For the storage of potatoes, it is desirable to use special storage facilities - cellars, pits, cellars. However, such storage is not always available, so sometimes you have to save a useful vegetable in a regular city apartment. Let's figure out how to store potatoes in these conditions.
Preparation of the harvest for storage
For the successful saving of potato harvest, it should be, first of all, to dry. In dry sunny weather, it can be dried right on the field, but usually, to avoid accidents, it can be dried in a dry, dark, ventilated room, for example, in a garage. The procedure usually takes from one to several days - it depends on the state of freshly dug tubers.
Important! It is not recommended to leave the tubers under direct sunlight for more than a couple of hours. Obtained sunburns can adversely affect their further storage.After drying, the tubers are sorted, separating the damaged and with signs of rotting. Healthy potatoes are left in a dark, dry room for another couple of weeks before they can be stored. If the potato was purchased in bags, then for better preservation, it is desirable to simply sort it out.
Terms for potatoes
Potatoes are sensitive to the conditions of storage, so you need to follow certain rules, equipping in an apartment or house storage for him.
Lighting
The place for storage must be dark, because under the influence of long-term natural or artificial lighting, the tubers begin not only to sprout, but also produce poisonous solanine, the use of which can lead to severe poisoning.
Important! The greatest amount of solanine is found in the peel and sprouts of potatoes. Outwardly, this is reflected in their coloring in green.
Temperature
Temperature conditions are also an important factor in the successful storage of this vegetable. At what temperature is it better to store potatoes? The best temperature range for this is from +3 ° C to +5 ° C (some varieties withstand storage at +1.5 ° C). At higher temperatures, the tubers rather quickly lose their moisture, shrivel, germinate, with negative temperatures turn black, become sweetish in taste.
Some time (up to three months) potatoes can be kept well at sufficiently high temperatures, but not exceeding 20 ° C. The duration of such storage depends on the particular variety.
Did you know? Potato varieties that are cultivated in the high Andes regions are considered to be the most cold-resistant in the world - it tolerates a drop in temperature to -8. °WITH.
Air humidity
Optimum humidity of air for storage makes 80-90%. At lower rates, potatoes quickly change their structure - it becomes soft and flabby. Too high humidity contributes to the development of fungal diseases. To normalize moisture, beets are added to bags or containers with potatoes, which absorb excess moisture. 
Storage space
Even in a small apartment, you can find places for storing vegetables, while even managing the balcony can be used as a cellar and storing potatoes on it in winter.
In order to avoid unpleasant surprises, it is useful to learn the rules for storing carrots, watermelons, pumpkins, beets, cucumbers, onions, corn, garlic.
At the entrance
The entrance is a very specific location for storing potatoes. There is a risk of yield loss. To prevent this from happening, it is recommended that the storage box be securely fixed on the floor and also equipped with a good lock. In addition, in this tank you need to drill ventilation holes for free access of air to the potatoes.
The level of humidity in the entrance may fluctuate significantly, and therefore it is necessary to control it with a psychrometer or with the help of open plastic utensils. If dark spots appear inside the dishes, this is a sign of increased humidity, which is harmful for potatoes.
The advantages of this place are that it is noticeably cooler at the entrance than the apartment, but it is much warmer there in winter than outside, and the temperature can correspond to the +4 ° C ... +6 ° C range ideal for saving tubers. 
On the balcony
If the balcony is not glazed, then protect the potatoes possibly by applying a protective coating. First, the storage tank should be insulated with insulating material, foam is suitable for this purpose.
In such a box, the tubers do not fit to the top - you should leave space in order to cover the roots with rags. This may be, for example, an old blanket or other unnecessary rags. In addition, at too low temperatures, the box is heated with a conventional electric bulb placed inside (the light bulb must be hidden under an opaque coating). All this will help to maintain sufficient heat and frostbite the tubers.
If the balcony is glazed, the storage method is simplified. A simple wooden box for storing vegetables, but a board to a board, or a few such boxes, will save potatoes at their best. Although in this case we should not forget about the seasonal night cooling and closely monitor the temperature both on the balcony and on the street. If it is critically lowered in winter, vegetables should be covered with a cloth or the heater should be turned on.
In the pantry
Room temperature is not very suitable for saving potatoes, but, nevertheless, quite a few people, in the absence of another place, keep it there. Here, the following should be remembered: after the tubers have been dug out and dried, they are at rest and can sometimes be safely saved up to three months at temperatures up to +20 ° C. For storage in the pantry pick up boxes with good ventilation, while ensuring that the pantry itself was dry and well ventilated.
Since the duration of storage and taste of the fruit is directly dependent on the variety, you should pay attention to the characteristics of the potato Zhuravinka, Red Scarlett, Veneta, Slav, Nevsky, Rocco, Zhukovsky early, Adretta, Bluehead in advance.
In the kitchen under the sink
A small amount of potatoes can be stored under the sink in the kitchen. The best container for this method is a wicker basket, also use pots and buckets, pre-drilled holes in them for better air circulation. Even for short-term storage is not recommended to use plastic bags, it can lead to damage to tubers. It is necessary to carefully monitor the condition of the plumbing, so as not to fill the stored potatoes with running water. 
In a refrigerator
Quite a bit of potatoes can be stored in the refrigerator. Perhaps this is the most appropriate storage method, since the refrigerator allows you to constantly maintain the optimum temperature and does not require pre-drying of the storage. For packing tubers it is better to use paper bags.
Grade and storage time
It should be remembered that early ripe potato varieties are absolutely not suitable for long-term storage. By November, they may become unusable. Mid-season varieties, the harvest of which is beginning to gather in mid-summer, have a much better keeping quality, but the most suitable for long-term storage are late varieties.
Did you know? It is believed that the largest potato tuber in the world was raised by a Lebanese farmer Khalil Semhat. The weight of the record holder was 11.2 kg.Thus, when storing suitable varieties of potatoes for storage, as well as under optimal conditions, it is possible to store this vegetable at home until the beginning of summer, that is, until the first potato of the new crop arrives.
