Storing Potatoes underground ?

[Rezgirl]

Storing vegtables underground

 

Does anyone have experience with this? I need to find a way to store 2 or 3 bushels of potatoes.

[Stephanie]

Oh wow, that's so interesting. I've never seen this before but will be interested to read other replies and see if others have.

 

 

[pricklypear]

Hi, Rezgirl! I know of two examples of this. First, storing potatoes in the fall through the winter in Ireland was done this way traditionally...they dug pits and lined them with straw and buried the potatoes, dug them up as needed...I don't know the full details but I do know many Irish survived for a long time with that system...

 

second, a farmer told me his father had an excellent cabbage crop at a time when other didn't; he buried the many cabbages in a big pit, covered in leaves, and stored them that way until he was able to sell them at a high price...

 

I think these are traditional methods...and would really be worth looking into...

[ol'momma]

Sounds like a root cellar to me. You can do the same with sawdust if you have a supply of it. Last time I had a whole lotta spuds to store I was fortunate and had a dry earth basement to stick em in...put them in a wooden box with burlap over them and they last the winter in the cool dark. this year they'll go in the garage in a laundry basket covered with same...wish me luck!

[Rezgirl]

I'm sure the potatoes would be ok. Grandpap had a cave, and the family would store potatoes there with good results. My biggest concern would be critters that like potatoes. It seems there should be something that would allow airflow, but would be closed in to keep out critters.

[anitapreciouspearl]

We don't have a root cellar and we have very cold winters so I have been pondering this idea as well.

 

The idea of having them in the basement in sawdust appeals to me better than having them in a pit in the back yard. I wonder if it's possible even if you don't have a really cold/cellar area in the basement??

 

I can get 50 pounds of potatoes for $10.00 but it's not a great deal if they all rot. I may experiment this winter and see what happens. I'll let you know.

[kathy003]

I don't do this for winter because our ground gets frozen, but I take care of senior citizens and care for a lady who is 91 years old. She grew up in Tennessee and this is the way her family stored potatoes and other vegetables in the wintertime. When they needed them, they would just go dig them up.

 

Since it was an oldtime practice I'll be it would work if you live in an area where the ground does not freeze.

[Rezgirl]

The ground does freeze here, If I do this, I (or whoever I can con) will dig a deep hole. I doubt if our ground freezes as deep as in MI. Cold nights here during the winter, but daytime temps are usually above freezing. It's usual to have snow on the ground for 2 weeks the end of Dec into Jan, and sometimes longer. After that any night snowfall melts by noon. We do not have a basement -Wish I did. I do have a storage shed. One year I put them in an ice chest in the shed, but they froze.

[HSmom]

Originally Posted By: Rezgirl

I'm sure the potatoes would be ok. Grandpap had a cave, and the family would store potatoes there with good results. My biggest concern would be critters that like potatoes. It seems there should be something that would allow airflow, but would be closed in to keep out critters.

half-inch welded wire

[Cricket]

I have an attached, unheated garage that does not go too far below freezing that works well for storing a couple bushels of potatoes and onions in winter.

 

We don't have a basement, but have a crawl space that might be useful for winter storage of larger harvests.

[kathy003]

A crawl space,, what a wonderful idea!

 

I wonder how convincing I would have to be to my DH for him to crawl under there to store extra food????

[Campy]

When I lived in my other house I made a "cold storage room" in the basement.

 

I framed up an 8'x10' area that had a foundation window. I used Homosote on the framing AND on the overhead beams to enclose AND insulate the area. Inside I made several shelves to store the vegetables on. I was fortunate enough to have a window in one corner of the basement so I used the basement walls for 2 of the walls.

 

A couple of things YOU MUST DO:

 

1. Any piping that goes through this area MUST HAVE HEAT TAPE ON IT. This is a thermostatically controlled tape. It comes on about 36 - 38 degrees and cuts off about 42 - 44 degrees. This will keep any pipes from freezing. Do the pipe taping BEFORE you put the Homosote up on the ceiling.

 

2. Put a small oscillating fan in the room for air circulation.

 

3. If you do not have a screen for the cellar window, make one and install it (I suggest 1/4" wire mesh). This will keep the "critters" out.

 

To use the room, just open the window, plug in the heat tape (I usually leave it plugged in year round) and turn the fan on.

 

The food you put in there will store as well (maybe better than) as a root cellar (better air circulation). The cost is minimal (except for the heat tape), you do not have to go outside in the winter for your stored food and the cold room will not effect the temperature of the rest of the house.

