My first potatos with Pics...How to store?

[simple life]

Those look awesome! Congratualtions! I am waiting on my potatoes as we speak, some have started blossoming and the others have not. Not sure how this is going to go. Keeping my fingers crossed.
I hope mine are as successful as yours.

 

[The Mustard Seed Gardener]

well, I can see you have lots of different ideas on how to store your potatoes. If you have a cool garage or a nice cool shed...you can put them in there for the winter too!

When I mentioned that you can save the old potatoes with the eyes...I meant to tell you that when you plant next year , you just don't plant the eyes of the potato...you plant the potato too. If it has many eyes..just cut the spud in pieces and then plant that.

We had yukon gold mashed potatoes the other night! Yum and did I mention YUM!!

 

[curly_kate]

We store ours in boxes or used feed bags in the basement, trying to keep some as long as possible. Just remember not to keep them directly on the cement floor or near stored apples.

Enjoy!

It's funny you said that because I just saw one of the TV chefs say that you should put an apple in with your potatoes to keep them from getting eyes. (Literally, it was just 10 minutes ago. How weird is that??) What have you heard?

My potatoes are FINALLY ready. It has been very cool digging them up. I forgot to "hill" them, so I was worried I wouldn't get any at all. I have a feeling I still have potatoes in there that I missed, but I'm afraid to just dig in because I've already speared a few that way.

 

[DDRanch]

Oh, this is such an exciting thread. Thank you all for your encouragement and your ideas. I came here a potato virgin, and now am confident enough to do this again next year.

Carrol:
The blue do not taste any different to me than the reds, both are creamy and delicious. I planted them because I like the color next to the reds when I serve a potato dish. I took a pic for you, it looks like they are more purple on the inside with blue skins.

Simple Life:
You will be successful. I learned from this site that after blossoming (and I don't think all mine blossomed) the greenery will begin to die down. I started harvesting once the greenery was laying down....not wilted, but not brown either. The potatos grow in all directions from the stem of the plant under ground of course. Take some pics of what you have and the more experienced on this site, will be able to tell you how long before harvest.

Cheep Cheep:
I am more excited about my potatos than any other thing I am growing this year. Maybe because of the novelty for me, but they really were pretty easy......they certainly don't need the tending that many of my other fruite and vegs do. They are kinda self sufficient. I like that in my garden.

Mustard Seed:
Got it. Thank you for your ideas and clarification. Glad you mentioned that.

Ok, this potato farmer is signing off and getting back to the kitchen.

Anne

 

[janetnjim]

That is so cool April. We have grown taters in pots before with not much luck but this year we have Yukon golds in the ground. We're really lookin forward to our first harvest. The plants are jiiist startin to lay down.
That's a good tip Chris about savin the wee ones fer next seasons seeds.

Tater bunker ?!?!?!!? call me a diggin fool till i finish makin one o' those. :tools

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

we just brought in two huge buckets of taters! wheee!!! thanks for the potato bunker idea... humm.. now i know.

but i'd like to store some in the house/garage .... if i put them in a feed sack and then in metal trash can, do i put the lid on tightly or let them 'breathe'???? we have about a hundred over interested cats so i dont want them to be uncovered or become a new fun litter box......which is why they would be in a sack IN the metal can.

 

[journey11]

I took them all out. Let them sit on the ground overnight (only if it doesn't rain), and dusted them off the following evening. I then placed them in a flat layer on cardboard in the coldest part of the house and that is that. Don't wash till you use as you'd risk damaging them. Just go in and check for soft spots and toss any that start to rot.

I do something similar to this. Letting them sit out overnight helps toughen the skins. Don't wash them, you don't want to risk scratching the skin.

A basement/cellar is best (darkness, constant temp and humidity). A cool garage will work too (just bring them in if there's a chance of freezing temps). Don't store them anywhere near onions, which make them rot faster by the gases they give off. Potatoes need to breathe. I store mine in a wooden bin or milk crates. Some varieties store longer than others.

 

[simple life]

Don't store them near apples either.