Rules for storing potatoes in a cellar in winter

0

2308

Article rating

It is important not only to grow potatoes correctly, but also to preserve them. In this article, we will tell you how potatoes are stored in the cellar, and how to preserve a high-quality crop before the onset of warmth.

Rules for storing potatoes in a cellar in winter

Premises preparation

The best place to store this vegetable is underground storage (cellar, basement). But even in such a room, not everyone can save potatoes. This vegetable contains a large amount of liquid and starch, so it quickly deteriorates. In view of these features, storing potatoes in a cellar requires certain conditions.

To eliminate the risk of temperature drops in such a room, it is necessary to provide high-quality insulation against overheating and freezing. It is better to do this before harvesting. For a free-standing cellar, the risk of overheating or freezing is excluded. Under the snow cover, the ground will, on the contrary, cool the underground room.

To ensure good insulation from temperature extremes, it is necessary to carry out a number of measures:

1. If possible, a cellar can be made above the surface (roof) of the cellar. This is a special covered structure, which will be an excellent protection of the upper part of the room from external factors. Thus, the temperature in the storage will be little different from the outside temperature.
2. After that, you need to insulate the door. It must be airtight, that is, close tightly. It can be sheathed with foam or any other insulating material.
3. What is the optimal storage temperature for tubers? According to experienced gardeners, a temperature regime of 2-3 degrees Celsius is ideal for potatoes. At higher temperatures, potatoes will sprout. At a temperature of about freezing, potato starch becomes sugar-coated. Such potatoes become sweet. At sub-zero temperatures, the potatoes freeze and disappear.
4. If the storage is deep enough, it can be equipped with another hatch. Thus, between the two hatches, it forms a vacuum space that protects the room from freezing.
5. You can cover the cellar with foam.
6. Additional heating of the cellar can be provided by special lamps. Place them in the corners of the room, and turn them on in case the temperature drops. Lamps that will be used for this purpose must be painted over with dark paint. For convenience, some gardeners use lamps with sensors that respond to changes in temperature.
7. For storages that are located under the house, you can use special split systems. They will provide the necessary cooling of the room. True, such equipment is not cheap, and not every owner can afford it. The best alternative to a split system may be a more economical option - a compressor from an old refrigerating chamber.
8. An unheated garage will require additional insulation.In such a room, potatoes are stored in boxes or boxes. You can't do without warming agents here. The boxes are wrapped with old blankets or things in several layers to protect them from freezing.
9. Good ventilation is another important condition for proper storage of potatoes in the cellar for the winter. In a well-ventilated area, potato rotting and premature germination can be prevented.
10. It is also necessary to provide a certain level of humidity - within 60-70%. You can keep it at this level with the help of special moisture-absorbing substances. For example, you can place containers with lime in powder around the perimeter of the storage.
11. Before laying vegetables, the storage must be dried, cleaned of debris and treated with disinfectants (from mold, fungus and other parasites).

For storing tubers in the cellar, you can make a special container. How to do it yourself, a little later in our article.

Tuber preparation rules

A good harvest depends on good tubers

Preparation of potatoes for storage begins immediately after harvest. The longer the potato sits in the soil, the better its quality. A potato that is in the ground for a long time becomes watery, as it absorbs all the moisture from the soil.

Harvest preparation consists of several stages:

1. Removal of remnants of the earth. In no case should potatoes be washed to avoid rotting. The earth must be cleaned by hand.
2. Drying. The excavated crop must be dried under a covered area, where there is protection from rain and sun. Tubers are spread on a dry surface in a thin layer.
3. Sorting. Peeled and dried potatoes must be sorted into separate boxes before storing them in storage. Potatoes are sorted by size, and tubers spoiled by parasites are also added separately. Mechanically damaged vegetables should also be thrown into a separate container. During sorting, a part of the seed potatoes must be set aside separately for future planting.

After the preparation is completed, the tubers are poured into bags and transferred to storage.

Storage methods

How to store potatoes in the cellar to prevent premature spoilage? Harvested in bags, the crop must be lowered very carefully to avoid damage to the tubers and their premature rotting. Several methods are used to store vegetables.

In wooden boxes or bins

Given that this vegetable is very susceptible to environmental influences, it must be stored in a certain structure. You can design a box or bins. You can make such an uncomplicated design with your own hands:

1. The box must be large enough to fit the entire crop. At the same time, it should be comfortable for you. After all, who, if not you, will have to get potatoes out of it every time. Therefore, its height should be moderate - about 1.2 m.
2. Do not place the structure close to the walls. The optimal distance is 3-5 cm.
3. If you have a large crop of potatoes, you can make a large box by dividing it into two sections with a divider.
4. For good ventilation, bins or boxes are made with holes.
5. The bottom of the structure can be made of plywood or boards. The box is placed on top of the bricks.
6. Despite the fact that this will be a new design, it is better to disinfect and dry it thoroughly before laying vegetables.
7. To keep the potatoes from excessive moisture and cold, the bottom of the box can be covered with a moisture-absorbing material - felt or sackcloth. Felt can be sprinkled on top with a generous layer of wood shavings. Straw can be used instead of sawdust.

