Last year, my crawlspace failed as storage, many potatoes started to mold and rot, fast. I still have survivors in a drawer in my fridge! DH hates that.
Googled how to store them, yet again, and I really don't understand how a regular person in a modern house can create all of these temperatures and humidities for spuds and still live in the same building!
So! I've left them in their 30 gallon grow bags where they grew all season, a bit afraid of them rotting on me again. I love potatoes, I don't want to loose so many again.
I just woke up to the thought of leaving them in there unless needed. Would that even work?!? Could I harvest all winter from the dirt bags?
I can't ask on FB, as groups have gone to heck in an express delivery box and everyone is useless, clueless and nasty. I hate it there.
Since they need humidity, should they stay out in the open as they are? I'd guess that I can't move them under my porch to dry, or can I? I'm worried rain and snow will rot them, as Va winter weather is absurd and unreliable at best. If I move the bags, should I wrap the sides in plastic to hold humidity? I'd move them once dirt has dried, so the plastic wouldn't be holding sopping wet dirt. Is there issues with them going through freeze and thaw cycles? Should I insulate the area from excessive wind? Last year, it got down to 4F. A lot of trees and shrubs died to the roots or completely, a lot of tip damage on mature trees all across the state, too. It was weird to see one foot of death on evergreens all around the plant.
If I can keep them in bags outside, should I harvest them all up and redistribute them more neatly and evenly in one bag of dirt vs the three they're in now? It'd be the same dirt, just cleaned up of any rotting spuds, weeds and whatnot.
Please help!
Googled how to store them, yet again, and I really don't understand how a regular person in a modern house can create all of these temperatures and humidities for spuds and still live in the same building!
So! I've left them in their 30 gallon grow bags where they grew all season, a bit afraid of them rotting on me again. I love potatoes, I don't want to loose so many again.
I just woke up to the thought of leaving them in there unless needed. Would that even work?!? Could I harvest all winter from the dirt bags?
I can't ask on FB, as groups have gone to heck in an express delivery box and everyone is useless, clueless and nasty. I hate it there.
Since they need humidity, should they stay out in the open as they are? I'd guess that I can't move them under my porch to dry, or can I? I'm worried rain and snow will rot them, as Va winter weather is absurd and unreliable at best. If I move the bags, should I wrap the sides in plastic to hold humidity? I'd move them once dirt has dried, so the plastic wouldn't be holding sopping wet dirt. Is there issues with them going through freeze and thaw cycles? Should I insulate the area from excessive wind? Last year, it got down to 4F. A lot of trees and shrubs died to the roots or completely, a lot of tip damage on mature trees all across the state, too. It was weird to see one foot of death on evergreens all around the plant.
If I can keep them in bags outside, should I harvest them all up and redistribute them more neatly and evenly in one bag of dirt vs the three they're in now? It'd be the same dirt, just cleaned up of any rotting spuds, weeds and whatnot.
Please help!
