# Long term storage of potatoes with NO root cellar!?



## barnyardfun (Mar 26, 2005)

My neighbors have been so graciously giving me all their unwanted potatoes. I have been very generously giving them to ANYONE who will take some home! I still have around 200lbs and I haven't even dug up my 120' row of potatoes!:stars:

I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO! I have dehydrated some and canned some. I would like to store some like they are for use later on down the road but don't know how. In my dreams I have a root cellar and maybe one day I will actually have one but right now I have nothing. 

Please give me some tips/secrets on what to do with all of these things!?!?!?!

I have nightmares of little potato people taking over my home!


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

I don't have a root cellar ether. Put all the potatoes in boxes that are ventilated and no light can get to them. Put them in the coolest place you can find. This works for me. Every year I plant the sprouting potatoes. They are still good to eat even if they are sprouting. I do cann a bunch tho, they are faster cooking That way, for things like breakfast.


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

Do you have somewhere with a concrete floor, put 2- 1" boards on the foor to make an air gap and put boxes on top of them. Cardboard boxes are fine. Put several layers of newspapers on top to keep light out. Make sure and let the potatoes dry good before boxing them but not in direct sunlight. They keep ok....James


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## Texasdirtdigger (Jan 17, 2010)

Shread some of them and dehydrate for Hashbrowns....I just today, put 50 lbs, in a gallon size package. They are really great to have on hand If you have a food processor, it will speed up the process Hope this helps and I wish I was close enough to help you dig! lol


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## Ruby (May 10, 2002)

You can also freeze some for mashed potatoes later. Just blanch and freeze. When you blanch them before freezing they don't turn dark.


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## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

When I was a kid Daddy always stored potatoes in a barn stall. It had a dirt floor. He would spread hay, then spread the potatoes on the hay and then sprinkle them with lime.


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## pattycake (May 16, 2010)

I don't have any tips to give but just wanted to say that you could donate some to the local food pantry.


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## jamala (May 4, 2007)

I put mine under a big shade tree in a wire trailer and sprinkle pickling lime on them, last year they kept until spring planting time, just be sure to go look at them every couple of days and pick out any that are starting to rot. This year we didn't have enough to keep any, after I canned we were all out, just not a good year in my garden.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Find a well-drained area in your garden. Dig a pit at least 3 feet deep, piling the dirt around it. Line it with 6" of dry straw. Dump the potatoes in, after making certain that they are dry. Cover potatoes with more straw and a tarp or plastic to keep rain out. Retrieve enough potatoes for a meal or two merely by reaching down through the straw. This also can be done with sweet potatoes in the South where cellars aren't common. Technical term is "clamp".

Martin


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## Rainy (Jan 21, 2010)

That's alot of tators. Wish i lived close i would buy some from you.
We kept ours in our barn,along with our onions. Also kept some under our house too. This was when i was growing up.


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## Spinner (Jul 19, 2003)

We used to keep ours in a pile of straw. A neighbor put a tarp under the house and spread them out on it. They kept all winter under there.


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## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

When I was younger we use to put the taters down in the well pit, they would last all winter into spring.>Thanks Marc


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Clamps, cellars, under houses, well pits; all are alike in storing the potatoes at reduced temperatures.

Martin


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## Rick (May 10, 2002)

leave yours in the ground.


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Rick said:


> leave yours in the ground.


Excellent advice for the OP's which are still in the ground. "One in the ground, two in the cellar." That's what I grew up with and it's so true. One more day left in the garden meant two more days in storage. I'm running into that right now. My early ones have been feeding us for exactly a month. Today I noticed that the additional 15+ hills of All-Red/Cranberry Red are fading fast in the main garden. Same number of Red Norlands also changing color from bright green to yellow. Not a single desire to dig a single hill of either, plus 4 other varieties, until around the first week in October. Only when they are dug and cured will their dormancy clock begin ticking.

Martin


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

You can also freeze hash browns. Just blanch them and put thom in big freezer or zip lock bags. I flatten them out when I freeze them so that they are skillet sized. No need to thaw out, just drop the pre-shaped frozen mass in the pan.


