the skin is yellow, the pulp is light yellow, the starch is 15%, the keeping quality is 92%.
Saturn
Medium late quality (120 days). Starch up to 20%, bush potatoes up to 10 pcs., Quality retention 98%. The rind and flesh are yellow.
Atlantic
Medium late note. The fruits are rounded with a brown skin. The starch in the pulp is 16-20%. Delicious mashed potatoes are obtained from potatoes, tubers are good when fried.
Asterix
Medium late variety with oval roots weighing about 100 g. Red peel, light yellow pulp, 16% starch, use:
- frying;
- chips.
Zhuravinka
Late (130 days), low grade. Up to 18 tubers weighing 100 g or more are instilled from one bush. The skin is red, the pulp is yellow, but:
- mashed potatoes;
- chips;
- Potato pancakes.
Basic storage methods at home
To store potatoes in a house (apartment), premises are chosen that meet the requirements as much as possible.
In a bedroom or hallway
In an apartment, potatoes are stored for no more than a month. Then it starts to germinate. To extend the shelf life, the tubers are poured into dense, opaque fabric bags. They put them in the closet.
The apartment is regularly ventilated.
On the kitchen
You can allocate a place under the sink for potatoes. It is always dark and moderately humid. Special cabinets for storing vegetables are made of plywood. They are decorated to fit into the interior of the kitchen. Holes are made in the side walls for ventilation.
In the fridge
There is little space in the refrigerator, so those who barely eat them keep potatoes there. Tubers can stay in the crisper drawer for a long time and are most often placed in a paper bag or vegetable net.
In the pantry
In an apartment with an unheated storage room, there are no problems with storing potatoes. The tubers remain there until spring. Usually there are no windows, so the tubers do not turn green. It is not difficult to increase the humidity of the air. You need to hang a damp cloth over the sacks of potatoes.
On the balcony or loggia
The design of a homemade refrigerator for a balcony (loggia) is simple. These are 2 boxes of different sizes.
The bottom of a large container is insulated, a smaller box is placed there. The space between the walls (10-12 cm) is filled with insulation:
- mousse;
- sawdust;
- shavings.
2-3 15W bulbs are fitted in the inner housing. They are dyed dark so that the tubers do not turn green from the light.
Potatoes are poured into a smaller box and covered with an old blanket.
If funds allow, instead of homemade storage for a loggia (balcony), they buy a thermal container. They are aesthetically pleasing, compact, equipped with a thermostat. Potatoes in such a device are stored no worse than in a cellar.
Cellar or basement
An extractor hood is made in the cellar (basement) to regulate the humidity of the air. Provide waterproofing (roofing material, bitumen) and a thermal insulation layer. Internal structures are treated twice a year against fungi, use:
- whitewash;
- lime;
- lime + copper sulphate.
In the pit
At the dacha, they dig a hole (trench) measuring 1 x 1 m. Potatoes are laid in layers. The tubers are covered with a 3 cm layer of soil. Initially, the repository is covered with a layer of soil 30 cm thick, before the onset of frost, a second backfilling is carried out. The thickness of the second layer is 35-45 cm. Potatoes are well stored in the trench until June.
Ways to extend shelf life
In winter, the tubers are in a state of deep dormancy. Until they begin to awaken (February-March), they benefit from the right storage conditions. The room (basement, cellar, storage room) is prepared by:
- dry;
- carry out a thorough disinfection so that there is no mold, fumigate with sulfur.
Container
Most often, potatoes are stored in bags, containers, vegetable boxes and nets. The container should be breathable. Crates are treated with a lime solution, put on bars so that moisture does not accumulate under them. Copper sulfate is added to the solution.
Many potatoes are stored loose in the cellar. To do this, I fence the compartment with boards. To prevent the tubers from rotting, they are poured in a small layer. The maximum thickness at which air normally circulates is 1.5 m.
Temperature regime
Each variety has its own range of optimum temperatures at which the tubers do not germinate, the eyes do not die.
| Variety | Optimal storage temperature (°C) |
| Burlichingham | 1,5-2 |
| Epron | |
| Northern Rose | |
| Pharaoh | 1,5-3 |
| Agrotechnics | |
| Skorospelka | |
| To start up | 3-5 |
| Canteen 19 | |
| noisy |
For control in the room where the potatoes are stored, a thermometer is installed. Deviations from the norm are corrected by:
- lowering, opening vents, early morning or night vents;
- do not drop below the norm, cover the potatoes with straw, burlap or turn on the heater for a while.
Humidity
In wet rooms, potatoes are covered with bags filled with dry shavings, sawdust. Wood scraps absorb moisture. Beets absorb moisture well. It is poured over the tubers. An effective way to reduce humidity is to use buckets of quicklime. They are placed in a damp cellar.
Lighting
Potatoes are covered with light with a dark dense fabric, lamps are painted with dark paint. Do not screw in light bulbs with a power greater than 15 watts.
folk ways
For a Russian, potatoes are an important food product. It has always been treated with respect, looking for ways to protect it from rotting, premature drying out. Recipes for proper storage of potatoes have been passed down from generation to generation.
Rowan and mint leaves
Rowan leaves have a bactericidal effect and absorb moisture. Potatoes dug up in rainy weather do not rot if they are sprinkled with rowan leaves. For 100 kg of tubers, 2 kg of raw materials are needed. Peppermint inhibits eye sprouting. Its leaves are poured into the bottom of the bag, box, in the middle and on the tubers.
onion skin
Used for long-term storage of root crops. It is poured between the layers. It protects against rot, improves the keeping quality.
Dried Dream Grass
Potatoes dried and poured into his bags and boxes.
Mugwort
Tubers keep better, do not rot, germinate longer if moved with wormwood leaves. This plant is secreted by phytoncides. They interfere with the vital activity of fungi and bacteria.
Fern
The dirt floor is lined with leaves, the tubers are moved with them. The fern prevents the spread of rot. It is put in a box (net) for seed potatoes.
Elder leaves
Leaves (branches) are dried, sprinkled with them on the earthen floor of the cellar. The plant scares away rats and mice, has a disinfectant effect.
Common Mistakes
It is a pity that part of the harvest deteriorates during storage. To prevent this from happening, you should avoid common mistakes:
- during harvesting, do not throw the tubers into the bucket, because of the damage they are stored worse;
- early ripening varieties of potatoes cannot be stored for a long time, the deadline is the end of November;
- do not store damaged and diseased samples;
- sort and sort the harvest before sending it to storage.
How to store young potatoes
The skin of a young potato is thin, it will peel off with light pressure. Because of this, root crops quickly lose moisture, darken and become soft. They must be stored in the refrigerator:
- dry;
- put in a dark bag;
- put in the lower compartment.
Put a paper towel in the bag to prevent condensation from forming.
Tips & Tricks
To keep the tubers longer, potatoes should not be overfed with nitrogen fertilizers in the summer. Their excess harms the maintenance of quality. A bucket of water is placed next to the bag (box) of young potatoes. This is done so that young tubers do not dry out from the summer heat.
In winter, sort the potatoes 1-2 times. Destroy rotten specimens, cut off sprouts and discard. You can put 2-3 apples in boxes (bags). They secrete a substance that prevents the germination of tubers.
Spring sprouted potatoes are not good for food, but you don't need to throw them away. It can be planted. Quality seed potatoes are selected at harvest time. Planting material is taken from healthy shrubs. A month before planting, they are sent for germination.