Methods and conditions for storing potatoes in winter: in the cellar, in the apartment (on the balcony). Temperature storage of potatoes in the basement and apartment - we study important recommendations

Room preparation

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

To eliminate the risk of temperature fluctuations in such a room, it is necessary to provide high-quality insulation from overheating and freezing. It is better to do this before harvesting. For a separate cellar, the risk of overheating or freezing is excluded. Under the snow cover, the earth 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:

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

Tuber preparation rules

Preparation of potatoes for storage begins immediately after harvest. The longer the potato sits in the ground, the better its quality. Potatoes that have been in the ground for a long time become watery, as they absorb all the moisture from the soil.

After the preparation is completed, the tubers are poured into bags and moved 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 decay. There are several ways to store vegetables.

In wooden boxes or bins

Considering that this vegetable is very susceptible to the effects environment, you need to store it in a certain design. You can design a box or bins. You can make such a simple design with your own hands:

1. The box should be large enough so that the entire crop can fit in it. At the same time, it should also 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. You can not put the structure close to the walls. Optimal distance- 3-5 cm.
3. If you have big harvest potatoes can be made big box, dividing it with a partition into two sections.
4. For good ventilation, the bin or box is 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. Even though it will new design, before laying vegetables, it is better to disinfect it and dry it thoroughly.
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 burlap. Top felt can be sprinkled with a plentiful layer of wood shavings. Straw can be used instead of sawdust.

We have discussed 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 through? The best option there will be a sealed box that 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.

For its manufacture, two containers are required, one of which should be slightly smaller in size than the other. Containers can be made from ordinary boards or plywood.

The bottom of the larger container is lined with any insulating material, such as foam or sawdust. Then you need to lower a smaller box into it, and insulate its walls with heat-insulating material.

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

in bags

How to store potatoes in a cellar in bags? In fact, this is one of the most popular and convenient ways to store tubers. The burlap is made from 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 passes air well.

Store potatoes in bags in the cellar on a special pallet to prevent freezing and rotting of the lower layers. As a pallet, you can use any moisture-absorbing flooring - straw, sawdust, boards. Sacks of potatoes are placed on a pallet standing in a circle or lying down in 5 pieces no more than three meters high. From above, potatoes in bags are covered with any insulating, 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 close to ensure ventilation.

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

In grids

It's another one convenient way crop safety. Potatoes, peeled from the ground, laid in nets, are placed on pallets, as in the previous case. The mesh bags provide excellent air circulation for the potatoes. As a result, the tubers do not rot and do not 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

The optimal storage conditions for this vegetable in winter time of the year:

Varieties for long-term storage

To preserve the crop, it is important not only to follow all the storage rules, but also to choose a variety that is stored for a long time:

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

Conclusion

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

It is not enough just to grow a rich crop of good quality potatoes, you also need to be able to keep it until spring. Particularly relevant questions of correct winter storage potatoes become last years when they began to enjoy great popularity among summer residents and owners of suburban land plots early ripe varieties potatoes.

The fact that the tubers of such varieties ripen much earlier than usual makes it possible to avoid many problems, in particular, phytophthora disease, however, early potatoes not intended for long-term storage and falls into disrepair very quickly. But how do you store it? And before we tell you on the pages of the site www.site how to properly store potatoes in the winter in the cellar, first we will try to dispel the myth that recent times has become very, very common.

There is an opinion that if you leave ripe potatoes in the ground until autumn, then, in addition to noticeably gaining weight, it will be stored much better. This is absolutely not true. Firstly, upon reaching a state of maturity, potato tubers stop growing in size, so you will not get an increase in yield in this way. Secondly, potatoes that overripe in the garden later become very susceptible to various rots, in other words, their keeping quality is significantly reduced.

Best of all, long-term storage is tolerated by mid-ripening and table varieties of potatoes, which are distinguished by yellow flesh and eyes on the surface. From this point of view, the Adretta variety stands out among them. In addition to the fact that this variety is extremely productive (up to 400 kg can be obtained from 1 weave), under appropriate conditions it can be stored for a very long time without spoilage. What are these relevant conditions?

Proper preparation storage begins long before harvest. Firstly, in the process of maturation of tubers, care must be taken to protect them from late blight.

To do this, mow the tops, through which the infection occurs. The whole difficulty is that this must be done no later than the due date, but not earlier. The first sign is the yellowing of the stems of potato bushes. As soon as this happens, you need to regularly dig up the tubers to assess the condition of the peel on them. It is believed that you can mow the tops as soon as the peel becomes so dense that it cannot be torn off with a fingernail.

Beveled tops must be removed from the site on the same day. You can often hear recommendations to keep the tops in the beds, so that after harvesting they cover potato heaps with it. It seems to be very good and reliable protection from the rain. In fact, by doing so, you expose the grown crop to a serious risk of infection with various infections.

