It is not enough just to grow a rich harvest of good quality potatoes, you still need to be able to save it until spring. Especially topical issues correct winter storage potatoes become in last years, when early ripening varieties of potatoes began to be very popular with summer residents and owners of suburban land plots.
The fact that the tubers of such varieties ripen much earlier than the usual time allows you to avoid many problems, in particular, late blight disease, however, early potatoes are not intended for long-term storage and very quickly deteriorate. But to keep it somehow necessary ?! And before we on the pages of the site www.site tell you how to properly store potatoes in the winter in the cellar, we will first try to dispel the myth that Lately became very, very common.
There is an opinion that if you leave ripe potatoes in the ground until autumn, then, besides that they will noticeably gain weight, they will be stored much better. This is absolutely not the case. Firstly, upon reaching the state of maturity, the potato tubers cease to increase in size, so you will not get an increase in the yield in this way. Secondly, potatoes that overripe in the garden later become very susceptible to the occurrence of various rotten conditions, in other words, their keeping quality is significantly reduced.
Long-term storage is best tolerated by mid-season and table varieties of potatoes, which are distinguished by yellow flesh and eyes on the surface. From this point of view, the Adretta variety stands out especially among them. In addition to the fact that this variety is extremely yielding (up to 400 kg can be obtained from 1 weave), under appropriate conditions it can be stored for a very long time without spoilage. What are these corresponding conditions?
Proper preparation storage begins long before harvesting. First, in the process of ripening tubers, you need to take care of their protection from late blight.
To do this, mow the tops, through which the infection occurs. The whole difficulty is that this must be done no later than the due date, but not earlier. The first sign is yellowing of the stems of potato bushes. As soon as this happens, you need to regularly dig in the tubers in order to assess the condition of the peel on them. It is believed that mowing the tops is possible as soon as the peel becomes so dense that it cannot be peeled off with a fingernail.
The mowed tops must be removed from the site on the same day. You can often hear recommendations to preserve the tops in the beds in order to cover the potato piles with it after harvesting. It's supposedly very good and reliable protection from the rain. In fact, by doing so, you expose the grown crop to a serious risk of infection with various infections.
You need to start digging potatoes in droves 6-8 days after mowing the tops. As mentioned above, it is very important to harvest the crop from the garden on time. Varieties with a medium ripening period, such as Ardette, must be harvested no later than 100 days after the first shoots appear. The collected tubers must be carefully sorted out and removed from the total mass damaged by diseases.
Then, the selected potatoes need to be dried, for which for 3-4 days it thin layer scattered in a dry place.
Very often the reason quick spoilage the harvest is not the potato itself, but the cellar. You can store any vegetables, including potatoes, in the cellar only when it is properly prepared - dried and disinfected. To do this, all surfaces in it in advance, in the summer, are treated with a solution of copper sulfate with a concentration of 3-5%.
Great importance for the preservation of potatoes, the temperature of the cellar also has. It is necessary to store potato tubers in it in winter at a temperature range of 2 to 4 degrees. It is at this temperature that the potato does not sprout for a long time, and besides, moisture does not evaporate from it, due to which it retains its firmness longer.
To provide the right temperature it is recommended to pour the dried cellar potatoes in the early morning. At this time, the tubers are cold and this allows you not to disturb the temperature balance in the cellar. If the autumn turned out to be warm, then to create the desired temperature regime in the cellar, you can use plastic bottles with ice. This same method can be regularly used to cool the cellar in the spring and summer when the weather is warm.
Do not forget that during long-term storage, the tubers generate some heat, as a result of which the temperature in the cellar may rise over time. Therefore, in order for the potatoes to lie in the cellar for a long time, it must be constantly monitored.
For this, two thermometers are used, located directly on the shoulder and at a level of 1.5 m relative to the floor. As soon as the temperature rises to 6 degrees, the cellar needs to be ventilated - the manhole is kept open until the readings of both thermometers drop to 0 degrees. Usually, this procedure has to be repeated 3-4 times during the winter. As a result, potatoes are well preserved, which means they continue to be a source of nutrients for the human body.
It is not enough to grow a crop, you still need to preserve it. If possible, it is good to store potatoes in the cellar.First you need to prepare the cellar for storage, and dry and sort the potatoes.
