Storing your potatoes

Having grown your potatoes and dug them up you will need to let the skin set. This is best done by removing excess earth and leaving them on top of the soil for as long as possible (at least four hours if you can).

When the skins are dry enough, loose soil will just fall away from the potato, sort into two piles. Pile one should be the potatoes that are sound, pile two, those that need to used as soon as possible. (Damaged, eaten, etc.)

Boxing potatoes

Storage of new potatoes is best done in peat, dry peat. Too much moisture in the peat will encourage the potato to root again. Salad potatoes are also best kept this way. Lay potatoes in suitable box (wood is best as this does not allow any light through) do not let potatoes touch. Cover layers with peat with 3-4 cms over the top of the potatoes. Doing this prevents any rot spreading to other potatoes. Eat as needed!

Sacking Potatoes

Choose you sack.

Paper is more opaque and possibly does not let as much light in. Light on potatoes will turn them green and not so tasty. Too many green potatoes are not good for you. There are drawbacks to paper sacks, moisture and damp makes them easy to slit and tear. Rotting potatoes will split the sack and air does not circulate. They are cheaper though.

Hessian tends to let more light through. On the plus side it allows potatoes to breath and moisture to evaporate. Most experts tend to recommend hessian for those two reasons.

Remember your wife/partner may have to lift the sack(s), think of them when filling.

Place sacks in the coolest, darkest, dry place you can find. Wherever you store them it must be frost free. The warmer the storage place the more likely potatoes are to shoot.

You need to sort through you potatoes about once a month and remove any suspect potatoes. If you do not do this you may japordise the whole sack.

Enjoy the fruits of your labour.

Comments and tips to: growing@potloads.com