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## Rick (May 10, 2002)

Paquebot said:


> Excellent advice for the OP's which are still in the ground. "One in the ground, two in the cellar."
> 
> Martin


We dug some of our Kennebecs when needed until they ran out in March last year.


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## Sonshe (Jun 17, 2006)

jamala said:


> I put mine under a big shade tree in a wire trailer and sprinkle pickling lime on them,
> 
> 
> 
> Why do you put pickling lime on them?


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## whiterock (Mar 26, 2003)

Long ago i had neighbors with a house built on a steep slope, front was just off the ground and rear was about 5 ft. the area under the rear of the house was where they stored potatoes, they had a cellar as well, but used it for other things.


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## LonelyNorthwind (Mar 6, 2010)

Yeah, what's the lime do?
If you dehydrate some for hasbrowns, do you have to blanch them first? Won't they turn dark in the dehydrator? I'm wondering how I'm going to store mine too. The shed isn't heated so they'll freeze out there and the cabin's too small and warm. I don't have access to straw but there's lots of wood chips and sawdust to be had. I'm wondering if I can bury them in that, or would there be too much moisture in the sawdust? I'll have to figure this out pretty soon!
I've got reds in the 16' skiff to the left, Yukons in raised beds next to the cabin and russets & blues behind the water-catch shed. It's so far been the best growing season we've had in years!


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

Sawdust is perfectly OK for storing any root vegetables or potatoes. However, one can't use the clamp system in Alaska. That method has always been just for the southern half of the country where frost doesn't go very deep. Although sawdust does not easily conduct heat or cold, not certain how thick it would have to be for your coldest temperature. 

Martin


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## BackfourtyMI. (Sep 3, 2007)

The last couple years I froze some for roasting or frying. Worked Great & they don't turn brown either.

Cut up in bite size peices, put in a bowl with what ever herbs like rosemary, Thyme, parsley, etc. on them that you like. Toss in enough Olive oil & stir to make sure the potatoes are all coated in the olive oil. Put enough in freezer bags for a meal.

Roast in the oven at 400 degree's for about 35 minutes(depending on the size of your peices) on a cookie sheet.
Can also fry them in a pan or deep fry them, put them in a tin foil pouch on the grill even.


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## Ravenlost (Jul 20, 2004)

Sonshe said:


> jamala said:
> 
> 
> > I put mine under a big shade tree in a wire trailer and sprinkle pickling lime on them,
> ...


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## stef (Sep 14, 2002)

GrammasCabin...love your garden pictures!

stef


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## Itilley (Jul 29, 2008)

We made an insulated room in our cellar as a root cellar. We kept potatoes very well down there along with winter squash and our canned goods. The room never froze and to build it was a weekend job. Unfornutately we no longer are able to do the stairs so we can't store as much. We do have a small room unused now that is unheated and we keep some items there. Instead of buying 50-100 lbs of potatoes we keep 25 lb bags in there. We did find that buying the best potatoes seemed to keep longer.

Hope you find a plan to help you.

RenieB


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

The use of lime is a Southern thing due to certain molds that exist there, especially in regards to early potatoes. Temperatures would not be able to be maintained cool enough otherwise. Especially when ideal storage temperature is 36ÂºF. 

Martin


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## barnyardfun (Mar 26, 2005)

Will they not rot if I leave them in the ground? Should I get some hay or something and roll out on top of them? The plants all died a couple weeks ago and I just haven't had the heart to go out and dig them up when I already have MORE then a house full!

I bought some cheap round laundry baskets the other day and took some of the nicest looking potatoes and layered them with burlap in the baskets. Now if I could just find a halfway cool place to keep them.......

I would love love love to have a root cellar here but our water table is so high that a traditional one would not work. Besides that DH doesn't seem to be too interested in a project like that. 

Thanks for all the ideas! Keep 'em coming!


