Storing potatoes

[tambo]

I dug my potatoes yesterday. I don't have a root cellar and was wondering how I should store them. Any ideas? I live in a trailer with under pinning.

[Sanza]

One way would be to dig a deep wide hole in your garden, line it with straw, put your potatoes in the hole and cover it up again with dirt and more straw on top. I read (probably in harrowsmith or MEN) you can overwinter your root vegetables that way if you live in a mild winter area.
I would have a couple "cellars" dug and the one I would be taking potatoes out of for current eating would just be covered with straw and then a wood cover. Unfortunately I can't talk from experience because I live in a cold winter area and the potatoes would freeze using this method.

[7thswan]

Let the potatoes cure for a day or two in the shade. You could do as Sanza suggests. But I'm not sure if you would have problems with rodents? So you could bury a barrel and layer with potatoes and straw. Potatoes need to be kept cool and dark. Not too dry and not too moist. I store them in a unheated cement floored pantry in banana boxes with newspaper. It works very well.

[michiganfarmer]

We can them. We wash the dirt off, chunk them up, put them in quart jars, fill with water, pressure can at 10 pounds for 40 min. We did 150 quarts last year

[Fire-Man]

I would allow them to lay in a lightly shaded area, spread out to cure for a day or two. I would then choose the shady side of the MH and remove a piece of the underpinning, lay out some straw under it to keep them off the dirt----spread them out so they are not touching---stick the piece of underpinning back up----check on them weekly and remove any that are going bad. Should work fine. I did something similiar last year and I used what was left this year as seed to plant a new crop. We Stored ALOT of potatoes last year.

[JoePa]

What I did years ago - to store root crops and other vegties - I dug holes in the yard - large enough to put plastic garbage cans into them - about 18 inches deeper - put in the potatos, carrots, cabbage etc. - put the cover on each can and covered with hay - and some plywood - in the winter I just removed the plywood and hay - took the cover off - and bingo -

[o&itw]

Years ago, in the same situation, we didn't dig them until we needed them. Since they were "hilled" in the garden, and already covered with straw, it worked fine.

We dug the rest in the fall and stored them in a back room without much heat.

Where we live now, we have a real vole problem in the garden, and I don't know if we could get by doing it the same way.

[Danaus29]

I second canning them. They come in awful handy for quick meals when they are canned.

[Rockytopsis]

Originally Posted by michiganfarmer

We can them. We wash the dirt off, chunk them up, put them in quart jars, fill with water, pressure can at 10 pounds for 40 min. We did 150 quarts last year

Originally Posted by Danaus29

I second canning them. They come in awful handy for quick meals when they are canned.

I live in Middle East Tn. and this is what I do as I have no cellar.

Nancy

[wannabechef]

A Rubbermaid tub with sand in a cool dark location.