when the sprouts form, they are converting the potato starch into simple sugars for plant use. The roots are attempting to form individual plants. The sugars will decompose quicker than the pure potato starch.
if you store potato too cool they will develop a green inner peel. but the green is supposed to add a sweet taste so that isnt entirely bad. You could build an above ground root cellar by mounding dirt over the top of the building. As long as you get enough dirt to insulate from summer heat.
Speaking of potatoes,I like cooking fry or bake potatoe wedges .do you know a recipe from scratch how to make a batter something like a curly fries season flavor ? please help on this one take your time.I searched on youtube didn't find anything unless I'm on the wrong search.
Potatoes...you know, we love them, but to be honest, we've never grown them. One of the reasons was I ALWAYS plant more than we need, and I really had no idea how to store them. Any suggestions for Central Florida? Can we store them here??
I was wondering about the small refrigerator as kokonutbaby suggested...any thoughts??
@DubandDebs I'm in southeastern Virginia and I suspect we have the same issues with heat and inability to have a root cellar. Keeping the potatoes in contact with that cool concrete floor is the best solution I've been able to come up with. The refrigerator would probably work but the cost of running it might make those potatoes a bit expensive.
@imstillworkin One of those 12 V electric coolers run off a solar panel would work and no electric bill. pick up a cooler at a yard sale for lower cost.
What about getting one of those little mini refrigerators like people put in campers or vans? Then you can set the temp on whatever you want and of course they then would be in a cool, dark, damp place...just a thought.
@sarahfarrar1 It's in my video "Saving Energy". It's easy to do, just cut the insulation with a hand saw. It cuts easy as butter. Cut the pieces so that they will be held in place by the grooves around the panels of the door then just put the insulation in there. You can do this. They sell kits but they are pricey and I think their insulation is thinner. Keeping the garage a better temperature has made my entire house more comfortable.
I know you get hot too, but this summer was exceptionally hot for us. What is your average for summer? We had sooo many 110 degree days this summer. We aren't used to quite such a hot summer, but I've bee chasing the "potato storer" for awhile now. How hot do you believe your garabe got this summer? Surely we'll find something that will allow us to store these spuds.
@sherldoe We have very hot summers too. When it was 109 degrees outside it was about 79 degrees in my garage because I insulated my garage door. That door faces south and the sun beating on it used to make my garage like an oven. The insulation has stopped that. Even at 79 degrees the concrete floor stays cold and the contact with the cold floor seems to transfer through the potatoes and keep even the ones in the top of the cardboard box cool enough to keep them.
Just a question? Those red potatoes... could you save them in soil? I mean - they start to go down like the way you showed and you worry that they won't last till spring, well - what if you just dug them into a barrel of soil/sand or compost and tried to make them work for their keep while making them wait for spring? My potatoes love to send up shoots in the dark - any cool will slow them down but won't stop them...so I just wondered if that would work.
@ruby2sday2009 I'm in zone 8 and I'm afraid that with our mild climate the potatoes would grow very well right now only to be killed to the ground when the cold hits. It rarely gets very cold here but when it does, it does, and it would most likely wipe them out if they had a lot of growth. Today it was 70 degrees to give you an idea of what it's like.
You might try wrapping them in plastic wrap then in cooler.I read once where dahlia growers did this to store them and dahlias are tubers too. Like the old saying goes. Research is what I do when I don`t know what i`m doing.LOL . Good luck.
thanks for posting this one. its really got me thinking about coming up with my own solutions. I have been keeping them in a bin in the laundry room so far. i live in an apartment so i am limited on solutions.I wonder what a dark low cabinet might due if its stays cool under there. What do you think?
@imstillworkin I checked on them yesterday, looking so-so. A little wrinkly and some small sprouts. The colder weather should help them last thru the winter, maybe. Its been 6 months since they were dug, so I can't complain too much.
@255sage Mice haven't bothered them at all, even though those sweet potatoes were left open like that. I keep traps set in the garage just in case and I did kill one mouse last year, but the little booger didn't bother the potatoes.
Thank you. eventually I'll start putting up video on my channel and you'll know why I'm grateful. I have a little potato project going and hadn't figured out storage.
What I'm seeing is that the potato is like a "sprout bomb". Don't know. Still learning. I guess if the sprout doesn't go off they don't wilt.
MayeuxMinistries said they stored them 2 YEARS, in crates, in a barn, in Louisiana.
Mine last 2-3 months. You're doing better than I am.
@McHenryAnge Too much heat is what causes them to sprout. I wish I could get them cooler, thought about covering them with a styrofoam cooler. If they are kept too cold, below 42 they claim the starch will convert to sugar and when you cook them they'll turn black. Between 42 and 50 degrees is optimal.
