Tips for Harvesting and Storing Potatoes
Growing your own food can be very rewarding and exciting - but it can also be quite frustrating.
When your garden produces its first crops of the season, it’s easy to be overeager and ready to harvest too soon. It’s important to look for the signs to know when your potatoes are ready to harvest and store.
Potatoes are one of the most straightforward crops to grow, with tell-tale signs that they’re ready to be harvested. Once harvested, they can be cured and stored for several months if done properly. You’ll be able to enjoy fresh potatoes all winter.
This article will explain the best way to harvest, cure, and store homegrown potatoes. It will provide specific details, including the different kinds of containers to use for storage. Read on for everything you need to know about harvesting and storing potatoes.
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What is the Best Way to Store Home Grown Potatoes?
To properly store your homegrown potatoes, the best storage practices begin in the field before your crop is harvested. Follow these tips to get the most out of storing your potatoes:
Reduce water several weeks before harvest to begin toughening the skins
Let the vines die all the way before harvesting
Cure potatoes in moderate temperatures with high humidity for ten days
Clean the excess dirt from your potatoes before storing them
Cull them to ensure no bad potatoes are mixed in with the good
Store long-term in a room with a temperature of 30-40℉ (2-4℃)
Do not store with apples or other fruit that give off gases
For more information on storing your homegrown potatoes, you can watch this video:
Storing Potatoes from Harvest to Table: Step-by-Step Guide
Potatoes are one of the most straightforward crops to grow and are great for beginning gardeners. Another benefit is the food you will have through the winter if you harvest your crop correctly.
One of the most important factors, perhaps the most important, is ensuring your crops are ready to be harvested before you start digging them up. Looking for the tell-tale signs that your crops are mature is essential to getting this step right.
Once you start digging them up, you’ll need to be careful to ensure you don’t damage any potatoes in the process. Taking care of your crop will guarantee you the most bounty. Before you proceed to the next step, you’ll need to ensure your potatoes are dry.
When Are Potatoes Ready for Harvest?
Depending on if you want new potatoes or storage potatoes, the difference will determine when you harvest your crop. New potatoes are harvested when the potatoes are still small and have thin skins. This is roughly around the 50 to 55-day mark after planting the seeds.
You’ll know they have formed when you see the appearance of flowers. After the first flowers appear, you can begin your harvest. The best way to extend the harvesting season of new potatoes is to stagger the planting of the seeds.
For the storage-type potatoes, the process is slightly different. These are also known as main-crop potatoes and are ready to be harvested at the growing season’s end. You’ll recognize their readiness when the foliage turns yellow and dries out.
However, despite technically being ready at this point, the potatoes must remain in the ground for two more weeks from when the foliage dies back to allow the skins to thicken more.
Tips for Harvesting Potatoes From the Garden
When harvesting your potatoes, it’s essential to take care not to damage them. Any damaged potatoes must be eaten immediately or discarded to protect the rest of the harvest, as one bad potato mixed in with the rest can destroy the entire batch.
That being said, you’ll want to dig your potatoes up as carefully as possible. You can use a gardening fork or spade, but be mindful that you don’t pierce any of the potato skins.
Once you have freed your potatoes from the soil, brush them off but do not wash the caked-on dirt the best you can. Allow them to dry for approximately one hour while resting outside.
Harvesting should also be completed on a warm, dry day.
How Long Do Potatoes Need to Dry After Harvest?
Newly harvested potatoes should be allowed to rest in the garden for at least an hour. This time will allow them to dry out after spending all that time in the moist soil. Additionally, the built-up soil on them will fall off as it dries out.
How Do You Cure Potatoes After Harvesting?
Once you have dried your potatoes, you will need to place them in a clean cardboard box or paper bag to begin the curing process. It is very important for this step that they be completely dry. You’ll need a location that is out of direct light.
They’ll need to be stored at a temperature of 50 to 60℉ (10 to 15.5℃) and relative humidity of approximately 95%. These conditions help the potatoes’ minor cuts and abrasions heal, toughening their skins. This step is essential if you plan on long-term storage.
If you're concerned about airflow in such an environment, it's okay to add a fan - just make sure the humidity and temperatures remain adequate.
How Do You Store Garden Potatoes Long Term?
Ensuring that every potato you harvest is in good condition is essential to keep your crop fresh while in storage. Just like the old adage that one bad apple can spoil the whole bushel, one bad potato can spoil your whole harvest.
As you cull your potatoes, look for signs of bad spots that could lead to trouble or anywhere you may have accidentally punctured with your gardening tools. These spots will cause significant damage in storage, and the potatoes should be eaten immediately.
Once you have your potatoes culled, it’s time to choose the proper storage container and location. There are many different options, and not all are created the same. You’ll need to weigh the choices and choose which one is right for you.
From freezing and canning to storing in your root cellar, the options range in levels of creativity and intensity. However, the choice is yours in how you wish to preserve your potato crop.
