This autumn we have a very large potato crop. We collected 4 large full bags from a few modest beds. Then I had to think about the storage of the crop. After all, it would be a shame if the potatoes deteriorated over the winter and had to be thrown away.
When you live in a private house, this problem is easier to solve - you can take the potatoes into the basement or cellar. But I was less fortunate, I live in a multi-storey building. Therefore, I had to strain my convolutions to find the best storage option.
If your tubers deteriorate during storage, I advise you to read this article. Earlier this problem was also acute for me. And now the potatoes remain fresh until the end of spring. Intrigued? Then listen!
First of all, when I started looking for suitable places for storing crops, I thought about the balcony, storage room, and also a niche under the window. If you live in Khrushchev, then you probably also have such a niche in your apartment. I think that such structures are no longer made in new buildings.
Before sending potatoes for storage, they must be thoroughly dried. I do not recommend washing the tubers. Then the vegetable needs to be sorted. We select tubers that have ripened earlier in a separate pile, they will be stored the least. Therefore, they need to be eaten first.
I put the potatoes that will soon be eaten in the cupboard under the sink in the kitchen. I put the tubers in wooden boxes. If you don't have any, you can take cardboard boxes, just cover the bottom with newspapers or cover it with sawdust.
I am sharing with you a few secrets of long-term storage of potatoes:
- 1. I store potatoes with beets as they draw moisture out of the tubers. This allows the potatoes to stay fresh longer.
- 2. I put 3-4 tablets of activated carbon in a box with potatoes. I change them to new ones about once a month.
- 3. If you have mint, you can put a couple of dry twigs in a box of potatoes.
You can store the crop not only in a box, but also in a bucket or basin. You just need to provide the vegetables with air circulation by making several holes in the container.
A friend of mine builds a kind of nesting doll from boxes on the balcony, leaving a little empty space between the walls, bottom and lid.
He fills the voids with sawdust or pieces of foam. He wraps all this matryoshka with linoleum. The friend prepares the inner surface of the boxes with a solution of potassium permanganate.
At one time, I also kept potatoes on the balcony. I laid a blanket at the bottom of the cardboard boxes, put vegetables on it, and covered it with a second blanket on top. This kept the tubers fresh until spring.
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