@MsAnna4040 The garage gets close to 80 degrees in the summer, around 50 in the winter. Those potatoes have suffered through the worst part, it should be less stress on them from here on out.
an idea for planting a little earlier, if you can get fresh manure, dig a trench deep enough for layers, place fresh manure in for heat, layer of straw several inches, potatoes, than dirt or straw, dirt is better keeps potatoes a bit warmer, if you end up with more cold spells, tops will freeze back, but potatoes keep from the manure heat, several inches of straw on top just makes a bit warmer, have done this, and it works, thanks for all the infor. you share
I wonder if they can be stored in a nylon type bag or laundrybag, or burlap type sack then hang them on a hook out of light. I do beleave you way will work. Thanks for the video.
@imstillworkin I relized that after I posted the comment on keeping them cool. We hang our onions on hooks at work but we go thru 20 pounds a week so they don't have a chance to go bad. The potatoes we keep in a cardboard box on the bottom shelf.
one thing I remembered from my youth is we used to go to grandma's house , she had a cellar and we had to go up there a couple times a season to take off sprouts , didn't like it but understand why we did it, it helped from the potato getting soft and keeping value was better.. I have mine in my back patio stays pretty cool there and should keep for awhile , my sweet potatoes too!
@dianemummvideos Thanks, I've broken the sprouts off of them once but I'm waiting for cooler weather before I break them off again. It's still warm here, 70 degrees today. I've searched for information about breaking the sprouts off but I didn't find anything.
@imstillworkin , something to think about my dad digs a 4-5 ft hole in the ground and stores a lot of things this way , cause their basement just isn't cool enough.. he says it works great too! I was thinking about doing that maybe sometime.. he then covers it with I guess I am not sure but something that you can easily remove..also humidity is a big thing.. you could try using a spray bottle and misting them once a week or something, just a thought.. :)
@dianemummvideos Thanks, I'm not sure if I can store anything in a hole around here, never heard of anyone doing it successfully. My mother-in-law said her father would pile potatoes up on top of the ground and cover them with burlap and a thick layer of dirt. We have to worry about flooding here. I was going to try it when I dug the potatoes but the ground was too hard to dig that much dirt. I've wondered if sitting a bowl of water in the middle of the potatoes would help with the humidity.
the Lord blessed me with 10.5 bushels and I have 2 bushels left.. if feels good to give away 8.5 bushels.. a cool, dry and dark place is the key.. in the cellar on a pallet would be good.. last year mine lasted til April.. thank you for the video.. :)
I have a crawl space under the house, it gets down to 35* every winter and no sprouts on the potatoes until about july. I use laundry baskets. Good important video.
@jasonmushersee Thanks, heat is my enemy when it comes to storing potatoes. We had 109 degree days this summer and the garage would be close to 80. Those sprouts are a result of that. Now that it's starting to cool down, well kind of, it's 70 outside today, that sprouting should slow down.
when the sprouts form, they are converting the potato starch into simple sugars for plant use. The roots are attempting to form individual plants. The sugars will decompose quicker than the pure potato starch.
BornRandy62 1 month ago in playlist More videos from imstillworkin
if you store potato too cool they will develop a green inner peel. but the green is supposed to add a sweet taste so that isnt entirely bad. You could build an above ground root cellar by mounding dirt over the top of the building. As long as you get enough dirt to insulate from summer heat.
BornRandy62 1 month ago in playlist More videos from imstillworkin
Speaking of potatoes,I like cooking fry or bake potatoe wedges .do you know a recipe from scratch how to make a batter something like a curly fries season flavor ? please help on this one take your time.I searched on youtube didn't find anything unless I'm on the wrong search.
coldpak82 2 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Just letting all my subscriptions no that I will no longer be subscribing as youtube is now awful sorry
bigfatcahoonas 2 months ago
wow great video. thanks
SteveHarpster 2 months ago
Potatoes...you know, we love them, but to be honest, we've never grown them. One of the reasons was I ALWAYS plant more than we need, and I really had no idea how to store them. Any suggestions for Central Florida? Can we store them here??
I was wondering about the small refrigerator as kokonutbaby suggested...any thoughts??
Anyway, great video and thanks for sharing!