It is not enough to grow a crop, you still need to preserve it. If possible, potatoes can be stored in the cellar. In n ogreb intended for storing potatoes should be good ventilation, at the same time, it is necessary to provide that it is protected from cold air - an outlet and exhaust pipes completely closed after the onset of persistent frost.First you need to prepare the cellar for storage, you can start a few weeks before the start of the harvest. V good weather you need to open it to ventilate and dry the room. Then you need to treat the walls against mold - whitewash with a solution of lime with copper sulfate... For whitewashing, you need to take 2 kg of slaked lime, dilute in 1 bucket of water, add 100-150 g of ordinary kitchen salt and 1 kg of copper sulfate. It is advisable to whitewash 2 times with an interval of 1 week. Wooden shields, the boxes need to be dried outside and processed 2-3 times with a strong solution of potassium permanganate.
All potatoes must be dried well under a canopy before laying them in the cellar. You also need to iterate over it - select damaged tubers cut with a shovel. It is also advisable to sort by size - large tubers, medium and small. Large tubers and fines will be eaten first, medium ones are best preserved until spring. Immediately you need to select the potatoes for planting.
To save space, it is better to pour potatoes into bins or boxes with small holes in the walls for air access. The boxes must be placed on supports 15-20 cm high above the floor, nor can they be placed close to the wall. The bins are arranged in this way. At a distance of 20-25 cm above the cellar floor, a slatted floor is made, the slots should be about 2-3 cm. The walls of the bins should be made with gaps, back wall must be at least 30m away from the storage wall. It is advisable to make the width of the bin about 1m. There should be a free space of about 60-80 cm between the ceiling and the tuber mound.
The potatoes will keep better if they are shifted with fresh rowan leaves. It is also good to use for this purpose onion skins, it needs to be poured into boxes with potatoes for several handfuls. Good neighbor for potatoes in the cellar - red beets.
Beets without moisture wither quickly and therefore "pulls" them out of everything that is nearby. But potatoes do not like moisture and are happy to give it to beets. Therefore good put beets in boxes with potatoes. It is also good to use spruce or pine branches for storing potatoes, they emit phytoncides, which increases the safety of potatoes.
Potatoes are the mainstay of the diet of the majority of the population! At first glance, it seems unpretentious in storage, but in fact it is not. There are many aspects to consider in order to preserve potatoes until the next harvest. It all starts with the choice of a variety (not all varieties will lie until spring, even in ideal conditions), and ends with the creation optimal conditions... Which ones, we will consider in this article.
The most important
The storage temperature should remain within the range of 5-6 ° C.
The optimum humidity is 80%.
A prerequisite is a dry and dark room.
What to look out for before storing
Even those who have been growing potatoes on their land for many years do not always know how to save their crops. What can we say about those who are used to stocking up on this vegetable in the market or in the supermarket. People make the same common mistakes.
Variety selection
There are more than 50 varieties that differ not only in taste, but also in ripening speed. For long-term storage, you need to give preference to the most late varieties(Asterix, Slavyanka, Rocco, Hostess, Zhuravinka, Zarnitsa, Saturna, Chaika and some others), they will not deteriorate until summer, despite the fact that the early ones will start to deteriorate by November.
Wrong neighborhood
For owners of large spacious cellars, this problem is not very relevant, but whoever has just enough space, tries to fit everything as compactly as possible. This is how different vegetables get into one box, and this is wrong. Potatoes prefer being next to beets, which will absorb excess moisture and will protect the tubers from damage. Cabbage, for example, needs to be kept as far away as possible, otherwise both vegetables begin to rot.
Put ginger in the box, it will be an excellent neighbor and will protect the potatoes from rot and disease.
Also remember that one spoiled potato in a matter of weeks will ruin your entire crop.
Control of the stored crop
Many are afraid to touch the potatoes once again, so as not to mechanically damage the neighboring specimens. But it is imperative to sort out vegetables, and more than once a season, if you do not want to lose your entire supply of potatoes.
If there are ideal tubers on the top, but there is an unpleasant smell of rotten or rottenness, then some tuber is rotting somewhere. It is necessary to carefully sort out the entire container and eliminate the source of spoilage.
How to store potatoes at home
Even in an apartment, you can always find a place to store potatoes. For most, it lies in a package (the main thing is not to close it) or in cardboard box v kitchen cabinet under the sink, tubers can be stored in this form for up to two weeks. And someone still sends it to the refrigerator.
