Topic: Potatoes are frosted

[pumkinlover]

 :( :( :(
Jst been to the semi-insulated shed we store the spuds in.
 >:( >:( >:(with myself really should have doen more to protect them.  Need to sort through and chuck a lot away but cold and raining so will  have to wait till another day.
Anne x

[pigeonseed]

It's so frustrating, isn't it? Trying to find the right storage conditions is a nightmare. When it was very cold here, I noticed that the tender plants I'd brought into the shed had frozen soil. I tried not to think about the onion and shallot sets I've got stored in there till planting time.  :(

But luckily/unluckily we've eaten all the spuds.

What can you do about the shed - I suppose lots of cardboard? Or putting them on top of lots of polystyrene?

[pumkinlover]

Yes it looks like need a good looking at, more cardboard and polysterene as you say. So much work, we grow enough to see us through till the next harvest :(

[chriscross1966]

If it's well insulated one of those really small paraffin heaters (meant for cold frames) or a couple of metres of soil warming cable should keep the frost off I'd have thought...

That sadi I lost som eof my Congo crop cos I left the big pots out too late and some of them froze, though I did rescuer a decetn quantity.... will be using some of them for seed next year (these were grown in pots from microtubers so I'd hope they're disease free).... actually a pretty decent cropper, better than anything else I grew in pots for the crop size, but an epically long season..... they'll be getting started in February in pots this year....

chrisc

[realfood]

How about storing the potatoes in the large polystyrene containers that I see being used for vegetables in restaurants and grocers, and then being thrown away?

[sawfish]

wrap the container they are in in an old duvet.

[pumkinlover]

All good points and will take them on board, last year despite being very cold for a long time they survived. I think somehow some snow got in as the shed was wet inside. Can't see how it got in though, as is a good little shed with a close fitting door.
Will investigate and get some old bedding down from the loft. ???

[oliveoyl_25]

A few of my plants are still in the ground... don't much fancy my chances of digging anything edible up... that's when I'm able to dig the ground again anyway, bit too solid at the mo to even think about it.

[Jeanbean]

Sorry to hear of your plight Pumpkinlover. Your thread made me pop over the lottie today as we have about 2 cwt of spuds stored in our shed. Much to my relief they all seem ok. I have bought a few sacks home to store incase they do succumb. What I do think we have lost are the dahlias as they are wrpped only in newspaper covered with sacks and stored in unheated greenhouse. We ran out of space in the sheds. Hopefully we would all have learned a few lessons for next year. :-\

[pumkinlover]

Well we sorted the potatoes out and threw about half away. They stayed in the unheated conservatory till it got even colder then spent Christmas in the hall.
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[pumkinlover]

The shed itself was sound, what I thought was snow and water was what had run out of the potatoes as they froze then thawed. So I have created an insulated "boudoir" for them lined with cardboard, polysytrene and old blankets and sleeping bags which had broken zips! Also I have found out a little sump heater for when the weather gets artic again. We do like our potatoes! ;)

[queenbee]

My potatoes are stored in the garage, I have done this for years and have been successful keeping them frost free, however, this year they have sprouted.  I would not expect this to happen until at least the beginning of March. I keep them in brown paper bags cadged from the local corn merchants. I bought some so called new potatoes from my supermarket for Xmas, I only had them for one week and when I came to use the last of them they had sprouted. I am wondering if the supermarket is selling "fairly old new potatoes" and is this a legal description. I may even challenge them regarding this. What do you lot think.

[saddad]

They would have been held back in cold storage... which is legal as the New is developmental.... but will sprout once warmed up in the house...  :-X

[pumkinlover]

One of my varieties was just starting to sprout. You have a good storage place Queenbee, if they survived last years weather.

I am wondering if the problems lays in when I dug up the potatoes. Thinking back it was all a rush between wet weather and I was a lot later than usual, and I don't think I dried them off as well as normal.

Do you think this could explain why they have done so badly this year?

[shirlton]

Some of our are frosted.When I think of all the hard work it breaks me heart.I will be scrounging old duvets and polystyrine boxes during next year cos it won't happen again.

[PeterVV]

kept mine in the kitchen next to the fridge, only had enough to last until the begining of December, must grow more next year!

[daitheplant]

kept mine in the kitchen next to the fridge, only had enough to last until the begining of December, must grow more next year!

This year. ;D ;D

[shirlton]

Afraid it would be too hot for keeping spuds in our house even in the unheated spare room.

[Paulines7]

I store my potatoes in polystyrene boxes that I obtained from the Inn in my village.  They previously held fish or broccoli and were being thrown out.  I divide each layer of potatoes with newspaper.  Once the box is full, I put on the lid, then cover all the boxes with an old duvet.  They are on a working surface in my shed. 

I haven't had any frosted though some were not dry enough when I stored them but once I had removed the bad ones and replaced the newspaper, they have been fine for the last couple of months, even when temperatures were well below freezing.

[pumkinlover]

I thught about polystyrene boxes but as I have to stack them in the little shed I wasn't sure if they would be strong enough.  You are right about drying them I think that is where I went wrong last year.