DubandDebs 3 months ago
@DubandDebs I'm in southeastern Virginia and I suspect we have the same issues with heat and inability to have a root cellar. Keeping the potatoes in contact with that cool concrete floor is the best solution I've been able to come up with. The refrigerator would probably work but the cost of running it might make those potatoes a bit expensive.
imstillworkin 3 months ago
@imstillworkin One of those 12 V electric coolers run off a solar panel would work and no electric bill. pick up a cooler at a yard sale for lower cost.
astrialkil 1 month ago in playlist Uploaded videos
What about getting one of those little mini refrigerators like people put in campers or vans? Then you can set the temp on whatever you want and of course they then would be in a cool, dark, damp place...just a thought.
kokonutbaby1 3 months ago
@kokonutbaby1 That should work too. Just keep them between 42 and 50 degrees.
imstillworkin 3 months ago
tkx for sharing this info... :-)
skybirdbird 3 months ago
Lily - Which of your videos shows how you insulated your garage doors?
I think I'm going to try that.....rather, find someone to do it as I'm not as *capable* as you are;)
Did you say that you can buy garage door insulation kits somewhere?
sarahfarrar1 3 months ago
@sarahfarrar1 It's in my video "Saving Energy". It's easy to do, just cut the insulation with a hand saw. It cuts easy as butter. Cut the pieces so that they will be held in place by the grooves around the panels of the door then just put the insulation in there. You can do this. They sell kits but they are pricey and I think their insulation is thinner. Keeping the garage a better temperature has made my entire house more comfortable.
imstillworkin 3 months ago
Thanks! Live in your climate zone so this is so helpful.
sarahfarrar1 3 months ago
I know you get hot too, but this summer was exceptionally hot for us. What is your average for summer? We had sooo many 110 degree days this summer. We aren't used to quite such a hot summer, but I've bee chasing the "potato storer" for awhile now. How hot do you believe your garabe got this summer? Surely we'll find something that will allow us to store these spuds.
sherldoe 3 months ago
@sherldoe We have very hot summers too. When it was 109 degrees outside it was about 79 degrees in my garage because I insulated my garage door. That door faces south and the sun beating on it used to make my garage like an oven. The insulation has stopped that. Even at 79 degrees the concrete floor stays cold and the contact with the cold floor seems to transfer through the potatoes and keep even the ones in the top of the cardboard box cool enough to keep them.
imstillworkin 3 months ago
Thanks for the good tip! ALSO, if you put an apple in your bag of potatoes it will help to hault the growth of eyes etc.
tjbollman1 3 months ago
@tjbollman1 Thanks, I'll give that a try!
imstillworkin 3 months ago
Just a question? Those red potatoes... could you save them in soil? I mean - they start to go down like the way you showed and you worry that they won't last till spring, well - what if you just dug them into a barrel of soil/sand or compost and tried to make them work for their keep while making them wait for spring? My potatoes love to send up shoots in the dark - any cool will slow them down but won't stop them...so I just wondered if that would work.
ruby2sday2009 3 months ago
@ruby2sday2009 I'm in zone 8 and I'm afraid that with our mild climate the potatoes would grow very well right now only to be killed to the ground when the cold hits. It rarely gets very cold here but when it does, it does, and it would most likely wipe them out if they had a lot of growth. Today it was 70 degrees to give you an idea of what it's like.
imstillworkin 3 months ago
You might try wrapping them in plastic wrap then in cooler.I read once where dahlia growers did this to store them and dahlias are tubers too. Like the old saying goes. Research is what I do when I don`t know what i`m doing.LOL . Good luck.
TheSemperfidude 3 months ago
@TheSemperfidude I do a whole lot of researching, LOL.
imstillworkin 3 months ago
thanks for posting this one. its really got me thinking about coming up with my own solutions. I have been keeping them in a bin in the laundry room so far. i live in an apartment so i am limited on solutions.I wonder what a dark low cabinet might due if its stays cool under there. What do you think?
Ejahi 3 months ago
@Ejahi It's worth a try. A closet might be a good place for them if you can keep it cool enough.
imstillworkin 3 months ago
good info...thanks for sharing...
bigjacdaddy 3 months ago
Sounds like a good idea to me. Now, if I could just find me a concrete floor. ;-)
mhpgardener 3 months ago
@mhpgardener I know you saved your potaotes, how did that turn out?
imstillworkin 3 months ago
@imstillworkin I checked on them yesterday, looking so-so. A little wrinkly and some small sprouts. The colder weather should help them last thru the winter, maybe. Its been 6 months since they were dug, so I can't complain too much.
mhpgardener 2 months ago
Thank you for that. Have you had trouble with mice at all. I put potatoes in the garage and my husband said no way because of mice. Linda
255sage 3 months ago
@255sage Mice haven't bothered them at all, even though those sweet potatoes were left open like that. I keep traps set in the garage just in case and I did kill one mouse last year, but the little booger didn't bother the potatoes.
imstillworkin 3 months ago
@imstillworkin Thank you I will share this with my Husband.
255sage 3 months ago
Thanks for the idea!
reeram 3 months ago
Thank you. eventually I'll start putting up video on my channel and you'll know why I'm grateful. I have a little potato project going and hadn't figured out storage.