Digging up potatoes in droves should begin 6-8 days after mowing the tops. As mentioned above, it is very important to harvest the crop from the garden in time. Varieties with an average ripening period, such as Ardette, must be harvested no later than 100 days after the first shoots have appeared. The collected tubers must be carefully sorted out and removed from the total mass damaged by diseases.

Then, the selected potatoes need to be dried, for which for 3-4 days it thin layer scattered in a dry place.

Very often, the cause of rapid damage to the crop is not the potato itself, but the cellar. It is possible to store any vegetables in the cellar, including potatoes, only when they are properly prepared - dried and disinfected. To do this, all surfaces in it are treated in advance, in the summer, with a solution blue vitriol concentration of 3-5%.

Great importance for the preservation of potatoes, the temperature of the cellar also has. It is necessary to store potato tubers in it in the winter at a temperature range of 2 to 4 degrees. It is at this temperature that potatoes long time does not sprout, and besides, moisture does not evaporate from it, due to which it retains hardness longer.

To ensure the right temperature, it is recommended to pour the potatoes into the dried cellar in the early morning. At this time, the tubers are cold and this allows not to disturb the temperature balance that has developed in the cellar. If autumn turned out to be warm, then to create the desired temperature in the cellar, you can use plastic bottles with ice. The same method can be used regularly to cool the cellar in spring and summer when the weather is warm.

Do not forget that during long-term storage, tubers emit some heat, as a result of which the temperature in the cellar may increase over time. Therefore, in order for the potatoes to lie in the cellar for a long time, it must be constantly monitored.

Why use two thermometers located directly on the shoulder and at a level of 1.5 m relative to the floor. As soon as the temperature rises to 6 degrees, the cellar needs to be ventilated - the manhole is kept open until the readings of both thermometers drop to 0 degrees. Usually, during the winter you have to repeat this procedure 3-4 times. As a result, potatoes are well preserved, which means they continue to be a source of useful substances for the human body.

Buying potatoes all year in stores turns out to be quite expensive, it is more profitable to stock up for the winter. For the preservation of the root crop, a dry cellar or basement is best suited. But many live in apartment buildings where there is no basement, much less a cellar. Summer residents who are going to save this vegetable in an apartment or other warm place will not be hindered by a few useful advice. How to store potatoes if there is no cellar will be discussed in our today's article.

Preparing potatoes for storage

An important role is played by the quality preparation of tubers. Well, for the very beginning, you need to grow potatoes, and with what you can plant potatoes. To begin with, they should be dried, preferably on fresh air to prevent the development of diseases and decay. Next, you need to sort out the tubers. For long-term storage, medium-sized potatoes are selected, on the surface of which there are no darkening and flaws. And all injured and not very healthy tubers will go straight to food.

Root storage on the loggia

Loggia or balcony - this is the most appropriate place storage of vegetables for a city dweller to. AT autumn time tubers can be kept there in bags or boxes. But in order to create favorable conditions protection in winter, you have to work hard:

The root crop is placed in insulated boxes or boxes, which you will have to buy or make with your own hands. Styrofoam is great for insulation, they need to lay the bottom and walls of the boxes, and you also need to make a lot of holes for ventilation.

The boxes must be installed on an elevation from the concrete floor and at a distance from the walls of the loggia.

You can install heaters to maintain the required temperature plus 2-6 ° C. Minor changes in the degree in one direction or another (from 0 to + 10 ° C) will not harm the vegetable, provided that such changes are not long in duration.

From above, the boxes should be covered with warm old blankets and rags.

Storing your favorite vegetable in the apartment

If it is not possible to equip a balcony, then when the temperature drops to 0 ° C, the potatoes should be brought home and placed in the coolest places in the apartment: balcony door or by the windows. At home, tubers should be kept in bags made of coarse fabric (burlap), they pass air well. So that the root crop does not dampen and does not rot, you can put beets or straw on top, which absorb excess moisture well.

If there are no cool places in the apartment, then you can put the prepared potatoes in the pantry or vestibule. But in the heat, the vegetable will not last long, in order to prevent it from drying out and extend its life, you can resort to this technique. Dip in potatoes plastic container, having previously put holes on its walls. Put a wet cloth in the container, the water from which will gradually evaporate and allow the tubers not to wither and dry for a long time. But this will not protect potatoes from germination, therefore, in this way, it is worth storing the tuber in small volumes and eating it faster.

