Muddy potatoes

[mrsbusy]

Hi all - I feel a bit silly asking this when everyone is thinking about choosing seed potatoes for the coming season but here goes!
I have just come back from the lottie with a large bucket of King Edwards which I had forgotten about / been too lazy to dig up. They are rather muddy. Do I wash them or just spread them out to dry off, then store? The potatoes I had from the previous year all came out of the ground quite clean and I just put them in hessian sacks in the garage but these King Edwards are not clean at all.
I was looking at storing in a plastic bin with layers of straw - is that a good idea?
I am sure there is an answer somewhere in the forum - so please point me in the right direction. T I A for any advice.

[Thelma Sanders]

I dug some up last week and laid them on the lawn and hosed the worst of the mud off - then brought them inside to dry on sheets of newspaper.
I wouldn't put them in a closed plastic container, it will make them sweat - should be ok if you leave the top off.
I just store mine in old cardboard boxes, with layers of newspaper on top to stop the light getting in

[burnie]

I keep the paper bags my tatties are delivered in for my own crop, I just put them in still muddy, then check them a few days later, if dry I rub the mud off with my hands, check for any green bits and fold the bag tops over, if still mucky, leave them for a few more days, I don't wash my tatties until they are about to be cooked.

[Greenleaves]

I always let the skins cure a bit before rubbing off the dirt

[bario1]

I leave mine on the surface of the soil for a day or two if it's dry, then store in 4 ply paper sacks.

[Chestnut]

I try to store my spuds in breathable containers, so that there is some air circulation, but no light.
This year I used banana boxes (free from supermarket), with an improvised light excluding tent made from an old velour curtain as our garage has a window

[Mark_Riga]

Plastic bin with layer of straw sounds ok. I'd leave he mud on and return it to the compost with the peelings. If the mud dries, you could transfer to your hessian sacks. I store in hessian sacks and cover with an old continental quilt to keep out the light and protect from frost.

[bikermike]

I tend to rub the worst mud off, especially in crevices (which pink fir have in droves) with the intention of removing all the damp mould-encouraging places, then dry them as much as I can and putting them in sacks in boxes in the garage.