Potato Storage

[Dog House]

I would be interested to hear the views of others concerning the best way to store potatos.

The main issue is how long can they stay in the ground? What are the risks etc. We still have 75% of ours in the ground and as of yesterday afternoon they were fine. However, I seem to recall reading that it is not recommended to leave them too long?

Then once dug i assume they can be stored in sacks in a cool, dry place.

Dog House.

[Sebbster]

DH,

Depends on how many slugs you have in the ground. I lifted all my mains and most of them were damaged by slugs, which is the main risk to them now. The longer in the ground of course the better size they will be but I think during September for most mains is the correct time. Just depends when they were planted and the variety, if you let me know I'll be able to advise better.

As far as storage goes, I leave them out in the sun for a couple of hours, brush the earth off and then keep them in my shed (Cool but frost free) in hessian sacks. You can also successfully use paper bags but I prefer hessian.

[Two_Sheds]

I was still digging Pink Fir Apple in December last year. They were fine, little damage (we do have free-draining soil in Suffolk).