Is it possible to store potatoes in the refrigerator
You can store potatoes in the refrigerator. Moreover, it is stored there for quite a long time. This unit is able to provide potatoes with their favorite conditions. The main thing is not to store it in a bag under any circumstances, since condensation will start the decay process in a matter of days. You need to put dry tubers in paper bag and send to the freshness zone.
Ideal storage conditions
The optimum temperature is + 5-6 ° C with a humidity of 80%. The potatoes should be in the darkest place, otherwise they will start to sprout and solanine will accumulate in them.
If the temperature in your refrigerator is below + 5 ° C, then it is strongly not recommended to store potatoes there. Low temperatures convert the starch in the potatoes into sugar, and the tubers begin to turn green. When cooked, this sugar comes into contact with the amino acid asparagine, resulting in the formation of acrylamide, which is not a very useful carcinogen for the body.
Is it possible to freeze potatoes in the freezer for storage
Store raw potatoes in freezer it is forbidden. But still there is a way to freeze it, albeit in a boiled form until half cooked. This requires:
- wash and peel potatoes;
- cut into strips, like on French fries, or grate on the largest grater;
- we send the workpiece to a colander and rinse thoroughly in cold water to transparency in order to get rid of starch as much as possible;
- lower the colander in boiling water for 3 minutes, and then move it into ice water for 3 minutes;
- let it drain thoroughly and move it onto a paper towel;
- put dried potatoes in portioned bags or disposable trays;
- we send it to the freezer for storage.
It is very important to pack it in portions, since you cannot re-freeze the potatoes. No need to defrost before cooking.
Storing potatoes on the balcony in winter
When there is no cellar or basement, and there are a lot of potatoes, then the best storage place will be a balcony or loggia. If the temperature on your balcony drops below the set (+ 5 ° C), then you need to equip the insulated boxes yourself. The bottom and sides of the box must be pasted over with insulation or foam. To keep the drawer working properly and to extend the shelf life, install a second bottom and make a double lid, and also do not forget to make ventilation holes.
It is worth noting that under the influence of light, the potatoes in the boxes begin to turn green. To prevent this from happening, first cover the potatoes with a dark cloth.
In the pantry in the stairwell
This is not the best storage place. In general, entrances are heated quite well, at least the temperature in such storage rooms rarely drops below + 15 ° С, but this is not Better conditions... If the entrance is not heated or heated poorly, then you should get the same box as described in the previous paragraph.
Storing potatoes in a cellar or basement
Cellar and basement - the best place for storing potatoes with a maximum suitable conditions... It is there that she can easily lie and not deteriorate until spring. But for this it is necessary to prepare both the cellar itself and the harvest.
Cellar preparation
For this, it is necessary to carry out processing and disinfection. This can be done by whitewashing the walls with a solution of lime with copper sulfate (150 g of table salt, 1 kg of copper sulfate, 2 kg of slaked lime per 10 liters of water).
- This solution must be applied to the entire room twice with an interval of one week.
- Then you need to thoroughly ventilate the room, first check the health of the ventilation system.
- The boxes for storing vegetables must be taken out in the sun, dried well and treated with a strong solution of potassium permanganate.
Preparing potatoes
Before laying in a cellar, harvest or purchased vegetables, you must carefully sort out and put aside spoiled tubers with defects. Then dry on fresh air(a few hours in the sun, and then in the shade in a well-ventilated place), sort the tubers by size.
We send to the cellar
Prepared and sorted potatoes are lowered into the cellar and stored in boxes, bags and nets.
You should also remember:
- boxes must be taken with slots (preferably at least 3 cm) for good ventilation;
- they should not be on the floor, but on a hill (at least 20 cm);
- the box must be located at a distance from the wall (at least 30 cm) and from the ceiling (at least 60 cm).
Potatoes in boxes can be stored in bulk or in special nylon nets for vegetables. But the bags should only be made of burlap and cannot be tied. White nylon bags, the so-called "sugar", are categorically unsuitable.
Many people put potatoes in a special compartment with an earthen floor. But in this way the vegetable will lie much less, since it will not be possible to completely disinfect the ground. Though this way it is massively used in villages because of its simplicity.
Popular wisdom knows many secrets that will help to maximize the shelf life:
- sprinkle the tubers with leaves of mountain ash, snowy or bitter wormwood;
- put spruce or pine branches on top of the vegetable;
- put onion peels in boxes;
- mint or a cut apple will protect the crop from germination;
- crushed garlic will save from rot (sprinkle 100 grams of garlic per 100 kg of potatoes evenly on the tubers).
