Harvesting and storing potatoes

john mayo 10

Is now the time to dig up whatever potatoes that are still in the ground? Also i have a bit of a problem with wireworm this year and i dont want to store them in a pit in the garden where the wireworm are. Any suggestions ?

fodda

http://www.grow-your-own.ie/potatoes.html#storing_potatoes

Funsterdelux

I'll be putting mine in a pit hopefully!

Here's a little reading I found:



I'll be using straw instead of the aforementioned turf.

Caracol

I stored mine in Hessian sacks last year. Make sure they are dry before putting them into the sacks, and careful not to bruise them when placing them in the sacks. The sacks should then be stored in a cool, dry place. I had them in a utility room so they escaped the winter freeze last year.

Funsterdelux

Caracol wrote: »

I stored mine in Hessian sacks last year. Make sure they are dry before putting them into the sacks, and careful not to bruise them when placing them in the sacks. The sacks should then be stored in a cool, dry place. I had them in a utility room so they escaped the winter freeze last year.

Might I ask where you got the sacks?

Caracol

PM'd you the place where I got them

Corsendonk

Funsterdelux wrote: »

I'll be putting mine in a pit hopefully!

Here's a little reading I found:



I'll be using straw instead of the aforementioned turf.

Cabbages were pitted too.

Funsterdelux

Corsendonk wrote: »

Cabbages were pitted too.

Aye, my father pits everything, its amazing you pull out some carrots and cabbage out of the pit a month of so after they were pitted and it was like they just came fresh out of the ground!

The Garden Shop

Funsterdelux wrote: »

Aye, my father pits everything, its amazing you pull out some carrots and cabbage out of the pit a month of so after they were pitted and it was like they just came fresh out of the ground!

Yeah, my dad's a fan of this too. Me, I prefer the sack method. I remember as a kid being amazed how these spuds 'would still work' after being pitted:)

fodda

Food was always stored underground in the old days because the tempereture stays fairly stable and cool. Came across purpose built bunker type cellars for this next to veg gardens in old houses.

But in a field where they could get soaked, nicked or vermin then that is no good and probably only done because they had no other way.