Potatoes are a vegetable and you can store potatoes without having to refrigerate, freeze, can or dehydrate them. Although you can if you do all those things if you wish, most people store them whole. Potatoes need to be stored in place that stays cool, has high humidity and will be in darkness. The ideal place needs to be 45 to 50 degrees F. Storing potatoes in temperatures less than 45 degrees will turn the starch in potatoes into sugar. If you store them in a place that is warmer than 50, then the potatoes will start to sprout. Storing your potatoes in peat moss slows decay. Peat moss draws moisture from the potatoes and atmosphere and then gives the moisture back to the potatoes if they begin to dry.
Allow Potatoes to Cure
You need to allow the potatoes to cure before you dig them. Don’t be in such a hurry to dig them up after the leaves shrivel and turn brown. Leave the potatoes in the ground for at least 2 weeks after the vines die back.
Begin digging the potatoes out of the ground. Don’t do it on a day when the ground is wet, like after a rain if you can possibly avoid doing so. Potatoes have to be very dry before you store them. We always used a garden fork to dig up the plants, but one word of warning. Sometimes you find that you have speared a potato with the tines of the fork.
Rub off the excess dirt and place the potatoes in buckets, pails or boxes. Use the container you want and can safely carry as you will need to move them from the garden and store them in a cool place. You don’t need to wash the potatoes as that is done right before you are going to use them in your cooking. Be sure not to store any potatoes that have a rotten spot, are mushy or are green in color.
Preparing for Storage
Gather up some Styrofoam coolers, five-gallon buckets or big plastic tubs and place them in the root cellar or basement. Put one or two inches of peat moss into the bottom of your empty container. Add a layer of potatoes and then another inch or two of peat moss. Continue layering until the container is full. Instead of peat moss, you can use sand.
Cover your container with a trash bag. You may have to stretch it over the top. Tape it so it stays put, but don’t completely seal it with tape. You need to allow the peat moss and sand to breathe.
You can also put your potatoes in a cardboard box. Put the potatoes in a cardboard box and then close the lid. The moisture that is in the air is absorbed by the cardboard. This will help keep your potatoes from spoiling.
Store in Nylon Stockings
I have also read where you put potatoes into nylon stockings. Place a potato into the toe of a clean nylon stocking. Tie it off and then add another potato and tie it off. Continue until the stocking is full of potatoes or you have run out of potatoes. I have not tried this, but it sounded interesting. It would work good if you only have a few to store.
Other Storage Ideas
Find a big plastic barrel and put this in the root cellar. Poke small holes into the sides of the barrel so it can breathe. Find some sand and put 2 inches of sand onto the bottom of the barrel. Now add a layer of potatoes and then add another layer of sand. Continue repeating the layers until the barrel is full. Put the lid on
Dig a pit and line this pit with waterproof tarp. Layer dirt and potatoes until you are out of potatoes. Cover the pit with another waterproof tarp. Cover this with some dirt to keep the tarp from blowing away.
Warning
It is important to keep the potatoes away from the light and do not store where temperatures are above 45 to 50 degrees. This will cause the potatoes to turn green quickly. This causes your potatoes to form solanum alkaloids. This is toxic to the body. If consumed in high doses it can affect the nervous system.
