Storing new potatoes

[SaraJH]

Hi all,

I harvested 4.5kgs of new potatoes today, eek!

What is the best way to store them please to prolong their shelf life and how long should I expect them to last for?

They are currently in hessian bags in a cool dark cupboard.

Thanks.

[maverick451]

Thats what I did last year, I read that new potatoes dont keep but mine kept for maybe 2 months

Just to add i didnt wash them, i thought it would be best to store them completly dry

[SaraJH]

Thanks Maverick, I did wash mine but made sure that they were dry before I bagged them.

[Nicos]

We store our Charlottes in the cellar and they keep beyond Xmas.
Cool and dark are the secret...and if course dry.

The skins do go thick and firm ( ie like a normal spud) over time though.

Keep checking them for blight or rotten ones every so often.

[astraman1]

chopped the tops off and left mine in the buckets

[Alison]

They will store in bags in the cool and dark but as said they'll cease to be like new potatoes as the skins will harden. I prefer to dig mine as needed as I find they're much tastier that way and only store main crop later in the year when it's much easier to keep them cold. I also know it's too late but I find its much better not washing until you want to prepare.

[SaraJH]

Thanks everyone, will take note of the not washing next time.

As for storing in the ground, what do I do? Cut off the died back foliage and just leave them until I need them? They are all in containers not in the ground.

I had some Anya this evening with a little butter and chives, they were delicious!

[Noosner]

Interesting thread, thanks everyone, was wondering what to do with mine. Have stored main crop before but not earlies. It is maybe worth saying that sometimes you can't store them in the ground because various creatures have a tendency to nibble and burrow.

[Jungle Jane]

I've grown mine in potato bags,I cut all the growth off & harvest them over the next month or two,just leaving them where they are on the patio. I don't water them but I wonder does anyone water them while they're not growing & just sitting there? It sometimes rains on them but I dont think waters needed when they're being stored outside like this,it's just a good cool dark place.

[Snadger]

I have a lot of potatoes this year and may go back to the old tried and tested method of clamping in straw as it will take me all year to eat them. I also need the land they are in to be cultivated and grow more crops.
I have a nice dry spot under a tree that should be ideal for clamping.

[ESBkevin]

They will store better if left on the ground in moderate sun for 24-36 hours just to toughen up the skins. Hessian sack is best or onion sack in a dark place and keep cool.

Left in the soil without tops gives them the freshest flavour unless slugs and blight get there first.

[MarkPelican]

I keep them in trays covered with newspaper. I used to use sacks but one year I got blight so trays make it easier to check them over.

[Mrs Bee]

We dig out our Charlottes and Juliettes as and when needed for new potatoes.

then later in the season we dig them up, dry them, bag them with a few slug pellets and then put them in metal dustbins which have had holes drilled in them and then stood on bricks to help air flow.

Our spuds last well into the following year. The Charlottes do get a thicker skin on keeping and are more like a main crop except for the exceptional flavour.

We find the Juliettes store really well.

[Jay-ell]

A Victorian method for having New Potatoes at Christmas was to bury them

How to eat your own new potatoes on Christmas Day | The Cottage Smallholder