PREPARING THE POTATOES
The best potatoes for storage are maincrop potatoes. Use
first and second early potatoes as you harvest them.
Harvest maincrop potatoes on a sunny day. Remove them from
the container and place them on dry ground or a ground sheet
rubbing off the larger lumps of compost. Leave them to dry
in the sun for a couple of hours turning them once. This
will thicken up the skin slightly and that will definitely
potential storage time.
Only store potatoes which are in good condition, those which
have broken skin or are blemished should be eaten first.
WHAT TO STORE POTATOES IN
The basic principle of storage is that potatoes must be kept
dry, cool, dark and at the correct temperature. Never use
plastic bags for storing potatoes because the potatoes will
sweat and rot surprisingly quickly.
Hessian sacks are the best but you will need to buy them
and they are expensive. They do last for several years
though. Just as good and possibly free, are old pillow
cases. Cheap, new pillow cases are cheaper than hessian
sacks.
Another good and free storage container is the humble
paper bag. When your local fish and chip shop buys in
potatoes they often come in paper bags. Ask them and they
may be only too happy to give you them for free. Another
source of these largish paper bags will be your local
greengrocer. Strong paper bags will only last for one year
but they are free.
WHERE TO STORE POTATOES
Potatoes should be stored in the dark. This will stop them
turning green and also reduce the risk of sprouting. They
should also be stored in dry conditions. Moisture causes
potatoes to rot.
Temperature is key but probably the most difficult to
control. We describe the best temperature range and why, you
can only do your best to get near the correct temperature.
Don't freeze uncooked potatoes, they will simply turn to
mush!. If potatoes are stored at below 5°C the starch in
them begins to turn to sugar and this adversely affects
their flavour. If your fridge is set correctly it will be
around 4°C so the fridge is not really an ideal place to
store potatoes.
The best temperature for storage of potatoes is in the
6°C to 8°C range. This is hard to maintain in the average
house but that is what you are aiming for. An unheated (or
infrequently heated) room in your house is probably the best
option.
STORAGE CONCLUSIONS
Store your potatoes in hessian bags, pillow cases or paper
bags. Make sure they are stored in dark, dry conditions.
Store them in a cool room in the house.
DURING STORAGE
Check your stored potatoes every month or so and discard any
potatoes which show any deterioration. Occasionally the odd
slug or two can be transferred into the storage bag with the
potatoes, although this is less likely with container grown
potatoes because the soil is very crumbly and falls off
easily. Some people add a couple of slug pellets into the
storage containers to attract the unwanted slugs. Undeniably
it works but examination of the chemicals in slug pellets
prevents us from doing that!
HOW TO CHIT / SPROUT POTATOES
PREPARING TO PLANT YOUR
POTATOES
HOW TO PLANT POTATOES IN CONTAINERS
HOW TO CARE FOR
POTATOES IN CONTAINERS
HOW TO HARVEST
POTATOES
GROWING POTATOES
IN CONTAINERS FOR CHRISTMAS
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