How to store potatoes in winter in a private house without a cellar
For winter storage vegetables are laid in the cellar. This is an ideal place to ensure the safety of the harvest. But what if he is not there? In the article you will find information on how to keep potatoes without a cellar until spring.
The content of the article
Optimal storage conditions for potatoes
The best conditions for long-term storage of potatoes are temperature from +2 to + 4 ° С and air humidity 85-90%. The storage area should be dry and dark.
Under these conditions, the tubers will remain intact until spring, and some varieties (for example, Lyubava) and until the next harvest.
If the temperature in repository above + 4 ° С, tubers will flabby and germinate. If below the recommended level, the starch contained in the potato is converted to sugar, and the vegetable will become tasteless.
Storage methods without a cellar
How to keep potatoes without a cellar in a private house? Let's talk about several convenient and low-cost options:
- In the basement or underground of a private house. The main thing is to provide good thermal insulation so that the room does not freeze in winter and does not warm up in the warm season.
- In the pile. This is an elongated potato mound, laid in the form of a gable roof and covered with heat-insulating material.
- In a pit or trench covered with heat insulating material on top.
- At room temperature, in a dark closet or kitchen cupboard. It is advisable that the selected place be away from heating appliances. At room temperature, vegetables lie without loss for several weeks.
Preparing storage space
Careful preparation of the storage area extends the shelf life of the food.
Basement or underground
If you plan to store your potato crop in the basement or subfield of a private house, make sure that the room does not freeze in winter and does not warm up during the warmer months. Thermal insulation is done according to the principle of a thermos.
The air in the subfield must not stagnate. Air supply is provided by ventilation openings. Disinfection with sulfur bricks, lime or other preparations will help get rid of mold and bacteria in the storage.
Burt
When arranging a pile, potatoes are placed on the surface of a flat area and covered with heat-insulating material on top. There are also semi-aboveground piles, when potatoes are laid out in a pit 25-30 cm deep.The height of the embankment is 90-100 cm.
Insulate potatoes with a layer of straw (75-80 cm) and a layer on top land (up to 50 cm). To prevent rainwater from flowing into the interior, the ridge is closed with a gable gutter.
Pit
A potato storage pit is dug in a high place so that no water gets there. The depth of the pit is at least 2 m. Vegetables are laid out at the bottom of the depression in a layer of 80-10 cm. The top is covered with dry sand and earth.
When storing vegetables in pits, it is convenient to use a plastic or metal barrel. It is installed at the bottom of the pit, vegetables are laid and insulated from above.
Also suitable for insulation are polystyrene, small straw, laid in a dense layer, corn leaves and stems.
And if you use two barrels of different sizes, inserting one into the other, you get a real thermos in which the harvest is not afraid of any frosts.The space between the walls of the barrels is filled with heat-insulating material.
Attention! Barrels and boxes installed in the pit will protect the crop from mice.
Such a small cellar is also equipped in the country, in a garage or a shed, so that it is convenient to get vegetables in winter. With the arrival of frost, the storage is additionally insulated from above with leaves, peat, sawdust.
Trench
A crop storage trench is a ditch up to 0.5 m deep, dug in a dry place. Potatoes are placed in such storage in dry weather. The trench is insulated in the same way as a pit, with several layers (straw, sawdust, peat and earth).
Council. Insulate the trench on top with fir branches. This will scare away rodents.
And the pile, and the pit, and the trench are arranged on a hill so that the place is not flooded with water. In winter, holes and trenches are additionally covered with a thick layer of snow.
Where and how to store at room temperature in the house
In the house, containers with potatoes are placed in the coolest places: under the windows, at the door in the hallway, in the pantry.
Fresh leaves of mountain ash or wormwood will help protect the vegetable from fungi and bacteria that cause rot. They transfer tubers in a bag. For every 50 kg of potatoes, about 1 kg of foliage is used.
Dry mint leaves help to restrain the sprouting of tubers. They are poured in layers 1-2 cm thick at the bottom of the bag, in the middle and on top of the tubers.
Potatoes stored at home are periodically inspected and sorted. Vegetables with foci of rot are removed, and those that have come into contact with rotten ones are eaten first.
Preparing potatoes for storage
The preparation process starts with washing (if you want to lay washed vegetables for the winter). This allows all potatoes with signs of disease and damage to be detected.
Important! If you decide to store washed potatoes, pay special attention to thoroughly drying the tubers after washing.
After washing or cleaning from lumps of adhering dirt, all potatoes are sorted into small, medium and large. Medium potatoes last longest. Small and large ones are stored worse. Instances with damage are put separately, they should not get into storage.
Tubers intended for planting in spring are put in a separate container.
The washed, sorted and inspected vegetables are laid out to dry in the shade or partial shade for several hours. From time to time the potatoes are turned over.
Storage container
After drying, the tubers are placed in a container for storage:
- linen bags (it is better not to use polypropylene bags, as they do not breathe);
- cardboard boxes with holes for ventilation;
- wooden boxes;
- special boxes for vegetables.
The filled container is placed in a cool place for several days to cool. After this, the crop is transferred to a prepared storage.
Storage advice
The recommendations of experienced gardeners will help to preserve the harvest until spring without loss.
Variety selection
Only late and mid-season varieties are laid for long-term storage. Early ripe potatoes are not suitable for winter storage. Even with optimal conditions, it will last no more than 2-3 months after digging up.
The growth period of medium and late maturing varieties is from 90 to 140 days. They contain the maximum amount of carbohydrates and nutrients.
Among the popular late varieties, Picasso (Dutch selection), Temp (large-fruited variety), Nevsky (medium-sized variety with round tubers), Nikulinsky (with medium-sized oval tubers), Zhuravinka (Belarusian selection, drought-resistant) are distinguished.
Careful sorting
Before putting vegetables in storage, they are carefully examined and sorted. All specimens with signs of disease and skin damage are discarded.
Attention! For a long time, only tubers that are completely healthy and have no damage to the skin can lie.
Damaged potatoes are stacked separately and eaten first.
Storage in small containers
Sorted and dried potatoes are placed in small wooden boxes, plastic boxes or linen bags. This way the potatoes are better ventilated and less prone to spoilage.
Store separately from other vegetables
It is best to store potato tubers separately from other vegetables. The only good neighbor for potatoes is beets. It absorbs the moisture evaporated by the tubers.
Compliance with the recommended temperature and humidity indicators
An increase in air temperature leads to increased evaporation of moisture. As a result, tubers flabby, sprouts appear. Lowering the temperature adversely affects the taste of the vegetable, it freezes and acquires a sweetish taste.
Inspection and bulkhead
All vegetables stored in storage are periodically inspected for spots of rot or other problems. If tubers that have begun to rot are not removed in time, the problem will quickly spread to neighboring healthy vegetables.
Failure to comply with the rules for storing potatoes will inevitably lead to spoilage, the development of diseases and crop losses.
Conclusion
Where can you store potatoes if there is no cellar? Resourceful farmers have invented storage methods in a pile, pit, or trench. But it is not so important which of the proposed methods you choose. The main thing is to carefully prepare the tubers for storage and provide them with optimal conditions for long-term maturation.
If you follow all the recommendations, potatoes are perfectly stored for many months.