Do You Wash Potatoes Before Storing?
Ideally, the only cleaning you should do to your potatoes is gently remove the caked-on dirt and soil after they have had the opportunity to dry. When you do this, you’ll need to be careful with the skin to avoid damaging it.
However, there are cases when light washing may be necessary. When the soil is fine or sticky and is more of a clay, washing gently washing is acceptable. You will need to ensure the potatoes are completely dry before storing them, or they will rot.
In general, washing is not necessary and can be risky for your newly harvested potatoes. Scrubbing too hard can damage the skin, making the potatoes unsafe for storage.
Storing Potatoes in Fridge
Storing your potatoes in the fridge is not ideal. In fact, it can be bad for your health. The colder temperature causes the starch in the potatoes to turn into sugar, which is bad for a couple of reasons.
Your potatoes will be much sweeter than they’re supposed to be, potentially ruining anything you try to cook with them. They’ll also darken when cooked. The sugaring effect is also known to produce carcinogenic compounds when cooked at high temperatures.
Additionally, storage time is not improved by placing them in the fridge, so you have nothing to gain by doing this except ruined potatoes.
The only time potatoes stored in the fridge is a good idea is when they’re already cooked. However, in this case, it’s self-explanatory that they need to be kept refrigerated.
Storing Potatoes in Cardboard Boxes
A cardboard box is one of the best types of storage containers for potatoes. It allows for maximum airflow throughout, preventing the formation of carbon dioxide and water vapor from the potatoes.
Similarly, paper bags, mesh bags, and baskets offer the same benefit and can be used as alternatives when cardboard boxes aren’t available.
Storing Potatoes in a Root Cellar
A root cellar or unheated basement is ideal for storing potatoes. The earthen walls help stabilize the temperature in a range that keeps the potatoes fresher for longer. However, the underground space may have a higher level of humidity, which can be problematic.
When the air is moist but doesn’t move, it can cause problems for the potatoes. Setting up a fan to move the air throughout the room could be enough to solve the issue.
Within the root cellar, you will need the proper storage container. It can range from a cardboard box to a crate. Never use anything like a plastic bag that will not allow air to flow freely through the potatoes, as this can lead to faster deterioration of the tubers.
Canning and Freezing Potatoes
Another option for storing your potatoes is freezing them. However, this doesn’t mean taking a whole potato and sticking it in the freezer. You will need to do some prep work, as a raw potato cannot be frozen.
Potatoes will need to be, at the very least, partially, if not fully, cooked before you freeze them. The good news is this makes them a lot easier to use when it comes to a quick side dish for dinner. They will already be processed and almost ready to eat.
Alternatively, you may can your potatoes and make them shelf stable for significantly longer than any amount of time they’d be good for in regular storage. To can potatoes, you must use a pressure canner, peel your potatoes, and parboil them (at a minimum). Always follow a recipe for this.
With the right preparation, you’ll be able to enjoy your canned potatoes for up to 18 months after you put them in storage. Depending on how you store them – diced, sliced, or whole – you can use them for a variety of recipes.
Storing Potatoes in Crates
Using crates is a great idea for storing potatoes; however, you want an option with holes small enough that the potatoes will not fall through when lifted. Alternatively, you can line the bottom with material to prevent this from happening.
Like cardboard and mesh boxes, crates allow maximum airflow so that the potatoes can breathe in storage. This setup ensures you get the longest storage period for your harvest, enjoying potatoes throughout the winter.
Because crates can be so wide open, you will want to ensure that they are not exposed to direct light, especially sunlight, as this can turn your potatoes green, making them inedible.
Can You Eat Freshly Dug Potatoes?
While you’ll probably want to cure and store most of your harvest, you’ll also want to get a taste of a few freshly dug potatoes. Doing this is perfectly fine. Ensure you clean them thoroughly before cooking to get all the soil from them.
Additionally, as you dig up your harvest, any that are accidentally damaged or appear to have a trouble spot will need to be set to the side and eaten quickly. These potatoes do not need to go through the curing process and can be processed for eating that day.
Get the most out of your harvest by trying some the day you dig your potatoes up.
Final Thoughts
Harvesting and storing potatoes can be time-consuming, but in the end, it’s very rewarding. With fresh potatoes available throughout the winter, you’ll be glad you put in the effort. This easy crop is a great choice for those just beginning their gardening endeavors.
Potatoes are ready to harvest for storage when their foliage begins to yellow and die off. Waiting another two weeks will allow them to fully mature. Then, they can be gently harvested, dried, and cured before being placed into storage.
Storing them in a cardboard box, paper bag, crate, or another container that allows air to freely flow through it is ideal. Always avoid containers such as plastic bags. Following all these suggestions will lead to the best results with your potato crop.
What do you think? Easy enough, right? Get started with potatoes today and be sure to add their planting to your spring gardening timeline. Let me know your favorite potato recipes and storage tips in the comments!
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