Prolong the life of potatoes grown in your garden by storing them properly.
Growing your own potatoes in your garden can be a rewarding endeavor. If you store the potatoes properly, they can last a long time in storage. Potatoes need to ripen completely before you dig them from the ground, to prolong the storage life. Storing the potatoes will allow you to use the abundant amount that your garden produced without worrying about them going to waste. Potatoes that you store properly from the garden can last as long as eight months in the appropriate conditions.
Instructions
1. Avoid watering the potatoes a lot after they flower. This will toughen the potatoes so that they will last longer in storage.
2. Examine the potato vines in your garden. Do not dig them out of the ground until the vines die back completely and appear yellow in color. Avoid puncturing the tubers when you harvest them.
3. Wash the potatoes off to remove the dirt. Dry the potatoes off with a clean towel.
4. Place the potatoes in a location with a temperature range between 50 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a hygrometer to find a location that has a humidity range between 85 and 95 percent. Keep the potatoes in this location for 10 days.
5. Look through the potatoes to remove any unhealthy ones. Discard any potatoes that appear diseased or discolored.
6. Put the potatoes in a dark location away from moisture with adequate air circulation. The temperature range will need to remain between 35 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit and the humidity level needs to remain high--between 85 and 95 percent--to minimize shrinkage. Store the potatoes in this location for up to eight months.
7. Check on the potatoes periodically. Remove any discolored and diseases potatoes to keep the others healthy.
Tags: your garden, between degrees, between degrees Fahrenheit, degrees Fahrenheit, eight months, last long
