Where is it better to store potatoes if there is no cellar?

For the storage of vegetables, people traditionally used cellars and cellars. But what to do for those who do not have them, where to store potatoes in the apartment? There are several secluded places in which potatoes lie until spring and do not spoil. You can use the kitchen, balcony, loggia, pantry, corridor, refrigerator. The main thing is to create the right conditions.

Optimal storage space

On average, potatoes are stored for 6–7 months, and when ideal conditions are created - 10 months maximum. The choice of location is crucial. The room must have the correct temperature, humidity and lighting. In addition, the climate must be constant. The best place to store potatoes is traditionally considered the cellar.

Storage conditions

Potatoes contain a lot of water and starch, which are easily changed. Water evaporates, freezes, and starch disintegrates - and then the product spoils irreversibly.

Potato storage conditions are quite strict:

• Temperature. At +5–7 degrees, tubers last for as long as 6–7 months, sometimes longer. At temperatures from +7 to +10, the shelf life of the product is reduced to 3 months. If the temperature is from +2 to +3, the crop will lie for 1 month, and then it will gradually disappear.
• Humidity. The optimal humidity level for storing potatoes is 75–80%. To measure it, you should use a hygrometer.
• Ventilation. Stagnant air harms the potato - it must “breathe”. It is important that there are ventilation openings in the container. In addition, you must periodically ventilate the room itself to prevent mold and mildew.
• Lighting. Like most foods, potatoes are stored in the dark. If the room has windows, vegetables protect from direct sunlight.

Not every potato variety is well and long stored. The best in this regard are mid-season and yellow varieties. Harvested in the last decade of autumn is very waterlogged and is not suitable for storage. It is eaten primarily or dried well for storage.

Where to store potatoes in the apartment?

Living rooms are poorly suited for storing potatoes. The conditions necessary for its preservation are completely uncomfortable for humans. Therefore, there are not so many options. We suggest to study them and decide where it is better to place the crop.

In the kitchen

If the volume of potatoes is small, then you can store it under a sink in the kitchen. The room itself is not entirely suitable for storing vegetables - it is too warm, and in the process of cooking, humidity and air temperature change from time to time. But the space under the sink is almost perfect for potatoes. Here the temperature is lower, and dark, and damp enough. For a month, the potato will lie for sure, and will not go bad.

On the balcony or loggia

The glazed balcony and loggia are worthy competitors for the cellar. In winter, they are quite cool and damp, and the size of the room allows you to place a lot of potatoes. The product is poured into wooden boxes. Then they are placed on top of each other or on racks, and on top they are covered with burlap or other shading material. If the balcony is not glazed or cold in itself, containers with potatoes will be properly insulated. So that the vegetables do not freeze, you can cover the crates with foam from the inside. In severe frosts, containers are additionally covered with old blankets or warm clothes.

In the pantry

Pantries in the apartment are most often not heated and therefore are excellent for storing potatoes. Here vegetables can safely lie until spring, if you arrange the right conditions. In addition, there is no need to insulate the boxes. But you need to take care of the optimal level of humidity in the room. So that the tubers do not fade, wet cloth is hung nearby, which is wetted with water as it dries.

In the corridor (entrance)

In an apartment where space is limited, storing potatoes is problematic. The idea of ​​storing potatoes in a common corridor comes to the rescue. The temperature in it is much lower than in the apartment, and the conditions are almost the same as in the cellar.

It is best to use a large drawer for storage. For security, you can hang a lock on it.

In fridge

Here, the vegetable can be stored in the lower compartment for 5 to 7 days. The refrigerator is not suitable for long-term storage, at least because of its small size. And the potatoes in it freeze easily. Due to low temperatures, starch begins to decay. After cooking, the tubers become excessively friable and sweet.

But the Khrushchev refrigerator is better for storing potatoes. This is such a niche under the kitchen window. The temperature in it is above street temperature, but below home. In modern versions, the refrigerator is made of plastic. It also has an adjustment hole. If a low temperature is needed, it is opened, and if a higher temperature is closed.

Storage tank

On the bare floor, potatoes quickly deteriorate, so they must be placed in containers. It is advisable to put it on a shelf or a slight elevation of 25 cm.

Potatoes should not be stored in plastic bags and bags. The container must be well ventilated, with holes, breathable. What can be used?

• Bags. Potatoes are most often stored in burlap. It is inexpensive and convenient. Made from natural fibers, they pass air well and retain heat.
• Boxes. It is preferable to use wooden boxes with slots of 4-5 cm, covered with a layer of paint from the outside. But plastic containers for vegetables are also suitable for storage.
• Grid. Promotes good air circulation, which is why potatoes are less susceptible to various diseases and spoilage. Nets and set on pallets 25 cm and covered with burlap, straw or other materials that retain heat.
• Wicker baskets and boxes. Used for small volumes of potatoes. Openings for ventilation are cut out in cardboard boxes.

A 1 cubic meter container holds up to 350 kg of potatoes.

How to store potatoes at different times of the year?

In winter, the main task is to maintain permissible humidity and prevent the potatoes from freezing. But in the summer, the approach to storage is fundamentally different. In the heat of the sun, the tubers dry out and become tasteless. To keep them as long as possible, put a container of water next to them. You can cut off half a plastic bottle and pour water into it. Also, a cool place is chosen for potatoes, where direct sunlight does not fall. The maximum temperature at which the vegetable does not deteriorate is 28 degrees Celsius.

What other nuances need to be considered?

The organization of storage of potatoes is a whole science. In addition to choosing the right place and creating optimal conditions, you need to know some subtleties of storing potatoes:

• Potatoes should not be kept next to other vegetables. She tolerates the neighborhood only with beets.
• Tubers need to be sorted from time to time, to remove soft, rotten and with shoots. Otherwise, all the potatoes will go bad.
• Before storing potatoes do not wash, otherwise it will quickly rot.
• Wet potatoes must be dried under natural conditions by spreading the tubers at a distance from each other.
• When sprouts appear, the product should be eaten as quickly as possible until it is soft and green.
• Different varieties of potatoes should be stored separately. The fact is that they all begin to deteriorate at different times, and spoilage is a spreading process.For example, early ripe potatoes are usually stored until November. And if you put it in one box for a long-term look, the whole crop will deteriorate ahead of schedule.

Put a green apple, ginger root, or a sprig of wormwood in the potato. These folk remedies help delay the germination of tubers and prevent rot.

So, usually potatoes are stored in basements and cellars. In these conditions are considered the best. But you can arrange a suitable place inside the apartment. As an alternative to the cellar, a balcony, a pantry, a place under the sink in the kitchen are often used. The main thing is to comply with all storage conditions: maintain the correct temperature, humidity, protect the tubers from light. Then the crop will not go bad and will feed the whole family until spring.