[Simple]

I made a root ceilor out of the old stairwell coming out of my basement,,I insulated the brick wall's and the door that open's from the out side and then put dirt over it on the outside of it,,The inside door has insulation on the inside of it,,I used the 1" foam insulation to do this,,,it work's great for potato's,

[midwest prepper]

When are you supposed to dig sweet potatoes? Before or after frost?

[PoGo]

I’ve never grown sweet potatoes, research brought up this information from the Illinois extension.

It states sweet potatoes should be dug in the fall around the time of the first frost, and gives directions of what to do in case of frost.

 

http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/veggies/sweetpotato1.html

 

Quote:

…Harvesting

 

Early roots may be "robbed," starting in late summer, by digging into the side of the ridge and carefully removing some developing roots while leaving the plant in place. Dig the main crop of sweet potatoes around the time of the first frost in the fall. Use a spading fork or stout shovel and be careful not to bruise, cut or otherwise damage the roots. Dig below the level of the ridge and gradually move closer toward the plants, removing soil until the fat roots are exposed. Carefully dig under these roots to gauge the depth to dig as you go down the row.

 

Proper curing can be a problem in the cool fall season. Ideally, the roots should be allowed to dry on the ground for 2 to 3 hours, then placed in a warm room for curing (85°F and 85 percent humidity (if possible) for 10 to 14 days and then stored in a cool (55°F) location. Sweet potatoes should be handled as little as possible to avoid scuffing and bruising. In case of frost, cut the vines from the roots immediately to prevent decay spreading from the vines to the roots and dig sweet potatoes as soon as possible. Cold soil temperatures quickly lessen the roots’ ability to keep in storage. Do not allow roots drying in the garden to be frosted because they are quickly ruined. For best quality, use the potatoes as soon as possible after they have been stored...

 

[midwest prepper]

thank you so much==I got them in late,so want to leave them as long as possible so I will watch the weather.

[PoGo]

You're welcome, midwest prepper!

[Mt_Rider]

I've been raising purple Peruvian 'taters up here at 9,000' feet for years now. We are fortunate enough to have a semi-heated basement-garage area under the house. (Half-underground) Some things to consider with any roots is that they cannot freeze and thaw and freeze. Potatoes shouldn't even freeze once. That is the problem I've had while experimenting with methods. Our SUNNY daytime winter temps can get too warm in early winter. The hole in the ground method would work here if I could solve the access thru the frozen-solid ground later in winter...without creating an access that also lets the freezing temperatures go deeper into that hole. I've also heard to have more than one hole if you have a lot of roots to store (and don't mix roots within any one hole). That way if one is invaded or frozen, the others might be ok.

 

The point about air circulation is important. Roots like damp but not too damp. We pack the potatoes in our sand/bitty rock "soil" and they do pretty well.

 

Along with air circulation is the rodent problem. Mice usually are not a problem by the time my taters are dug. [doing that right now] But the past two nites I've had a different intruder in my garage....a blasted squirrel has been partying down there. He might have friends. WHAT a mess! And just when my freshly dug taters have to have good circulation to dry/cure. [you don't have that curing issue with store-bought] So I'll see if my creativity won last nite or ....critter won. [gonna be asking for squirrel recipes soon! ]

 

Another issue is using the roots up before they begin to sprout. Store potatoes are supposed to have a sprouting retardant but I've had some go to sprouts. Then all the stuff that makes them taste like potatoes is used up in the sprouting. So plan to use them quick if they begin this. My grown potatoes start WAY too early for our short season.... but then, I just use them for our next planting. I have a wild sprouted mess by the time these Mts allow planting. lol

 

 

You will do better storing any root crop if you just keep an eye on them. Check them often. Sort completely thru them now and again ...checking for bad ones. Get rid of bad ones fast or it spreads. Don't store any that have nicks and blemishes.

 

 

 

Good luck and tell us how it went if you try it.

 

 

MtRider [digging and digging and digging..... ]

[sassenach]

Thanks for the info ladies, this may come in handy even in my apartment here, for the manner in which to store some sweet and other potatoes.

[Rezgirl]

Thanks to all for your imput. Mt-Rider I think what you said about the temputure fluctuating would hold true here as well. I'm thinking I may not risk it. My original concern was that mice and kangaroo rats would get to them. I do think that would be easy to prevent with a fine mesh wire cage or such. However the freezing and thawing would sure ruin everything in a short shake. Perhaps I'll dehydrate them. I don't have the potatoes yet, my parents are sending them from Maryland on a load that is coming to the Mission where we go to church. So I still have time to think this through.