How To Cure & Store Potatoes - 5 EASY STEPS!
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- čas přidán 13. 06. 2021
- It’s easy to cure and store potatoes. This video explains how to in 5 easy steps. Curing potatoes is important before storing them.
It’s important to grow potatoes suited for storage. Then, when you cure the potatoes properly you will have smashing success at storing them for months. Potato storage is a fantastic way to preserve your harvest - Jak na to + styl
Gophers taught me how to store potatoes without curing for a whole year and after a year they were just as firm and moist as the day I dug them. I was blown away because normally in our area (zone 5) spuds stored in a root cellar will begin to shrivel and sprout after only 7 months. The gophers used my root cellar as a dumping site for the dirt from their tunnel digging. This dirt happened to cover some potatoes in the root cellar. I discovered these spud after a year and they were just like the day I dug them.
very insightful. thank you gophers!
What a fantastic idea! I will try that
First time potato grower here, this is really informative. Thanks for the video
You're very welcome. Enjoy your harvest!
We used to use a woven hammock in the basement to cure our potatoes, worked well for getting air all the way around the potatoes.
That sounds like a great idea. Put on a little music and give 'em a margarita while they cure in the hammock!
Thank you. Curing them now. FL.
Thank you ☺️
I like it.
Thank you! So descriptive!
I'm glad it was helpful - you're welcome!
great vid!
Very thorough. Thank You!
Thanks for the feedback Michael - you're welcome!
Awesome man very helpful
I'm glad it was helpful Lewis. You're welcome !
Thanks! Great info!!
You're welcome Anna - I'm glad it was helpful.
Great video!
I'm glad you enjoyed it Leslie!
soooo helpful - thank you!!
I'm glad - thanks for commenting Lynn!
Very informative. Much appreciated!
Thanks for watching! You're welcome.
nice video
😊Thanks for sharing 😊
My pleasure 😊
Thanks for the great video Stacey. This year we have a pretty good haul of very tasty potatoes and I was looking for a way to store them.
Congrats on the harvest Len! I'm glad you found the video helpful. blessings on your Fall.
Just found you,....excellent video! Thank you!
Awesome! Thank you!
It's good to be 'found'
Thank you. I had my first big potato harvest. I learned a lot from this video
That's great to hear!
Thank you for making this video. I've always had trouble storing.
I'm glad it was helpful Arlen!
Excellent description for a newbie potato grower.
Right on - I'm it was helpful
!
Top works. So well done. Thanks brother not even a studder.
You're welcome - much appreciated :)
Thank you for the great information. My first harvest should be ready in about 3 weeks.
Wahoo - I hope it's a bountiful harvest J T !
Great video. Wonder how the commercial folks do it?
Just found your channel and I am going to hit that subscribe button bc you were quick and to the point and gave me just what I was looking for and so much more. Thank you. 🥰
Awesome! Thank you for the sub.
Happy Growing :)
Great video, quick and to the point.
I love your location! So beautiful, i hope not too cold in the winters!
Subscribed
I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Yes, it's a beautiful place!
Thanks for the sub!
Excellent information--great explanation/ideas….
Thanks Cheryl - you're welcome !
Your home looks so beautiful and peaceful thank you for the useful information.♥️👍
Hello Ellena - Thank you so much 😊
First timer here too. Mine just germinating but a few rotted in the soil. Here's hoping and thanks for the clear instructions.🌻
3 cheers for a First Timer!
Here's hoping with you. You're welcome :)
For my potato storage I was able to recycle stackable cultured stone boxes from a building site. Heavy duty, wax lined with vent holes. They work great for my apples, garlic, onions and squashes too.
Fantastic resource Sheri - that sounds perfect!
Great to know , thank you , I've had a sweet potatoe in my cupboard for over 6 months , it shoots out sprouts and I planted them , which basically brought me to the internet to find out what's going on lol. Now I have regular potatoes in tge cupboard and am on my 3rd round of potatoes in pots . Was wondering what I would need to do to store them longer , and here we are ! , appreciate your knowledge. I have to watch some of potatoes are shriveled with spores growing , I'd normally plant them when the spore comes out but it's getting cold , so I'll try growing under lights and see what happens, otherwise I'll cure some for the next round. Great video and info , thank you !!
I'm glad it was helpful!
Awesome video. Thanks for the great info. It's my first time here, but I'd love to know what a 6 month old or 7 month old red potato looks like for planting. Cheers!
Hi Hogue, welcome to the channel.
A potato that was harvested 6 or 7 months ago will likely look somewhat dried/shriveled and it will have shoots on it.
This video (below) which I did on potatoes will show you precisely what I think you're wondering:
czcams.com/video/JFzx0kvi1SM/video.html
Great video as always. I have a bunch of old bed sheets. Can they be used to cure the potatoes? Growing some in a couple of 10 gallon pots. First time growing them.
Hi Ted - are you thinking about using the bed sheets to cover the potatoes i.e. to stop the light from getting thru?
If so, it'll depend on how light permeable the sheet is. Dark and cool is your goal!
Good luck in the 10 gallon pots.
cool
Thank you for the info. I'm saving this link to refer to it again when my potatoes are ready to store. My fav is Yukon Gold, I hope they won't sprout like the red one you showed. I'm growing them for the 1st time so I hope for the best.