Industrial storage
Storage standards should be guided by GOSTs, depending on the further purpose and variety of potatoes. The vegetable must meet Sanitary Regulations and Norms - it does not contain radionuclides, toxic compounds, nitrates and pesticides.
According to GOST 28372-93: the optimum storage temperature is 3-6 ° C, the relative humidity is 85-95%. If the potatoes are intended for further processing for food, then it is recommended to increase this temperature in the range of 7-10 ° C, depending on the variety.
For maximum safety, transportation should be carried out in open vehicles equipped with protective equipment from precipitation and low temperatures (tents).
The harvested crop is a source of pride for the gardener and instills confidence in the future, but this result of many months of efforts can be easily ruined if not done correctly.
Let's figure out how to properly store potatoes.
Timing of harvesting potatoes for winter storage
As you know, they begin to dig out the harvest already in June-July, however, young tubers do not tolerate a long period, since they have not yet acquired a sufficiently thick peel. The timing of the final harvest of the "second bread" depends on the weather and on the particular variety, but usually around the beginning of autumn.
It is considered that you can dig when its tops dries up. Gardeners usually carry out a control digging of tubers, and focusing on their condition, weather (it is better to dig on a fine day) and their own experience, determine the date of harvest. 
Did you know? La Bonnotte is considered the most expensive in the world. This variety is grown on the small French island of Noirmoutier, located near the Atlantic coast. The cost of a local delicacy is about 500 euros per kilogram, the size of the crop is no more than 100 tons. The tubers are very delicate, sweetish in taste, with a nutty flavor, and have a lemon aroma.
Preparing potatoes for storage
Before bookmarking on harvested crop must be dried. If the days are clear, and the garden is sandy, then the tubers can be dried right in the garden, taking them to one place. The process will take several hours, in fact, it is extracted from the sandy soil already dry and clean enough.
Much more often they are dried under a canopy or inside some kind of outbuilding - this guarantees the protection of the crop from the vagaries of the weather. One or two days is enough for the adhering earth to crumble from the tubers and their peel to dry out. 
Did you know? In the rainforests, the Solanum wrightii Benth potato tree can be found, which reaches a height of 15 meters. True, this plant has no tubers.
After drying, they are placed for a couple of weeks in a dark room - in bulk (no more than half a meter layer) or in bags. During this time, the peel of the potatoes will thicken, and in addition, they will appear. After such a quarantine period, the tubers are sorted out, removing both diseased and mechanically damaged specimens, after which the crop is ready to be stored in winter.
Storage conditions for potatoes
To store properly, it is very important to observe temperature regime... The optimum temperature is + 3-5 ° C, while the decisive factor is the stability of this temperature during the entire storage period. With more high temperature, tubers sprout over time, put down roots and become unsuitable for eating, and frozen potatoes taste sweet due to the formation of starch and sugar in them.
The storage room itself should be dark, isolated from, with a constant temperature and. The floor of the storage is covered with sand - it absorbs moisture well. Other moisture-absorbing floor materials are acceptable. It is strongly not recommended to cover the bottom of the storage with linoleum, slate, cement it- all this leads to the accumulation of moisture and the growth of the fungus. 
Important! Long-term natural or artificial lighting leads to the formation of a poisonous substance solanine in potato tubers. Outwardly, this manifests itself as greening of the tubers.
Storage types in different storages
The tubers are stored both in bulk, in a continuous layer, and in bags or in boxes. It is much more convenient to store potatoes in a container than in bulk. If it is decided to store potato tubers in boxes, then the boxes in the storage should be located so that air circulates freely between them. The boxes can be installed to the full height of the room. When stored in bags and in bulk, the height of the potato layer is set based on the size of the tubers, as well as taking into account the ventilation conditions. they are poured to a height of up to 1.7 m, food up to 2.2 m. It is necessary to load it into the storage carefully, trying not to damage the tubers, which can lead to their rotting and spoilage in the future.
In the pit
This is a rather archaic way of storing crops, but, nevertheless, it is still quite often practiced, for example, in summer cottages. However, everyday access to potatoes stored in this way is rather difficult. Let's figure out how to store it in a pit. 
The storage pit is equipped as follows: in the garden or in another convenient place, you need to dig a hole about 2 m in diameter and 1.5 m in depth. The bottom of this pit should be covered with dry straw, no more than 30-40 cm. Then it is poured into this storage, but not to the top, you need to leave about 40 cm for the top layer of straw. After laying the top layer of straw, the pit is tightly closed from above with a board and covered with earth with a layer of up to 80 cm. It is advisable to make ventilation holes in the pit, although this is not necessary.
