Potato storing screens

[TnAndy]

We had been storing our potatoes for years in milk crates, baskets, etc, and couple years ago, I came up with these homebuilt screens that work a whole lot better. Allows air circulation around all the potatoes, if one goes bad, it doesn't take out those around it like putting in a box, and it allows vertical storage in the root cellar. The small ones in the bags on the wall are next year's seed.

Screen made of some scrappy 2x6's ripped in half to make 2x3's. Overall size is about 3' long x 25' wide. Using 2' x 1/2" hardware cloth, I wanted it to fit in a slot ripped in the long side without cutting the wire. Shot air staples into the slot to hold the cloth in place so it doesn't pull out from the potato weight. Assembled frame and feet with Craig jig pocket screws and glue.

 

[dragoneggs]

Well done, Andy! You got me thinking...

 

[Looking4new]

Are those spuds stored in a shed or the basement/cellar?

 

[TnAndy]

Are those spuds stored in a shed or the basement/cellar?

Root cellar built into the north bank of our garage wall. Garage wall on that end has 7-8' of dirt up against it.

 

[Looking4new]

I am wondering how good they would be stored in a shed with 2x6 walls and no insulation. Our temps regularly get down to -20 to -40F during winter.
I know of an old guy that stored his in an unheated barn in their own dirt. They were the purple potatoes.

 

[oldballs]

Beautiful spuds that you grow Andy and a nice compact storing rig that you built....and a neat root cellar. My potatoes are stored in paper grocery sacks in our crawl space under part of the house. A rotten one does show up occasionally. Now that I'm alone, I just give most of 'em away, but I still have about 30 lbs stored. Here's some of the Kennebec crop this year.

Cheers,
Mike

 

[Passattdi]

Are those spuds stored in a shed or the basement/cellar?

Just store them away from you onions. Onions make um go bad.

 

[TnAndy]

Beautiful spuds that you grow Andy and a nice compact storing rig that you built....and a neat root cellar. My potatoes are stored in paper grocery sacks in our crawl space under part of the house. A rotten one does show up occasionally. Now that I'm alone, I just give most of 'em away, but I still have about 30 lbs stored. Here's some of the Kennebec crop this year.View attachment 524482View attachment 524483


cheers,
Mike

Nice crops of spuds, Mike. Wish my soil looked like that....lot of red clay/shale here. Have added tons of sand, chicken litter, etc trying to build it up, but still nothing like yours. We grow Kennebec and Yukon Gold. The Gold are better keepers....will stay firm well into late spring if we go thru and rub the sprouts off at least once.

 

[Sawyer Rob]

I grow Yukon Golds and store them in pails, in a cold spot in my basement. I loose very few of them...

I have lots and lots of pails, so it works great to use them for storage, so I never took the time to build anything else for potato storage...

SR

 

[dragoneggs]

I grow Yukon Golds and store them in pails, in a cold spot in my basement. I loose very few of them...

I have lots and lots of pails, so it works great to use them for storage, so I never took the time to build anything else for potato storage...

SR

How do you store (if you do) your tomatoes and peppers? My wife roasts them and freezes. She harvested the last of our tomatoes today and she read where you can just freeze them raw. Curious as to what others do with harvest?