Potato sprout question

[nao57]

Hello fellow gardeners!

So a gardening question...

Every year we do a garden, and I've been able to do a little research. But I feel a bit less sure on some things that I don't know about because more is riding on it this year. When you see the news and see people in lines at food banks it makes me want it to count more than it did other years doing the same things.

When I store the potatoes in winter, we put them in boxes with dirt in them in the basement. This seems to help keep them from going bad.

But if I have too much air pockets, they will start to sprout from the eyes of the potatoes. This happened.

Normally I wouldn't really care much and just go plant them now. But in previous years when this happened, I should have asked more about it, and because I didn't do that I feel kind of silly because I've been gardening for years. At any rate, these potatoes now have shoots growing out of the corners of the boxes (cardboard) that are about 12 to 18 inches long.

I know if I plant them they will grow potato plants from them. I've done this before and it does give you a few weeks faster growth, because you don't have to wait as long for them to break through the surfaces and sprout on their own. And I've also verified this is good to store them this way, provided that they are fully wrapped in dirt, and not have too much air. (I've made this mistake with not enough dirt a few times.) I've also proven that if you just put them down there without being in dirt boxes there's a much, much higher chance of them going bad and rotting.

However, there are a few things I'm not sure about. So here are my questions;

If the sprouts coming out of the eyes is too long am I going to get a loss on the amount of potato harvest later after planting it?

Is it better to trim some of the sprout length shoots coming out? (And what is the ideal length to allow?) Is allowing too much length going to screw up my future harvest? This is the part that concerns me the most. What do you think about if the shoots are too long, or is that even possible?

Or, if I leave the shoots, as long as they are all covered by dirt, does it not matter anymore?

Also wanted to ask what's the longest you can keep the potatoes edible stored in dirt boxes? (Anyone test this?) I've tested storing them, but not tested for 'how long'.

Thanks for any comments on this.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I'd just plant them a bit deeper and hill up organic matter more. I wouldn't trim them.

I've always stored my potatoes in bags hung in the basement, or in a laundry tub in the basement. I've never done dirt.

 

[nao57]

I'd just plant them a bit deeper and hill up organic matter more. I wouldn't trim them.

I've always stored my potatoes in bags hung in the basement, or in a laundry tub in the basement. I've never done dirt.

Thanks a bunch!

We have low really dry humidity here, so maybe that helps with having them in dirt boxes, I wonder?

Your idea of bags with them hung up in sounds interesting too. Did you mean like old school burlap bags?

 

[NewBoots]

We tried dry storage in net bags and had them rot. I've heard of dirt storage before but never tried it. We're hoping for a good crop this year so we might well give that a shot.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Thanks a bunch!

We have low really dry humidity here, so maybe that helps with having them in dirt boxes, I wonder?

Your idea of bags with them hung up in sounds interesting too. Did you mean like old school burlap bags?

I had saved a few older potato bags made of netting, as well as one that oranges used to come in. The new bags aren't tough enough anymore, that's why we put them in a laundry basket and I monitor them. We also run a dehumidifier all winter in our basement so that probably helps. It's also around 55 degrees, so it's kinda like a root cellar.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Potatoes, like most stored vegetables need to be cured before putting them into storage to deter rot. Generally you lay them out in the shade to cure for a few weeks. The skins will toughen up, and they should store better.

 

[NewBoots]

I had saved a few older potato bags made of netting, as well as one that oranges used to come in. The new bags aren't tough enough anymore, that's why we put them in a laundry basket and I monitor them. We also run a dehumidifier all winter in our basement so that probably helps. It's also around 55 degrees, so it's kinda like a root cellar.

We're new to growing our own potatoes so storage tips are welcome. We have a humid climate and no underground storage. Do you think laundry baskets with pine shavings would work?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

We're new to growing our own potatoes so storage tips are welcome. We have a humid climate and no underground storage. Do you think laundry baskets with pine shavings would work?

I don't know. I do know potatoes need 40-55 degrees to store long term. I've actually never read or heard about putting them in something like dirt to store. Things are done differently around the country, so it just might not be done here.

 

[nao57]

I don't know. I do know potatoes need 40-55 degrees to store long term. I've actually never read or heard about putting them in something like dirt to store. Things are done differently around the country, so it just might not be done here.

They also need to be drier than carrots.

I've heard of people newspaper wrapping them also, and that's supposed to work. But I don't know anyone that does pine shavings.

Its fun to compare notes. You guys do things different but not badly.

I really hate that Walmart and some places store them in PLASTIC bags. NOTHING could be worse than storing them in plastic. They are already starting to ooze stuff even in the stores sometimes when wrapped in plastic bagging.