We have considered with you a method of storing potatoes in bulk in boxes or bins. There are other ways to store this vegetable.

In sealed structures

How to store potatoes in winter in a cellar that constantly freezes? The best option would be a sealed box, which you can do with your own hands without much difficulty. This design will provide good thermal insulation. It can hold about 350 kg of tubers.

To make it, you will need two containers, one of which should be slightly smaller in size than the other. You can make containers from ordinary boards or plywood.

The bottom of the larger container is covered with any kind of insulating material, for example, foam or sawdust. Then a smaller box should be lowered into it, and its walls should be insulated with heat-insulating material.

It remains to put together the lid and insulate it with foam. Outside, the structure needs to be painted with paint to protect it from moisture. Fill in the potatoes, cover with a thick black cloth and cover with a lid. During the entire storage period of vegetables, the container must be periodically ventilated.

In bags

Convenient storage

How to properly store potatoes in the cellar in bags? In fact, this is one of the most popular and convenient ways to store tubers. Burlap is made of natural material, which means it is able to protect potatoes from excessive moisture. This material perfectly protects the crop from freezing and at the same time is good for air permeability.

You need to store potatoes in bags in the cellar on a special pallet to prevent freezing and rotting of the lower layers. Any moisture-absorbing flooring can be used as a pallet - straw, sawdust, boards. Sacks of potatoes are placed on a pallet standing in a circle or lying in 5 pieces each with a height of no more than three meters. From above, potatoes in bags are covered with any warming, but breathable material - straw, sawdust. You can do without them by covering the vegetables with old blankets.

If you plan to store vegetables for a long time, the bags are not placed closely to provide ventilation.

It is considered especially convenient to store potatoes in bags if you need frequent loading and transportation. It is not recommended to store tubers in polyethylene bags and bags with little air permeability. In such a container, potatoes quickly suffocate and begin to rot.

In grids

This is another convenient way to preserve the harvest. Potatoes, cleared of soil, laid in nets, are placed on pallets, as in the previous case. Mesh bags provide excellent air circulation for potatoes. As a result, the tubers do not rot or deteriorate for a long time.

This method of storing potatoes in the cellar is short-term - about 1-1.5 months. Therefore, it can be used for vegetables intended for daily consumption.

Protection against moisture and freezing

Optimal storage conditions for this vegetable in the winter season:

1. During storage, potatoes breathe, thus releasing moisture and carbon dioxide. Gradually, drops of condensation begin to accumulate on the ceiling and walls. After that, they end up on vegetables. To prevent the potatoes from getting wet and further rotting, the storage must be periodically ventilated. Under the ceiling, you can make an additional canopy made of plastic wrap.
2. You can also lower the humidity in the cellar with lime or sand. They cover the floor surface of the cellar.
3. Storing potatoes in a cellar along with beets will help preserve the entire crop until summer. Spread the beets in a thick layer on top of the potatoes. This vegetable is frost-resistant, it protects potatoes from frost and absorbs excess moisture.
4. To avoid rotting potatoes in winter, which is caused by many harmful parasites, you can do the following. Before lowering the vegetables into the box, sprinkle them with ash powder or crushed chalk. Some put twigs of wormwood, rowan leaves and other plants that repel parasites between the tubers. You can also sprinkle potatoes with onion husks. In such an environment, it does not rot for a long time.
5. Tubers should be checked periodically for rot.Remove damaged vegetables from the drawer and place them in a separate container. Potatoes that are wet and lying next to rotten vegetables should also be removed from the drawer. If this is not done, the bacteria that are on its surface will begin to multiply further, destroying the crop.

It is recommended to store potatoes in a dark room. Since the potatoes germinate from the sun, they turn green, and a harmful substance, solanine, is formed inside the fruit.

Long-term storage varieties

For the safety of the crop, it is important not only to comply with all storage rules, but also to choose a variety that is stored for a long time:

• lorkh;
• lightning;
• gull;
• saturn;
• atlas;
• asterix;
• crane.

Conclusion

Now you know how to store potatoes in the cellar. It is not difficult to preserve a high-quality and tasty potato crop in winter until spring. By observing the optimal temperature, humidity level and ensuring good ventilation, you will be able to keep the potatoes whole, beautiful and unharmed. Without these conditions, potatoes will quickly begin to rot and lose their taste.