What I'm seeing is that the potato is like a "sprout bomb". Don't know. Still learning. I guess if the sprout doesn't go off they don't wilt.
MayeuxMinistries said they stored them 2 YEARS, in crates, in a barn, in Louisiana.
Mine last 2-3 months. You're doing better than I am.
McHenryAnge 3 months ago
@McHenryAnge Too much heat is what causes them to sprout. I wish I could get them cooler, thought about covering them with a styrofoam cooler. If they are kept too cold, below 42 they claim the starch will convert to sugar and when you cook them they'll turn black. Between 42 and 50 degrees is optimal.
imstillworkin 3 months ago
somewhere around 5, with the straight lines they provided i'm between a and b
jackeekp 3 months ago
how hot does your garage get?? I live in a hot area and i wonder if they would last that long. Hhmmm. Worth a try.
MsAnna4040 3 months ago
@MsAnna4040 The garage gets close to 80 degrees in the summer, around 50 in the winter. Those potatoes have suffered through the worst part, it should be less stress on them from here on out.
imstillworkin 3 months ago
an idea for planting a little earlier, if you can get fresh manure, dig a trench deep enough for layers, place fresh manure in for heat, layer of straw several inches, potatoes, than dirt or straw, dirt is better keeps potatoes a bit warmer, if you end up with more cold spells, tops will freeze back, but potatoes keep from the manure heat, several inches of straw on top just makes a bit warmer, have done this, and it works, thanks for all the infor. you share
jackeekp 3 months ago
@jackeekp Thanks, what zone are you in?
imstillworkin 3 months ago
I wonder if they can be stored in a nylon type bag or laundrybag, or burlap type sack then hang them on a hook out of light. I do beleave you way will work. Thanks for the video.
Allen2045 3 months ago
@Allen2045 I need to keep mine on the cold floor to keep them cool. They would get too hot if they were hanging.
imstillworkin 3 months ago
@imstillworkin I relized that after I posted the comment on keeping them cool. We hang our onions on hooks at work but we go thru 20 pounds a week so they don't have a chance to go bad. The potatoes we keep in a cardboard box on the bottom shelf.
Allen2045 3 months ago
one thing I remembered from my youth is we used to go to grandma's house , she had a cellar and we had to go up there a couple times a season to take off sprouts , didn't like it but understand why we did it, it helped from the potato getting soft and keeping value was better.. I have mine in my back patio stays pretty cool there and should keep for awhile , my sweet potatoes too!
dianemummvideos 3 months ago
@dianemummvideos Thanks, I've broken the sprouts off of them once but I'm waiting for cooler weather before I break them off again. It's still warm here, 70 degrees today. I've searched for information about breaking the sprouts off but I didn't find anything.
imstillworkin 3 months ago
@imstillworkin , something to think about my dad digs a 4-5 ft hole in the ground and stores a lot of things this way , cause their basement just isn't cool enough.. he says it works great too! I was thinking about doing that maybe sometime.. he then covers it with I guess I am not sure but something that you can easily remove..also humidity is a big thing.. you could try using a spray bottle and misting them once a week or something, just a thought.. :)
dianemummvideos 3 months ago
@dianemummvideos Thanks, I'm not sure if I can store anything in a hole around here, never heard of anyone doing it successfully. My mother-in-law said her father would pile potatoes up on top of the ground and cover them with burlap and a thick layer of dirt. We have to worry about flooding here. I was going to try it when I dug the potatoes but the ground was too hard to dig that much dirt. I've wondered if sitting a bowl of water in the middle of the potatoes would help with the humidity.
imstillworkin 3 months ago
@imstillworkin , it wouldn't hurt I would try it you have nothing to lose and everything to gain..:)
dianemummvideos 3 months ago
the Lord blessed me with 10.5 bushels and I have 2 bushels left.. if feels good to give away 8.5 bushels.. a cool, dry and dark place is the key.. in the cellar on a pallet would be good.. last year mine lasted til April.. thank you for the video.. :)
Dewdaahman 3 months ago
@Dewdaahman I'd give anything to have a cellar but I'd end up with a swimming pool.
imstillworkin 3 months ago
I have a crawl space under the house, it gets down to 35* every winter and no sprouts on the potatoes until about july. I use laundry baskets. Good important video.
jasonmushersee 3 months ago
@jasonmushersee Thanks, heat is my enemy when it comes to storing potatoes. We had 109 degree days this summer and the garage would be close to 80. Those sprouts are a result of that. Now that it's starting to cool down, well kind of, it's 70 outside today, that sprouting should slow down.
imstillworkin 3 months ago