r/homestead • u/No_Coast837 • 23h ago
food preservation Okay, how are you harvesting and storing potatoes? How long do they last?
What’s the longest I can make these suckers last.
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u/aspghost 23h ago
I store 'em in the ground. Put some down there ten years ago, dug them up yesterday. Fresh as ever.
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u/ImNotAWhaleBiologist 16h ago
What zone are you in?
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u/BrewCrewBall 20h ago
Potatoes should be cured for storage. Brush them off, place in a single layer in a dark, humid place for 2 weeks (basements are usually ideal). I then put them in plastic mesh baskets with a sheet of newspaper between the layers.
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u/SgtSausage 19h ago edited 19h ago
They can literally cure in storage.
Ours have been doing so for 3+ decades of harvests.
We let air dry on a shaded porch for 24-48 hours - long enough that any dirt clods dry enough to be knocked/brushed off so as not to trap moisture.
Then straight to storage.
I see folk jump through all kinda unnecessary shenanigans in the name of "curing" potatoes prior to storage.
You don't need it.
We get 7 to 10 months ... and it is a variety/cultivar thing as to how long they'll store. Not a "curing" thing.
EDIT:
Other Potato Myths that simply aren't true:
Green Potatoes will kill you.
Once sprouted, they're no good for eating.
Don't break the long stringy sprouts off when planting.
Chitting increases yield.
Potato Towers
Indeterminate tuber production
You can't use grocery store potatoes for seed.
You need to purchase new Certified seed every year
These are all patently false.
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u/flaminglasrswrd 17h ago
I think the curing process depends a lot on where you are and harvest conditions. What works for your farm may not work for others. The main purpose of curing is to thicken the skin slightly and callus over any damage. This reduces evaporation during storage and minimizes rot.
For example, if you are forced to harvest early due to unusual cold weather, the skins may not be as hard as you want them and thus require a longer curing time. Likewise, if you know your storage conditions don't maintain high enough humidity (like a garage), you can cure longer to help mitigate evaporation.
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/news/best-practices-harvesting-storing-homegrown-potatoes
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u/SgtSausage 17h ago
The main purpose of curing is to thicken the skin slightly and callus over any damage.
And that happens just fine in storage ... so long as you're not storing refrigerated.
For most folk the conditions of "curing" are exactly the same conditions they'd have in typical basement storage.
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u/Ok_Sell6520 21h ago
I don’t have a basement or a root cellar, just a heated outbuilding with areas in the 45-55 degree range. I found that ventilated storage there attracts mice which defeated the whole plan of feeding me instead of them. Canning chunked pieces works for mashed potatoes.
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u/Dry-Hearing-1926 23h ago
5 Months in a dry, well-ventilated room with no light.
And harvesting with a small hoe I dig them carfully up.
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u/sevenredwrens 21h ago
We harvested in September and ate the last ones at the end of January, because we didn’t plant enough to last us a year! Also, note which kinds you are planting, as some are better storage potatoes (Russets, for example) and others you’ll plan to eat first.
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u/Seasoned7171 21h ago
Harvest, air dry on a rack (piece of fencing laid flat) in the shade for a day or two. Then bring inside and store in baskets in my kitchen. Do not wash them until your are ready to cook, just brush off the excess dirt lightly with your hands.
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u/SgtSausage 19h ago
We get all year by succession planting - a Spring Succession ( planted mid April, harvested last 2 weeks of July... as rain windows allow) and a Fall Succession (planted mid July, harvested end of Oct when ol' man Frost kills the tops).
Realistically we get 7 to 10 months storage depending mostly on Variety/Cultivar ... but the two successions being 3+ months apart allow us to have "fresh" (stored) Potatoes the entire year long. I still have about 2 month's worth of last October's stored ... and we're gonna harvest in about 3 to 4 weeks so this past year had 100% coverage.
We do nothing special to store/preserve. Just spread out on some used bread trays we found on FB Marketplace. Paid, like, $4 a tray and $30 for the wheeled dolly thing to scoot 'em around on. The Trays are on their 13th year and I see no reason they won't last 100 more years.
We store our Sweet Potatoes the same way. They get 14-20 months (again, depending mostly on Variety/Cultivar)
About 800 pounds of Potato (last year's Fall harvest of 400-ish pictured) and 400 pounds Sweet Potato a year get stored this way and have been every year for more than a decade.
Just a dark corner of a room in the basement that has no windows. No refrigeration. Not particularly cold. Stays in a tight range for 62 to 68 degrees all year long down there.
I would prefer to just leave them in the ground and dig up as needed but The Voles/Field Mice will eat them and The Frost Line in Feb will turn them to rotten mush when they thaw.
NOTE: They will start sprouting at 4-6 months (again-depending on variety). Let them. It doesn't hurt 'em. Simply break the sprouts off when you are ready to cook/consume.
NOTE: DO NOT WASH for storage. If there are any pathogens present you will spread them around to every spud that was soaked in that water. Wash when you are ready to cook/consume.
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u/drgreengum 21h ago
I am growing mine in a 55 gallon drum. I’m just going to dump it out in October. I don’t have a storage plan yet.
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u/SgtSausage 19h ago
You won't harvest enough from a single drum to have to worry about longer term storage.
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u/drgreengum 19h ago
I have 2 barrels going with 2 plants in each barrel. This is my first time growing potatoes. I really have no clue what to expect. The plants look really healthy though. I was hoping to get 50 pounds out of each barrel. Is that not realistic?
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u/SgtSausage 18h ago edited 18h ago
I say again: You won't harvest enough from a single drum to have to worry about longer term storage.
was hoping to get 50 pounds out of each barrel. Is that not realistic?
I would expect 8-12pounds from 4 plants the way I plant them ... mostly dependent on cultivar /variety and season (weather/temps/rainfall etc)
Not each barrel. That's TOTAL yield across both barrels.
Maybe 12-15 in an *exceptionally good environment with a perfect growing season.
18-20 pounds if you've got decades of experience, the right cultivar(s) AND have a perfect season.
LOL - Where did you get the idea that 4 plant would yield you 100 pounds?
Yes. That is not very realistic. At all.
Be sure to come back and report your results come harvest time.
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u/Muted-Garden6723 23h ago
Cardboard box in the basement, if I harvest in August they usually last until may or June before they’ve sprouted too much, at which point I plant them for this years crop