How to store potatoes in the apartment and in the house

Experienced gardeners are sure , for proper storage of vegetables, it is necessary to strictly observe the temperature and humidity in the place of intended storage. It is because of the correct observance of the conditions that many gardeners manage to preserve the crop for a sufficiently long period of time, and some people even boast of a perfectly preserved crop in late spring.If you have your own plot with vegetable planting, then every gardener needs to know how to store potatoes in the apartment. Potato vegetable is finicky, especially when stored for a long period, so the storage of your potatoes at home should be carried out according to all requirements in compliance with the recommended temperature.

Storage of potatoes in the apartment and in the house

Where can I store potatoes in the apartment?

Where and how to store potatoes in the apartment correctly so that it does not germinate and retain its useful properties and presentation for the whole year? Each house and kitchen has its own special place where potatoes will be well stored. Potatoes can be stored at home, in the basement of an apartment building, in a garage, in a summer cottage, on the balcony of an apartment or in the corridor vestibule. The potato fruits are most sensitive to low and high temperatures.

At minus temperatures, tubers freeze instantly, while at an elevated temperature, in a short period of time, rotting processes begin or sprouts appear, after which the shelf life is significantly reduced. These are not the only negative consequences of improper storage. Drying of the fruits or their greening may also be observed. To avoid the above problems, it is necessary to create and maintain favorable, comfortable conditions for preserving the keeping quality of vegetables in winter.

Storage in a summer cellar

The advantage of the cellar is that it can constantly maintain the recommended temperature, in the range of about 3-5 degrees, regardless of whether the window is hot summer or cold winter.

Preparation of the cellar

• Every year, before lowering the vegetables, with a two-time repetition and an interval of 8-12 days, it is necessary to process the premises of the races 150 ml of table salt, slaked lime 2 kg, sulphate 1 kg and water 10 l.
• Before you leave the vegetables for storage, you need to install a ventilation system.
• The more often you ventilate the cellar, the better it affects the vegetables.

Before you remove the potatoes into the cellar, a prerequisite is to sort the tubers. It is necessary to remove damaged fruits, as well as tubers with sores. A disease that has struck such fruits can also absorb healthy tubers and ultimately the entire crop will die. Before starting storage, tubers should dry in a well-ventilated place, preferably outdoors, but most importantly in the shade. Following the above rules, potato tubers will not rot in the cellar.

Under no circumstances and in any case, you should not leave the potatoes in the cellar in bags. Storage can only be done in wooden crates, with wide slots, for natural air circulation. Pre-treat the boxes with potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) to kill small parasites and pathogens, and then dry them.

It is important what material the floor in the cellar is covered with. For this purpose, it is best to use boards or beams, if there is neither one nor the other, then sawdust is perfect. Potatoes are laid in a low layer, up to 1.5 m in the cellar, wrapped in burlap. Avoid direct sunlight on the fruit if you keep the cellar open.When light sources get on the potato tubers, the natural process of photosynthesis starts, thereby causing the harmful poison solanin. Therefore, sorting out the crop, you also need to harvest green fruits, because it is strictly forbidden to eat them.

Storage in the vestibule

The tambour will provide good vegetable keeping quality

How to store potatoes in the porch of the porch? People whose childhood was spent in communal apartments remember very well those very huge wooden boxes along long corridors, locked on heavy barn locks. This is how many people left the whole harvest all winter.

Pros of storing tubers in the vestibule

• It is always cool in the corridor (entrance) due to drafts from open windows, but nevertheless, the temperature in the vestibule in front of the apartment is much higher than on the street. Thus, the ideal temperature is achieved for the preservation and good keeping quality of vegetables.
• Food supplies are nearby, there is no need to go or go anywhere, which is very convenient for a modern person.
• No special equipment is required and appliances.

Cons of vestibule storage

• The weather on the street often changes and as a result, there are constant temperature changes in the entrance, and this is how known, can lead to spoilage of fruits, the beginning of rotting or drying out.
• For storing the entire season, this method is only suitable in case of a good variety and a successful harvest. When the potatoes are dug up, the tubers go into a state of physiological rest, this period lasts about 80 days and the tubers are not able to germinate even at a temperature of 19 degrees. But after this period of time, even if all the conditions are met, by the middle of March, and sometimes already in the middle of February, seedlings appear.
• This method also has one more peculiarity: smell distribution, not everyone will like it, they can problems with your neighbors or your property may appeal to unclean people.

Storage on the balcony

One of the best equipment for storing tubers on the balcony are wooden crates. They are not expensive, you can make it yourself, the tree has low heat conductivity. The right question arises: how does this storage method differ from the storage method in the cellar? The main difference in the design of the drawers themselves, the drawers on the balcony need to be knocked together so that there are no gaps or gaps between the racks. Also, for insulation (if the balcony is not insulated and does not have glass), you can use polystyrene or even an old unnecessary blanket. You can also use a straw layer to protect against moisture.

Advantages of this method

Potatoes can be stored until mid-spring

• Regardless of the time of year, a constant temperature is maintained that is optimal for the preservation of vegetable fruits.
• It is easy to control and maintain humidity.
• With this method, tubers are likely to lie not only all winter, but also most of spring.

The negative sides of storing tubers on the balcony

• Night frosts can reach -30 degrees, in this case, the fruit may freeze and begin to rot. If the temperature, on the contrary, is too warm, the taste of the tubers will be lost.
• In the absence of ventilation, there is a high probability that the fruits may begin to rot.

For better preservation of fruits on the balcony, direct sunlight should be prevented from entering vegetables. Many gardeners give many tips to increase the shelf life of fruits on the balcony. Experienced gardeners are advised to add to the boxes with tubers, brooms of wormwood or elderberry, onion peel, pour ash, chalk or put mint leaves in the boxes. If you apply some tricks, then the favorable period of keeping fruits on the balcony will last until spring.

Storage in the refrigerator

People are used to storing all products in the refrigerator or in freezers, which can be better, because it is so convenient and familiar.

Positive aspects

• Stable, in manual mode you can maintain temperature and humidity.
• No additional equipment and disinfection is required.
• Due to natural processes, potatoes that have been stored in the refrigerator for a long time acquire a sweetish taste. This is because starch begins to turn into sugar.

Cons of storing potatoes in the refrigerator

• Only a very small amount can be saved, so how the volume of the refrigerator is very limited.
• There is also no general opinion on what exactly to store potatoes in a plastic bag or in mesh bags. Many people store tubers in paper bags, but all these types of packages incur additional costs.
• Fruits can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 10-12 days.

Storage in the apartment

This method is one of the most unreliable. But despite its insecurity, most gardeners store potatoes in the apartment. The apartment is not suitable for storage because it is constantly at a high temperature for the crop, equal to almost tropical conditions.Therefore, the maximum time that a vegetable can lie in such conditions is 14 days, and then the crop will begin to rot and dry, after which it will become unsuitable for cooking.

Varieties that lead in storage duration

How long the fruits can maintain their appearance and useful qualities depends on the variety and tubers.Of course, leaving tubers throughout the winter is recommended only in the middle and late grades.

• Asterix
• Volat
• Bernadette
• Dolphin
• Zdabytak

No matter how long the fruit remains, this fact does not guarantee that the tubers will lie at least until the middle of the end of April. In addition to the good keeping quality of the variety, it is necessary to provide the fruits with proper conditions and, if possible, place the entire crop not in one place, but in different ones. You can do this: leave one part of the crop in the cellar, and the other part on the balcony. In this case, the probability of preserving the harvest in winter will be much higher.  Continuation of the article …