Potato storage failure :( open to ideas

catjac1975

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Last years potato harvest has been severely decimated by storage failure. I'm so disappointed!

I was confident in the main storage box that I've used for several years successfully, and less confident in the two new 32/40? gallon trashcans
that I needed for the extra room.

My main storage is a double walled plastic tool type box, like the type that goes in a pickup, and can hold about 300# of potatoes. It has 2" insulation everywhere but the lid. I store my spuds by size and variety in cardboard boxes and paper grocery bags inside. Then I cover all of that with fat sheets of newspaper, close the lid and layer with more 2"foam board insulation and a thick packing blanket over all. It has worked beautifully until this year.

The two trashcans were insulated with 2 layers of cardboard and then bubble wrap, and the potatoes were stored in paper bags until I ran out, then I used plastic grocery bags.

The plastic bags were the first big mistake. After the first bout of zero degree weather I had some frozen potatoes mixed in the bags. (And that was a weird thing too, because the potatoes seemed to be frozen randomly, with no pattern as to size of potato or location in the bag.)

I used the potatoes in the cans, having to discard at least half of spuds in the second one.

Monday I opened my main box with fear and trepidation and discovered the same sad scene.
Mushy, soft potatoes, and many that were sporting big moldy patches. :eek:

I salvaged about 60 to 70 pounds out of that one.

So, in the cans I think poor insulation, and plastic bagging led to the rot.

In the main box, freezing probably had some effect, but I think it was mostly too much humidity in there.
In past years I would have been opening that box up about once a week to get the weeks potatoes for the kitchen, so there was at least some air exchange, and I was also on the lookout for any spoiling. This year it stayed closed up once the freezing weather started.

I was wondering if this year, along with better insulation of course, if I layered the potatoes with peat or shavings if that would help.

(I just said if three times in one sentence! :rolleyes:)

Do you guys have any ideas? What do you who live in freezing climates use?
You have them in cans but where do you keep the cans? I had failure too but I think we dug them too late and they were already slightly cold damaged. I use trash cans and layers of hay and they are place in the old part of the house with a dirt floor. It does not freeze there but it is very cool.The potatoes release a lot of moisture over the winter and the hay gets moldy but the potatoes have always kept well. (Well, not this year.) I would not be able to keep them in a garage or shed. They would freeze. And the plastic bags would hasten the rot.
 

thistlebloom

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..."since it's Idaho"... you mean I have to speak Spudese Steve?

Well I guess I'll just have to ask ol' Butch to pass an inquiry along to her then won't I? You know me and Butch, we're like that. holding up two fingers real close Yeah, he's always bugging me with important diplomatic questions....

Back to reality!:D

To clarify the problem, I have an unheated, only partially insulated garage. The insulated part does me no good since it's on the adjoining wall to the house and partially on the ceiling.

The trash cans were brand new, so no pathogens there. Potatoes are just amazingly fluid, and give off a lot of moisture, so I think plastic is not their friend.
 

thistlebloom

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Cat, you and I were typing at the same time! Yes, plastic bags were about the worst idea I've had. Definitely won't repeat that one!

The potatoes should have been cured long enough. The vines had died a week or so before I dug them, and they spent a few weeks in open storage in the garage before I tucked them in for the winter.

My thought on the peat was that some air would still be available, but peat is rather hydrophobic when dry so hopefully wouldn't sponge up a lot of moisture and hold it by the spuds. ??
 

thistlebloom

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Thistle, sorry for your loss after all that hard work. How long will the potatoes that were good last you?

Mary

Hopefully to May. I was looking forward to having enough of my own to plant out. I haven't ordered any this year, and it's getting late. I guess if I have to I'll buy seed potatoes at the garden center, even though all they ever have are boring varieties. :(
 

Jared77

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We all agree the bags hastened things, but I'm wondering if your normal opening of the bins that didn't happen last year played a part too. I picture it as "burping" the moist air out of there when you open the bin regularly.

Even still you have a structure in the garbage can with a very narrow surface area compared to the total volume it holds. Meaning even if you open the lid your not going to get great air exchange because the mouth of the garbage can is the only open area even if you open it regularly.

I think that's part of why your other bin works because it had much more surface area to allow moisture to escape. So even if it wasn't a bitter cold winter you may still have heavy losses.

I could be way off the mark on this and please don't take what I say as gospel. I'm just thinking out loud and tossing out what I'm thinking here for others to kick around.

I'm really sorry for your losses it's tough when you put all that work in only to lose it all later.
 

buckabucka

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Are you certain your plants were not affected by blight? It will travel down the plants, and while the potatoes look fine, they turn to liquid in storage.
Our potatoes are kept in paper bags in the basement, which has worked well. I did bury a barrel in the ground one year, before the basement existed, but it was so long ago I don't remember how it worked out.
 

thistlebloom

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Are you certain your plants were not affected by blight? It will travel down the plants, and while the potatoes look fine, they turn to liquid in storage.
Our potatoes are kept in paper bags in the basement, which has worked well. I did bury a barrel in the ground one year, before the basement existed, but it was so long ago I don't remember how it worked out.

That's a good point Bucka.
I'm 99% certain that blight wasn't a factor. The vines were all healthy looking up to frost.
 
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