On the balcony
If there is nowhere to store other than in your apartment, then some suitable place for this there is a balcony, if, of course, this balcony is numb and closed. In this case, tubers are best preserved in boxes.
Storage in a drawer offers two options: in the first case, you can use the standard wooden box for vegetables, in the second, a whole container is used, in which the desired temperature is artificially created.Storage in ordinary boxes does not include any additional devices and procedures. It is simply placed in the boxes and covered with rags on top. Such storage can easily withstand frosts down to -10 ° С. In temperate climates and closed balcony, potatoes can also be stored in bags, placing oilcloth under them so as not to carry dirt, and covering the bags with rags. 
For a more severe climate, the second option is preferable. This requires two boxes made of board, plywood or lining. They should be nested in each other like a nesting doll. The smaller box is used directly as a storage chamber for tubers. A larger box is used as a thermal insulation chamber.
There must be a gap of at least 5 centimeters between the walls and the bottom of the boxes, which is filled with foam. This container should be closed with an insulated lid. Outer part this design is upholstered with linoleum or any other moisture-resistant material, for example, plastic or galvanized iron.
And the last thing: to maintain a constant temperature in the storage, as heating elements install two bulbs for 15-25 watts. They are turned on only when there is a strong cold snap, and they should be darkened with something opaque. A similar container can be installed on an open balcony.
It is believed that it is best to store potatoes - this method is known as one of the most effective. To prepare the cellar for receiving the harvest, you must first of all clear it of debris. It is advisable to disinfect the room by whitewashing it: two kilograms of slaked lime and 200 grams are added to ten liters of water, all this should be thoroughly mixed and the walls and ceiling should be whitewashed with the resulting solution.
Important! If disinfection is not carried out, the stored crop can become a victim of potato, the larvae of which infect the tubers. In addition, the risk of fungal diseases in potatoes will increase significantly.
After about a week, when the whitewash is completely dry, you need to check the hoods and fix all problems, if any. Next, the very place for storing potatoes is equipped. These can be either racks for boxes, or shelves for bags that do not touch the floor and walls, or are made from bin boards. The sides of this structure should also not touch the floor and walls. There should be a gap between the boards to improve ventilation. The bottom should be sprinkled with sand or covered with straw. 
In the basement
Potatoes are stored in the basement in much the same way as in. For better preservation of tubers, exactly the same whitewashing is required. But, since the designs of the basements are different from, you should follow how optimal humidity at 70-80%, and at a temperature of + 3-5 ° C. It is also necessary to protect the stored crop from any light, because its prolonged exposure leads to the release of solanine in potato tubers, which makes them green.
Types of containers for storing potatoes
Harvested potatoes can be stored in bulk, but containers are often used for storage. The most well-known type of container is the bag, plain or mesh. The latter type is preferable as it provides better ventilation.
Boxes, both wooden and plastic, are widely used for storage. These boxes usually hold about 10 kg of potatoes. Wooden ones are made of planks, on the walls and bottom there are slots for better ventilation and visual control over the storage item. Have plastic boxes the walls and bottom are made of mesh for the same purposes. Sometimes, if available in storage, boxes made of double metal mesh are used. 
In addition to boxes, larger containers are also used for storage, made from the same wooden planks. They can be rectangular or angular. In rectangular containers, a door is often provided at the bottom for easy removal of the potatoes stored there.
Modern technologies have not spared such a trivial area as potato storage. Currently, for these purposes, consumers are offered a kind of mini-cellars, called thermal containers or ovens. Such devices operate from the mains, they maintain a certain temperature, which the user can regulate.
The capacity of such a mini-cellar is usually 200-300 liters. They can be rigid and flexible, made of special fabric. Flexible is good because summer period just fold in and out of sight until autumn.
Basic rules for storing potatoes
To guarantee the preservation of the potato crop, it is necessary to adhere to some rules. As stated above, the harvested tubers must be dried and sorted, and the storage must meet certain criteria. It is more practical to store tubers in containers of 10-15 kg, where for better preservation of the crop, you can lay out a layer of beets
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People say that everything is simple with potatoes: if they don't eat it in winter, they will plant it in spring. It makes you smile, but you must agree: it is not at all easy to make it so that there is something to eat in winter and plant in spring.