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

barnyardfun said:


> Will they not rot if I leave them in the ground? Should I get some hay or something and roll out on top of them? The plants all died a couple weeks ago and I just haven't had the heart to go out and dig them up when I already have MORE then a house full!


Southern grown potatoes can not be left in the field due to rot caused by Sclerotium rolfsii/Athelia rolfsii. That's a soilborne fungus sometimes referred to as Southern blight. It's one of the prime reasons why most of the nation's potatoes are grown in the colder North. When grown commercially in the South, it is as an early spring crop. 

Martin


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## CornerstoneAcre (Mar 10, 2011)

Okay this is a really old post, but it came up while searching if I could use my well pit as a root cellar. Can somebody tell me if I can use 5 gallon buckets to store them in? I can much easier lower and raise a 5 gallon bucket into our pit than a box. If this is feasible, I have a few questions.
1) do I layer them with straw (will hay work)?
2) Can I put the lids on the buckets
3) How do I keep critters out of the potatoes?

Thanks!!


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## Paquebot (May 10, 2002)

A piece of 3/4" plywood over the well would prevent freezing if it were shallow. Either straw or hay would work as both insulation and absorbing moisture. And critters in a well? Lids or piece of screen or hardware cloth cut to just fit inside would keep them out.

Martin


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## MidwestGal (Nov 5, 2010)

I had a friend that used to store hers in 5 gal buckets in some sand.


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## MidwestGal (Nov 5, 2010)

She also stored carrots the same way. She was an old-timer and always did it that way she said. I guess most/all root vegetables could be stores that way?


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

barnyardfun said:


> My neighbors have been so graciously giving me all their unwanted potatoes. I have been very generously giving them to ANYONE who will take some home! I still have around 200lbs and I haven't even dug up my 120' row of potatoes!:stars:
> 
> I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO! I have dehydrated some and canned some. I would like to store some like they are for use later on down the road but don't know how. In my dreams I have a root cellar and maybe one day I will actually have one but right now I have nothing.
> 
> ...


If you have a crawl space under your house a root cellar of sorts can be improvised there. Basically what you need is a cool (but above freezing), dry, ventilated space that can be sealed off from any light source. An old refrigerator laid on its back will suffice... if you are in a cold climate cover it with straw or hay to reduce risk of freezing.


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## Trailboy (Jun 4, 2014)

As the other person said, I stumble upon this while looking for storage ideas, I was thinking of storing the tater in a tote with sawdust or hay around them, would you need to put an oxygen absorber or anything in there? Or if you put them in a 5 gal bucket, would you need to use an oxygen absorber?

My wife thinks I am crazy, gardens aren't even done yet and I am planning for next years crop :happy:

Thanks!
Tim


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## TnAndy (Sep 15, 2005)

Putting an oxygen absorber in anything not COMPLETELY sealed is a waste of oxygen absorbers. They will absorb oxygen in the immediate vicinity, which will simply be replaced by some more. 

In fact, when you open a pack of them, you better use them in a sealed container pretty quick, or they become quite useless.

To the original question:

Storing potatoes LONG TERM, either dehydrate them, or do what we do:










Unless your root cellar stays in the 35-40 degree range starting from the time you dig potatoes, 'long term' is going to consist of maybe February.


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## Use Less (Nov 8, 2007)

Potatoes being what they are, eat all you can fresh, and donate the rest along to a foodbank or the church supper. LOVE 'em right out of the ground, but can't justify the the work & expense of processing or home storage in the absence of a cool, dark cellar. Are you in a location where you/the neighbor can put out a stand and sell roadside? How about looking for someone with a farmstand or who hauls to farm market, to sell on shares?


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## BlackFeather (Jun 17, 2014)

In the 1500's the English used to bury their potatoes in Hell for the winter. Back then Hell was just a pit or hole in the ground, The King James Bible uses that word for grave or pit. As mentioned before they would cover with straw so as to prevent freezing, and cover with dirt.


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

Feed them to the pig, harvest and store the pig. That way you can tell people that you grew a pig in your garden.


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