Where can potatoes be stored

The taste and shelf life of vegetables depends on the way they are stored. Can I keep potatoes in the refrigerator? The refrigerator is believed to spoil the palatability of potatoes., and also affects the breakdown of starch.

To preserve the root crop, you need to follow certain rules.

It is not recommended to store potatoes at t below 5 degrees... The tubers acquire a sweetish taste, as the potatoes begin to sprout and are prone to rotting.

Let's take a look at how to properly store potatoes.

In the fridge

Storing potatoes in the refrigerator is not very convenient., since the vegetable takes up a lot of space.

But if it so happens that the potatoes are bought for several kilograms and lay for a long time, you can put them in the refrigerator, observing a number of rules:

• the most important thing is that the potatoes are not near the freezer;
• it is important to monitor t in the refrigerator, the norm is +3 +6;
• vegetables are stored in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator;
• tubers must be kept in paper bags (potatoes rot in plastic);
• store in the refrigerator as many potatoes as needed for the next 10 days. It is not advisable to store it longer.

In the cellar

The best place to store potatoes is in the cellar... However, even here you need to take into account the rules in order to protect the roots from rotting and the risk of getting sick.

First, you need to treat the walls of the cellar room with table salt.

To do this, prepare a mixture: table salt 200 g, slaked lime 2 kg, vitriol 1 kg, water 10 liters. With this solution, you need to wash the walls of the cellar 2 times a week.

There must be ventilation in the room or the possibility of airing. Potatoes are stored in wooden boxes, which are recommended to be wiped with a potassium solution beforehand.

Compliance with the temperature regime is important. In summer t + 5-7C, and in winter + 2-4C.

In the hallway or entrance

Tubers should be stored in the corridor or entrance in cardboard or wooden boxes, with ventilation holes.

Cover the boxes with a blanket or other dark cloth to prevent them turning green or black.

Room temperature + 15C. So that the vegetable does not sprout, you should put mint, wormwood and rowan leaves in boxes.

On the balcony

In addition to the refrigerator, there is another cold place in winter - this is the balcony. If the balcony is insulated, then it is equivalent to a cellar.

There you can maintain a temperature regime in the region of + 5 + 10 degrees during cold weather.

To start you need to prepare a box filled with insulation: sawdust, warm cloth. From above, the boxes with potatoes should be closed with a lid and kept at a temperature comfortable for the vegetable at least + 5C, humidity above 85%.

In the apartment

If you are going to keep potatoes in the apartment, you need to choose the coldest place. It is forbidden to put boxes and bags with root crops close to batteries.

Late varieties are best stored in cooler locations.: pantry, balcony or refrigerator.

Storage preparation

When harvesting, it is very important to keep the timing. This directly affects the keeping quality of potatoes. After harvest it is important that the potatoes lie in the sun, the process is called light processing.

To do this, potatoes are spread out in direct sunlight for several days. Then they are sent for storage to the chosen place.

Potatoes should be prepared immediately after harvest. For this a number of recommendations should be followed:

• clean the tubers from soil (no need to wash);
• dry the tubers in the sun or in a well-ventilated dry place;
• select healthy fruits and discard the infected, cracked, rotten;
• place in a storage container.

How to keep potatoes in an apartment

Storage in an apartment involves choosing a place where the potatoes will be most comfortable. There are 3 locations:

1. In the entrance or storage room... It is cool in the entrance or closet and vegetables are always at hand, but there is a drawback: depending on the season, a different t regime is maintained.
2. On the balcony... The tubers feel comfortable on the balcony, subject to the t regime. The main thing is to put wooden boxes so that there are no gaps between them, they need insulation.
3. In the fridge... t not lower than 3C. Store potatoes for no more than 2 weeks.

Storing in an apartment involves placing the vegetable in the coolest and darkest place. However, the root crop cannot lie for a long time at room temperature.

If there are no other places, then you can consider the option of storing potatoes in the refrigerator.... There is a condition - to store no more than 10-14 days, observing the t regimen.

Which varieties are best kept

It is best to postpone late or mid-season varieties for the winter. The varieties are endowed with good keeping quality: Asterix, Atlant, Volat, Blue, Dolphin, Lad, Zhuravinka, Nevsky, Scarlett, Saturn.

Diseases and their causes

If stored improperly, potatoes can be affected by diseases:

• late blight... Hard spots appear on the tubers, in which the pulp is affected. Appears if one of the fruits has already been infected;
• dry rot... A white moldy coating appears on the peel. Occurs if the tubers have been moistened, transmitted with adhered soil. It is recommended to wash potatoes before storing;
• black scab... A fungus that attacks the flesh of the tuber. It is transmitted through the soil, with the wrong t mode, it quickly spreads to other potatoes;
• freezing potatoes... Occurs if the vegetable is stored at t below 2C.

When harvesting, you need to be more careful and carefully sort out the roots.

Correct temperature, containers

Comfort t mode +2 +3 degrees, and humidity 70-80%... Optimal temperature conditions: t + 5 + 10C.

It is better to store the vegetable in wooden boxes., which are called "bins". To prepare the boxes, you need to calculate the volume of the crop.

The bottom of the boxes should be raised 15 cm above the floor, the height of the sides should be 1-1.5 meters. Spaces between boards of 1-2 cm for ventilation. Top boxes are covered with a lid.

Storage features at different times of the year

There are 4 periods of keeping quality of potatoes:

1. Curative... Immediately after harvesting, it is necessary to create conditions for the ripening of tubers, the treatment of mechanical damage. During this period, you need to leave the crop at t12-18C on airing for 8-10 days.
2. Cooling... Ventilate the tubers with night air until t 1C. Ventilation takes place within 2-3 weeks.
3. The main one is the rest period... They are put in a room where the temperature regime is maintained at 2-4C. Once or twice a week, the room should be thoroughly ventilated for half an hour.
4. Spring - after the start of germination of potatoes. In February, when there is a risk of sprouting potatoes, you need to arrange stress hardening for it, reduce t to 1-3C. So you can save the tubers until May.

If you follow the rules, you can significantly extend the keeping quality of the root crop.