Root storage in your garden

To preserve potatoes, you can use your own vegetable garden or country cottage area. To do this, choose the highest and driest place on the site. Dig a hole up to 1.5 meters deep, up to 2 meters in diameter. The bottom of the pit should be laid out with boards, then the tubers are poured with a layer of 1 meter, and on top again the boards, on top of the boards - a layer of straw 5-10 cm. And all this should be covered with earth. It is also worth considering a way for ventilation, install plastic pipe to the bottom of the pit, sawing a hole in the boards. The pipe should not be clogged with snow, so a visor must be made for it. In such storage, potatoes will lie perfectly until spring. But this method storage is more suitable for seed potatoes, as it does not involve digging a hole in winter. We remind you that potatoes can be planted in the fall, but about how to do it

Summer residents who do not have the opportunity to store crops in a cool place should also rationally approach the choice of root crop varieties and give preference to varieties with a long dormant period of tubers. This also contributes to the greatest safety of the resulting crop.

Potato is a tuber, whimsical not only in terms of cultivation, but also in terms of storage. Receipt bountiful harvest from the site does not guarantee that in winter you will not have to buy potatoes in the market. Wrong conditions storage can lead to the loss of the entire supply of this root crop. Often, when part of the crop dies due to freezing, root formation, rotting.

Potatoes should be stored in a dark and cool place.

This root crop is so demanding on storage conditions due to the fact that it contains a large amount of water and starch, and the more of these components, the more difficult it is to preserve it for a long period. In addition to the basic requirements for potato storage conditions, it should be borne in mind that at high humidity, this root crop can be affected by mold and fungus.

Separately, it should be said that not all varieties of potatoes are stored equally well. Optimal for long-term storage are mid-season varieties table potatoes with yellow flesh. If you plan to store different varieties they should be placed in separate boxes.

Many gardeners make a serious mistake by leaving the tubers in the ground until mid-autumn, believing that in this case the root crops will be better stored. In fact, overripe potatoes are more saturated with water and quickly succumb to rot and decay. molds, therefore, it is necessary to dig and bookmark potatoes for storage on time, preventing them from overripe.

Ideal temperature regime for storing potatoes in the cold season is from +1 to +4°C.

At this temperature, the potatoes will not freeze and will not take root. As a rule, potato tubers begin to take root at temperatures above 7 °C. In addition, care must be taken to ensure that the humidity in the cellar in which the potatoes will be stored does not exceed 70%. high humidity air has a detrimental effect on potatoes and leads to the growth of fungi and mold.

Potatoes stored in the cellar should not be exposed to direct sunlight. Of course, in most cases there are no equipped windows for ventilation in the cellars, but some still do, so when placing potatoes in the basement, you must either hang the window or make sure that the tubers are not illuminated by the rays of the sun penetrating through it. Stale air and lack of adequate ventilation also have a negative effect on potatoes, so site preparation is a top priority.

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How to lay potatoes for long-term storage in the cellar?

Scheme of the glacier device: 1 - a layer of sand and crushed stone, 2 - an ice storage, 3 - a cellar wall, 4 - a well for melt water, 5 - a clay-straw layer, 6, 7 - ventilation pipes, 8 - pipe for water drainage.

Potatoes are very susceptible to various negative impacts environment, therefore, it is necessary to start preparing for laying root crops for storage from the arrangement of the place, since it is impossible to store potatoes on the cellar floor. Tubers are best stored in wooden boxes or baskets. In addition, it is very important that wooden containers do not stand on the floor, but are at a height of 20 cm. To prevent the boxes from standing on the floor, bricks can be placed under them, and when stored in baskets, these containers can be placed on the lower shelves of the racks. Before planting potatoes, the cellar and boxes must be well dried to reduce the number of pathogenic fungi that are present in any cellar.

Potatoes should also be prepared for laying in the cellar for storage. Firstly, it is necessary to sort it out, carefully cleaning the existing clods of earth from the root crops. Secondly, you should sort the vegetables by size - this will increase the shelf life. In addition, during the sorting process, damaged and diseased root crops should be immediately selected, sending them to the table, since even slightly spoiled potatoes will not be stored. AT wooden boxes potatoes are poured in a layer that should not exceed 1 m.

In order to protect vegetables from freezing, as well as to create an additional barrier to moisture, it is necessary to cover the root crops. Burlap combined with hay or a layer of sawdust can serve as a shelter. Potatoes laid out in boxes are first covered with burlap, and then sprinkled with hay or sawdust. Hygroscopic materials quickly absorb the moisture available in the basement, while allowing the potatoes to breathe.

Often in storage a large number potatoes and other root crops in the basement, condensation begins to form on the walls and ceiling. This phenomenon is observed due to the fact that the roots release moisture during their respiration, which condenses on the walls. It is very important that no condensation drips from the ceiling onto the potatoes, as this a short time will lead to its deterioration. In order to reduce the amount of condensate, it is necessary from time to time to additionally ventilate the cellar, and in addition, make suspended ceiling from polyethylene.