You're welcome for the info.
Yukon Gold are beauties indeed. good luck growing!
@@SustainableStace ..TY. I have 2 questions for now though, do I have to wait for the potatoes to turn green and sprout or can I just cut them in pieces and plant or plant them whole? Would appreciate your response.
@@bethanyephraim2761 just make sure each piece you cut to plant has an eye,thats a sprout....which the potato vine grows from
@@gunzmith29r .. I had bought a few organic Yukon Gold and waited for them to sprout, then planted them whole in organic soil in June. It's getting cold here so 2 days ago I got them out of the soil. As my first time growing experience, I was excited to see my little harvest of clean and gold 4 large and a handful of baby ones. Still admiring them Lol!!😊 Anyways, the rest were messed by squirrels but I learned what to do next summer. Thanks again! 👍
Hey, I have a mouse and mole family living in my nice cool damp cellar and it can't be enclosed totally due to being built in rock with tons of cracks etc. If I took a tote or rubber garbage can and drilled a ton of 1/8 holes (too small for mice to get into) in the sides, lid and bottom then have it off the ground on a pallet for air underneath, do you think that would be enough ventilation for taters if suspended inside the container like you have done? Thanks for your vid and advice.
Sounds like you're figuring out a way!
Yes, that would likely work. Best bet is to use a metal garbage can to drill your holes - something they cannot gnaw through.
Or purchase very thin metal mesh over openings to allow ventilation while preventing the critters busting in.
Good luck on the tater storage!
Can you use the green potatoes to grown more right away if your season allows it? Also do potatoes take a light frost?
Hi Marlene,
Yes, green potatoes should grow new plants.
And yes, provided they are adequately covered with soil / mulch, potatoes can handle some frost.
What if my garage Is hot as after I harvest we still can get pretty warm and the garage can get hot. Will that still work? Or does it need to be cool… I might be able to store them in my pantry, but it’s a little small.
As you can imagine, it's hard to store and slow decay of food in warm places.
Cool, dry and dark are always better.
Maybe you should experiment with a small batch and see how it goes.
Thanks for the info. I was looking forward to my first crop of potatoes but when I harvested them I discovered wire worms in all of my potatoes.
Brutal - wire worms can be very troublesome.
Can you store potatoes like this if conditions in your barn are below freezing?
Hi Lauren - Nope, b/c I think that if the temp is freezing the potatoes will be damaged.
How do you dry the outside of the potato by covering it when the climate where I live is hot and damp most of the day? That sounds like putting a lid on a pot on the stove.
Yeah, that sounds like a challenge.
You'll need a breathable cover. A coffee sack / potato sack will help keep the light off the skin while not heating up underneath.
quick question, would it not be possible to wash them immediately after harvest then dry and cure ?
It's a great question.
The big caution on washing is that if you scrub the peel/skin while you're washing it likely will not store well b/c it's compromised.
If you wash it gently to get it clean without harming the skin, then it will likely work fine.
@@SustainableStace thanks for getting back to me, it makes sense as the skin would still be fragile pre curing but like you said if done gently, I'm growing potatoes for the first time this season and your video was helpful thanks for your time :)
Anyone know if you can store potatoes on cellar door steps? I have a finished basement that is heated during the colder months so I probably wouldn't be able store them there successfully. The cellar door steps are isolated from the rest of the basement so would that work?
Good question H.P. !
I think it depends on the temp& humidity in the cellar. Also - what material are the steps made of and is there a barrier between the potatoes and the steps. Direct contact with concrete will likely be harmful. Cardboard layer on wood steps will improve outcome a lot.
@@SustainableStace Thanks for your response. My cellar steps are concrete. For the curing process I’m putting the potatoes in tubs with holes drilled at the bottom for ventilation, in my shed. The tubs will be lined with breathable landscaping fabric. Would I have better luck moving the tubs onto the steps or just placing the fabric wrapped potatoes on the steps with cardboard underneathe?
Is it advisable to plant potatoes that have turned a little green and is sprouting? I have one.
Yes, as long as it's warm enough to plant that's a great idea.
@@SustainableStace Thanks for the info. I live east of San Diego. I'll plant that sucker and see want happens.
Where in Canada are you located?
Hi Rev K
We live just outside Victoria on Vancouver Island - a community called Brentwood Bay.
@@SustainableStaceI thought so when I saw you in sandals in winters. Great tips! Thank you from Ontario!
What is room temperature for your potatoes?
Hi Judy - I don't have the ability to control temperature.
So, it fluctuates between 10-20 C in the fall and then cooler in the winter - usually around 0-5 C
@@SustainableStace that’s my problem finding cool space for storage in Florida
What about using a cardboard box to put the potatoes for curing?
For storage - you want airflow, a single layer of potatoes ideally or a hanging mesh bag in a dark space. If they're in a cardboard box (presuming it has ventilation) you'll want to regularly check for any potatoes that are going bad which could affect their neighbors !
So potatoes only last for 100 days?
The storage environment will affect the duration. The variety of potato will affect it equally.
The best I can get is generally around 100 days with good edible quality. After that it starts to soften and sprout.
I'm certain others can get darker + drier storage and lengthen it further!
If you break those sprouts off when they are shorter those potatoes will last at least a month or more longer.