It's great if you were born. Only any good owner knows: before full of joy- oh, how far, now I would save everything without loss! And this is a whole science ... Success depends on many components: on the choice of a variety with good characteristics shelf life until strict adherence to all storage rules. Therefore, today we will have to consider in detail all the subtleties of the most important process - storing the potato crop.
What varieties of potatoes to choose for storage
In principle, all varieties of potatoes are subject to storage, but the terms, of course, will be different. For a month or two, you can store even mid-early and mid-season varieties:- "Aurora";
- Rocco;
- Peter's Riddle;
- "Ketsky";
- "Pyrol";
- "Hostess" and others.
But if you intend to store potatoes until spring, it is best to lay in cellars. mid-late and late maturing varieties:
- "Gatchinsky";
- "Zhuravinka";
- "Zdabytak";
- "Saturn";
- Atlant;
- "Asterix";
- "Gull";
- Bernadette;
- "Yavir";
- "Kolobok";
- "Blue";
- "Slav";
- Folva and so on.
But you win anyway if you plant different varieties potatoes - then the chances of a high percentage of preservation will be much greater)
Influence of growing conditions on keeping quality
The keeping quality of tubers depends very much on the conditions that accompanied the cultivation of potatoes:- cold and rainy summers are bound to lead to increased storage losses. It has been practically established: if during the growing season the soil moisture has increased from 55% to 85%, keeping quality can deteriorate almost twofold;
- potatoes grown in light sandy loam soils will keep better than potatoes from loamy lowlands;
- the fertilizers with which it was fed during the growing period will have a rather significant effect on the storage of potatoes. Tubers that have received excess nitrogen contain more sugars, which means they are more easily affected by diseases and are stored worse. Root crops that are deficient in potassium will also be stored worse;
- damage by late blight strongly affects the storage quality of tubers. Therefore, the tops of even those with minor signs of disease must be removed before digging the potatoes in order to prevent infection from entering the tubers.
All of the above nuances must be taken into account when predicting the keeping quality of tubers and the safety of the crop. In addition, 6-10 days before harvesting summer plantings of potatoes, it is recommended to mow the green tops so that a coarser skin forms on the tubers, which will increase their resistance to mechanical damage during all subsequent activities.
Sorting tubers
Before lowering potatoes into a cellar or basement for long-term storage, they must be reviewed and carefully sorted. Why do this? You have to understand: if we put damaged, low-quality products into storage, they will not get better over time, and the result will be disappointing. The shelf life and the percentage of safety of the entire crop completely depend on the quality of the tubers.
Sorting starts with picking tubers for planting... Seed potatoes need to be greened in the sun for several days - this will make them more stable in storage and unattractive to rodents.
Potato " for food"must also be sorted by shelf life:
- on the average term the largest tubers are selected. They can lie until about the middle of winter, then voids often form in them, and the taste deteriorates significantly;
- for a long time tubers are medium in size, without damage, well ripened and well dried .;
- "not now" , that is, tubers cut and injured by pests, trifles and with signs of diseases will be the first to cook food.
All tubers sent for storage must be:
- whole;
- dry;
- mature, with a dense skin;
- no sprouts;
- healthy;
- clean.
Tubers should not get into long-term storage:
- crushed;
- affected by rot and late blight;
- with foreign odors (from Wastewater or the use of pesticides).
How to keep potatoes from the garden and ... until spring
The entire storage period for potatoes includes four important stages:- medical;
- cooling period;
- basic;
- spring.
The healing period
The tasks of this period are drying, ripening and healing mechanical damage that the tubers received during digging and transportation. How to organize this?1. After digging up the potatoes, it is recommended to leave the tubers in place of digging for 1-2 hours for drying. It is impractical to keep them on the field (garden) longer - in sunny weather peel can get sunburn, which will adversely affect subsequent storage.
2. After the "sun-air bath", the tubers must be transferred under a shed. For the next two weeks, the potatoes will "build up" their protective properties.
Everyone knows that microorganisms enter tubers through damaged integumentary tissues (skin). Therefore, it is extremely important that all the wounds that have been inflicted on the root vegetables are healed. During this period, the potatoes "breathe" very intensively, actively releasing heat and moisture, which contributes to the rapid healing of injuries. Everyone has probably observed how quickly the cuts on the freshly dug tubers dry up, forming a dry skin.
