Rules for making a box for potatoes
It is not always possible to store potatoes in a separate basement in winter. You can make a potato box with your own hands. This is a great option when every ruble counts and there is no way to order an expensive heated vegetable box.
Rules for making a box for potatoes
Construction requirements
A potato storage box must meet several requirements:
- only safe materials should be used for manufacturing;
- optimal temperature and humidity must be maintained in the box;
- the box must be equipped with an elementary ventilation system;
- the container should not let in daylight.
All these requirements allow you to keep potatoes in their original form for a long time. If you do not provide normal air circulation in it, the roots will rot one after the other and you will have to throw them in the trash. To be able to control the air temperature and humidity level, you need to equip the potato storage box with a thermometer and a moisture meter.
The moisture in the basket can be reduced by placing a layer of beet on top of the potatoes. It will absorb excess moisture. Root crops should be regularly checked and rotten and spoiled should be discarded, in which case it will be possible to keep the freshness of the fruit until the end of winter.
Training
To make a box for potatoes competently with your own hands, you need to decide on its localization. It also happens that you can put it only in the corridor, because there is no place on the balcony. Make sure that the box does not interfere with free movement and does not stand in the aisle. On the balcony, you should not install it near the partition because it will pull cold out of it and the roots will freeze.
Then you need to determine the size of the potato box. The parameters will depend on the area on which the box will be located, as well as on the number of root crops. In addition, it is important to decide on the shape of the structure. The type of door opening is also of great importance. In a small area, vertical door opening is the best option.
To complete the work you will need:
- wooden board or chipboard;
- self-tapping screws, glue;
- bars for legs;
- corners;
- carpentry tools;
- thermal insulation.
The advantages of making such a structure are that you do not need to buy new materials to make it, but you can use the boards remaining after the repair. Once all the necessary materials are prepared, you can begin to design a box for potatoes. The work will take place in several stages.
Design features
The box is not difficult to make
The front wall of the potato storage box must be collapsible. This is a necessary move in order to be able to quickly get root crops from the bottom, because you will need to periodically sort it out, although, of course, this will depend on how many kg the box is designed for.
All do-it-yourself vegetable stores designed for loggias or balconies have one feature. These are two structures inserted into one another with gaps between the walls from 80 to 100 mm. A wooden grate should be placed on the bottom of the larger container to ensure ventilation of the tubers from all sides.
The outer container can be made of high quality plastic sheets. If the loggia or balcony is not glazed, you need to additionally treat the outer surfaces with waterproof paint. All internal surfaces must be made of wood to avoid the absorption of toxic substances by root crops.
Manufacturing steps
First you need to make a drawing in which all the details should be displayed. Then you can start creating the wireframe. It is important to remember that this is the most basic part of the potato crate, so it must be stable. All parts must be firmly connected together. The frame is constructed from wooden planks or chipboard. They begin to form the container by connecting the walls in turn.
Then vertical posts are made to give stability to the structure. At the joints of the walls, iron corners are screwed on. Glue can be used to seal the structure. Then you can attach the cover. It can be a hinged mechanism or sliding doors.
The design with drawers is considered more reliable, but it requires more experience in joinery. Each wall in the potato storage box is sheathed with plywood sheets from the inside. The outer side must be insulated with mineral wool or foam sheets. From above they are sheathed with plywood sheets. The protruding ends of the self-tapping screws can be sawed off with a grinder.
Storage rules
At home, in the potato storage box, the temperature should be maintained in the range of 3 to 5 ℃. If the temperature is below zero on the loggia in winter, it is recommended to move it to the kitchen for the cold season. In order not to carry a box for storing potatoes from place to place, you can install an incandescent lamp inside it. Thus, it will turn out to increase the temperature if necessary.
Lamps are mounted in a special protective casing made of sheet metal. The casing must be painted with heat-resistant varnish. To prevent the light from damaging the fruits, the lamps are installed in the center of the container.
There is another option to increase the temperature in the potato storage drawer. A tube is mounted in the bottom of the inner container, into which warm air blown by a fan enters. A lattice plug is installed on the surface of the pipe so that vegetables do not block the path of air. The process of turning on and off the hair dryer can be automated if a relay with a heat sensor is built into the electrical circuit. If necessary, the system will work and turn on the hair dryer, when heated to the desired temperature, the equipment will turn off by itself.
If the loggia is insulated, then the box for storing potatoes can not be insulated from the outside, but only from the inside. An insulated box for storing potatoes must be equipped with a thermometer in order to be able, if necessary, to regulate the temperature regime on your own. It is also important to take care of the optimum moisture level in the drawer. It is recommended to store root vegetables at 80% humidity so that it does not lose its quality indicators.
Final part
Of course, you can order a ready-made box for storing potatoes or buy it in a store, but there is no guarantee that it will fit the parameters of your loggia. Moreover, most of these boxes are designed for a standard weight of only 20-30 kg. Making a box for vegetables will cost several times less. For its construction, you can use old boards lying around at home.
A self-made vegetable box will last much longer than a commercial plastic counterpart. The insulated box can even be placed on an unglazed loggia. The construction of the box begins with a drawing.It is imperative to lay a trellis cover at the bottom of the box to ensure ventilation of the tubers. This will save the crop from the appearance of fungal diseases. In addition, ventilation holes must be made in advance so that the roots are ventilated from all sides.
It is imperative to install temperature and humidity meters in the box in order to be able to independently adjust the indicators. It is important to remember that the optimal storage temperature for root crops is between 3 and 6 ℃. At elevated air temperatures, potatoes begin to germinate and lose their quality indicators.
With high humidity, the roots begin to hurt, and mold appears. A decrease in humidity leads to a rapid withering of root crops, it loses weight and becomes not tasty. It is very important to protect the roots from direct sunlight, otherwise they will turn green. When a vegetable turns green, the poisonous component solanine accumulates in it, which can provoke poisoning in humans.