How and where to properly store potatoes at home in an apartment

Potatoes are considered a unique garden crop; there are hundreds of dishes and folk recipes using them. The main problem after harvesting is the issue of ensuring its safety. For some summer residents, despite a long storage period, the tubers do not lose their quality characteristics, taste and appearance. To get results, it is important to know how to properly store potatoes in an apartment.

How to prepare potatoes for storage

To store potatoes at home, you need to prepare the tubers well for wintering. For collection, choose sunny weather without precipitation. Half of the success in storage depends on the quality of drying and selection, in which damaged and defective tubers are removed. To reduce the level of humidity after backfilling, the potatoes are sprinkled with a slight layer of ash on top.

5 surefire ways to preserve your potato harvest in your apartment

Potatoes are stored not only in a cellar, but also in an apartment, which does not require wasting time on the way to the garage. Today there are several options, each of which allows you to preserve the harvest until the next harvest season.

Storing potatoes in the cellar

Storing harvested potatoes in a cellar is the most common practice for Russian citizens. The advantage of this method is the ability to provide a constant temperature in the room in the region of 2-4 ⁰C. This temperature in the storage room is considered optimal for tubers. Humidity in the cellar should vary from 70% to 85%.

It is necessary to exclude exposure to light, otherwise corned beef will be produced that is harmful to humans.

Before planting tubers, it is recommended to treat the room with a solution of salt or lime 2 times with an interval of 1 week. For storage, store-bought plastic boxes are used, or the potatoes are placed in a self-made box with your own hands. At the base of the container it is necessary to provide small slots ranging from 4 to 6 cm in size, which will promote better ventilation. Before reuse, the boxes must be treated with a manganese solution and dried thoroughly.

A common option is to place tubers in boxes without a lid.In this case, it is necessary to fill the tubers to a depth of no more than 1.5 m. If there is a problem with high humidity, it is recommended to lay the floor in the cellar with sawdust, and, if desired, cover it with beams or floorboards.

In the corridor or entrance

Harvest stored in this way does not take up space in the apartment and is always within reach. To do this, a box is made into which potatoes are poured. The temperature in the entrance is always cooler than the house and warmer than the street temperature, which improves the quality of the tubers and the duration of their use.

The disadvantages of this method are the following points:

• inconstancy of temperature, which periodically rises and falls;
• short duration of time;
• likelihood of theft;
• probable conflicts with neighbors.

This method is used if you need to leave the harvest until early spring. The appearance and taste remain unchanged until the end of February or mid-March. Optimal for gardeners who do not have a cellar and are considering organizing a place for potatoes in the entrance as an alternative.

In a box on the balcony

You can make a box for storing potatoes on the balcony with your own hands from ordinary boards that are attached tightly. Two “matryoshka” products are made, with a difference in wall distance of about 5 cm. The resulting cavity is insulated with foam plastic, sawdust or other material with similar properties. The lid for the container is also made double and insulated.

This method is suitable for storage in a glass loggia and allows you not to lose the harvest even in cold winters.

Often they use a special household cellar purchased in a store. It is a thermal container, made of modern materials and has electric heating.What temperature potatoes can withstand depends on the model and manufacturer; there are options for ambient temperatures down to -40 ⁰C. Stores sell cellars with a volume of 100, 180 and 300 liters, which corresponds to a quantity of 1 to 3 bags.

Small stock in the refrigerator

Storing potatoes at home in the refrigerator is suitable for small quantities of tubers, and the correct temperature for storage should range from 3 to 5 ⁰C. The convenience and simplicity of the method are associated with several pitfalls. The following factors are considered the main points:

• it is not clear in which container it is better to choose storage: a plastic bag does not allow oxygen access to the tubers, they begin to fog up and rot, and in a net the dirt spills out;
• it is impossible to store a large volume of potatoes;
• When stored in the refrigerator for a long time, the process of converting starch into sugar begins, which negatively affects the taste and appearance of potatoes.

Due to these features, several kilograms of potatoes can be stored in the refrigerator. It is recommended to make a reserve for no more than a week, and during this period you need to eat it.

Storing potatoes in an apartment

Households store supplies that are planned to be used in the near future. The average temperature in a standard apartment varies from 20 to 25 ⁰C, which is not suitable for storing potatoes. It is important to place it in a well-ventilated area, otherwise it will rot and cause flies. The most common options are:

• pantry;
• kitchen elements, furniture;
• built-in wardrobes.

Often people strive to develop a hallway interior design in such a way as to provide places for storing crops and other items in everyday life.

What varieties of potatoes are best stored?

Early ripening potatoes spoils quickly, so these varieties are not used for long-term storage. For these purposes, species with a medium or late harvest are used.

Potato varieties description and characteristics:

• Asterix is ​​a European premium variety, has a medium-late ripening period and belongs to the table category, has a red skin and yellow flesh, the average weight of the tubers varies from 65 to 110 g;
• Atlant is a late-ripening variety, has a rough yellow skin and light yellow flesh, the average tuber weight is from 90 to 199 g;
• Skarb is a variety of potato of Belarusian selection, has a yellow peel and pulp, an average weight of 150 to 200 g.

The length of storage of potatoes depends on many factors, and the same variety of potatoes can feel great on the balcony and do not spoil at home. It is recommended to try different options and experiment with different methods, temperatures and choose the most optimal method.

Common Mistakes

Storing potatoes requires compliance with a number of rules, ignorance of which will reduce all efforts to grow the crop to nothing. The fundamental factor for successful storage is the choice of the right potato variety. Tubers with early ripening cannot be selected for long-term storage; even if all the rules are followed and “ideal” conditions are created, the harvest will remain at most until November, significantly losing its original qualities.

Some of the most common mistakes when working with potatoes include:

• selection of low-quality raw materials - only healthy and selected potatoes have a chance of being preserved for a long time;
• placement separately from other vegetables - when stored with beets, moisture is naturally absorbed and tubers are prevented from rotting, which has a positive effect on the result;
• use of natural conditions - potatoes require special temperature and humidity conditions, so apartment conditions are not suitable for them;
• neglect of the sorting procedure - as a result of storage, the tubers rot, infectious diseases are possible, which ultimately increases the risk of infection of healthy potatoes; only mechanical sorting can get rid of this problem;
• keeping them in bags - this method does not allow for quality sorting of the tubers and does not require access to air, which inevitably leads to their spoilage.

During control sorting, not only infected tubers are removed from the storage area, but also those in contact with them. The appearance of a putrid odor and small flies indicates that rotting has begun and the need to sort out the crop.

Potatoes are always placed in a cool room, otherwise they will begin to sprout quickly. The state of the environment is of great importance. High humidity and air temperature are the main threat, as fruits begin to deteriorate, sprout or rot.