Healing takes place most intensively at an air temperature of +13 ... + 18 ºС and high humidity (90-95%). The lower the air temperature, the longer the healing process takes, and the longer itself treatment period... At +10 ... + 13 ºС, the treatment period is extended to three weeks.
Cooling period
According to all storage rules, after the healing stage, it is necessary to gradually lower the temperature in which the tubers are located, from +13 ... + 18 ºС to + 2 ... + 4 ºС. V ideal option the daily temperature drop is 0.5 ºC. In fact, this period usually takes 10-15 days.
If in the conditions of a large potato storage the temperature regime can be maintained with an accuracy of a degree, then in summer cottage conditions they will help us natural conditions: in 2 weeks (albeit without observing the prescribed schedule)), almost certainly by themselves will lead to a decrease in temperatures - autumn is in the yard :)
When the required +2 ... + 4 ° C is reached, all biochemical and physiological processes freeze inside the tubers - everything, potatoes to long-term storage ready!
In the next video - practice tips for preparing potatoes for storage.
It is important! From the moment the potatoes are dug up to the time they are stored in basement tubers should not be soaked. They do not need to be washed, they should be protected from rain and dew. The entire post-harvest period, including healing and gradual cooling, usually takes from a month to one and a half (depending on the condition of the tubers and weather conditions).
It is very important not to neglect this step. High-quality healing of wounds and the possibility of culling tubers with signs of disease that have appeared during this time will significantly increase the percentage of safety of your crop!
Main period
In winter, the tubers enter a state of deep dormancy. As a rule, it lasts until February-March, and at this time it is necessary to provide the potatoes with the most correct preservation regime. It is based on illumination, temperature and humidity.Illumination
The room for storing potatoes must be necessarily dark - in the light, solanine begins to be produced in the tubers, and they become unsuitable for human consumption. In the case of a cellar or basement, this requirement is fulfilled naturally - due to their location, but when storing on balconies and loggias, this must be constantly monitored, since simple wrapping with a cloth or shading with a piece of plywood does not always give the desired effect.
Temperature
The temperature at which potatoes can be stored for as long as possible is due to the boundary when the vital activity of aggressive microorganisms that infect tubers slows down, and germination is excluded, but the eyes do not die off either. It turns out that the closer the storage temperature is to the germination temperature, the less physiological spoilage of root crops. For most varieties of our potatoes, this is a temperature fork from +2 ° C to +4 ° C. With more low temperatures potatoes deteriorate, at higher ones they begin to sprout.
Everyone knows that under the influence of negative temperatures or storage at 0 ° C, the starch contained in the tuber begins to be processed into sugar, and the potatoes become sweet and tasteless. But you should also know that the short-term action of small negative temperatures does not lead to noticeable consequences.
How to regulate the temperature
First, install in the room where the potatoes are stored, thermometer to notice temperature deviations in time.
You can lower it:
- opening basement vents (windows, vents) - then the cold winter air will cool the room;
- using plastic ice bottles.
- covering the tubers with clean bags or straw;
- if the room is small, you can spread plastic bottles with hot water on the floor;
- perform temporary ventilation with internal air, mixing the upper (warmer) layer of air with the lower one.
It is important! Research results have appeared showing that for different varieties potatoes are suitable for different storage temperatures. It was revealed that:
- varieties "Epron", "Priekulsky early", "Northern rose", "Falensky" and "Berlichingem" require a temperature of +1.5 ... + 2 ° С;
- varieties "Ogonyok", "Skorospelka", "Agrotechnical", "Loshitskiy", "Temp" and "Foran" are suitable for a temperature range from +1.5 ºС to +3 ° С;
- the varieties "Start", "Lorkh", "Razvaristy" and "Stolovy 19" are best stored at a temperature of +3 ... + 5 ° C.
The air humidity in the room where the potatoes are stored should be at the level of 85-90%. If the air is much drier, the tubers lose water and become soft and flabby. An increase in humidity stimulates the formation of sprouts, causes the appearance of droplets of moisture on the tubers and, as a result, the development of diseases and decay. In any case: the air is too dry or too humid - the shelf life of the tubers is sharply reduced. Therefore, it is in our interest to regulate the humidity.
You can increase the humidity:
- hanging in the room wet cloth or by spraying water onto dry walls from a spray bottle;
- using an electric humidifier.
- airing the room;
- placing containers with quicklime;
- using a dehumidifier;
- covering with hygroscopic material (for example, bags half filled with shavings, periodically replacing them);
- putting a layer of beets on the potatoes, which will absorb excess moisture.
Spring period
This period in the storage of potatoes begins from the moment the root crops come out of a state of deep dormancy. Have early varieties potatoes, it starts from the end of February, for the rest - from March. As soon as the potatoes began to "wake up", to prevent their sprouting, you need to start lower the temperature... To do this, open the basement vents at night (in the morning) and inject cold air until a temperature of +1.5 ... + 2.0 ° C is established in the storage.
In warm weather, when the outside air temperature is already higher than in the storage, you can lower the temperature with ice bottles.
For seed potatoes, the shelf life ends at the moment when the owners take them to a warm room for germination, and for "food" potatoes, it will last until the last kilogram moves to the kitchen.
Premises and containers for storing potatoes
At home, potatoes are usually stored cellar... If it is not there, then for this purpose it is quite suitable basement or underground, lumber room, unheated a dark room or pantry... In any case, the room must be prepared for storing potatoes:- for that it's good dry and disinfect... For disinfection, a concentrated solution of lime, milk of lime or a solution of lime with copper sulfate is usually used (often basements are fumigated with sulfur. In this case, prolonged ventilation is carried out);
- also clean and disinfect shelves, stairs, vents and hoods. Wooden boxes and shields need to be processed twice (or even three times) strong solution of potassium permanganate followed by drying in the open air;
- if there is no storage room hoods or vents, it is advisable to organize it, because it helps to remove excess moisture and improves air exchange;
- cellar (basement) must have good thermal insulation to protect the crop from hypothermia in winter period and from higher temperatures in other seasons. For external insulation you can use polystyrene, and for internal waterproofing use hot bitumen or roofing felt (or modern polyethylene materials).
Storage in trench, pit and snow
Potato storage is also practiced outdoors - in pits, trenches and snowing. In trenches, starting from a meter deep, potatoes are laid out in layers; each row of tubers is covered with a 3 cm layer of moist soil up to 20 cm above the soil surface.
As it gets colder, the thickness of the shelter increases due to layers of straw and earth, reaching a height of 1 meter. So the potato hibernates in the ground. If snowing is used, the potatoes are in a snow cover from March to the end of June - this way they extend the storage of last year's harvest.
Balcony storage
In urban settings, people keep potatoes on balconies (loggias). For these purposes, boxes are used, insulated on the outside with foam, and from the inside lined with organoplastic or clapboard (or any other materials with waterproofing properties).
By adding an exhaust pipe and conducting "heating" in the form of a blue 40 watt bulb, our craftsmen get an apartment potato storage with very decent performance))
Potato storage methods
Store potatoes in the following ways :- in bulk;
- in containers;
- in boxes;
- in bags or nets.
In bulk- the most ancient way. Small quantities of potatoes can be stored this way. When tubers are piled in several layers, one or two foci of rot is enough to quickly nullify the entire crop.
Storage in bags used very often. It is convenient: bags can be placed on shelves or on top of each other; the tubers are separated by rather small "portions"; there is a significant surface for air exchange. The best bags for potatoes are from natural materials, with a rare fabric, good breathability. Recently, they are increasingly being replaced by nets.
Storage in boxes for summer cottages will be, perhaps, the most in a suitable way... It is believed that it is best to use boxes made of conifers wood, as inhibiting the development of fungi and bacteria, but also plastic container enjoys success with summer residents.
- help to preserve potatoes longer plants that secrete phytoncides... Tubers can be shifted with fresh rowan leaves, pine or spruce branches;
- very good results in protection against rot is obtained by mixing tubers with dry plants wormwood and ordinary dreams;
- tubers can also protect from rot elder and fern, they need to be put in bags or boxes with potatoes;
- potatoes will keep better if they are shifted onion peel(it is advised to pour it into all boxes with potatoes);
- mint delays the germination of potatoes. She can simply shift the tubers;
- ginger root and the potatoes will help to preserve longer, and he himself will feel much better next to him;
- half an apple, put in a box with tubers in spring, it will prevent the germination of potatoes by absorbing moisture;
- so that the potatoes do not rot, they need to be poured crushed garlic: for 100 kg of potatoes, 100 g of garlic is enough;
- at room temperature (in an apartment), you can perfectly save potatoes for 2-3 weeks by placing up to 30 kg of tubers in a plastic bag and tying it tightly;
- you can read about the main mistakes that are made when storing potatoes in a special article.