Potatoes are a simple, low-maintenance crop to grow. They are nutrient-dense and can be used in a variety of dishes. If you choose to grow your own, it is important to learn how to cure potatoes for storage. This way, you can ensure that you will have potatoes throughout the year!
This post contains affiliate links, and I may earn a commission if you choose to order through the links below at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting my small business!
My Experience Learning How to Grow and Cure Potatoes for Storage
This was my second year planting potatoes! My family loves potatoes as a side and mixed in with meals. I haven’t quite mastered growing enough potatoes to last the whole year. However, I have learned how to grow lots of potatoes from just a few original potatoes plus cure them for long-term storage.
Benefits of Potatoes
Potatoes are an easy-to-grow crop that has high-yield benefits! Potatoes have antioxidants such as vitamin C which benefits growth and repair of tissues in your body. It can benefit your skin, cartilage, blood vessels, bones, and teeth!
Potatoes also contain potassium which is beneficial for your heart and muscles. They also contain iron, calcium, and magnesium which are beneficial to your health.
They are filling and can be used in a lot of different recipes, too!
When to Harvest Potatoes
You’ll know that it is time to harvest your potatoes when the leaves start to die off after they have flowered. Once you notice them drooping, stop watering and wait a few weeks.
Once all of the leaves turn brown and crispy, it is time to dig them up! You can dig them up sooner, but you will yield smaller potatoes.
How to Harvest Potatoes
The best way to harvest potatoes is by using a garden fork or shovel to help loosen the soil and push them out. Make a circle using your garden tool of choice 6-8 inches from the base of the potato plant.
Gently push up to loosen to soil. Then, lift the potato plant out. Each plant may have multiple tubers of varying sizes.
If you accidentally spear a potato, wash it off, cut it up, and use it quickly! Storing speared potatoes can lead to rot and disease.
What is Curing?
If you plan to store your potatoes to use in future months, it is important to cure them. Curing is the process of helping potatoes dry and partially harden prior to storing them long term. This helps prevent them from rotting quickly.
Best Storage Potatoes to Grow
While you can cure most varieties of potatoes, some will last longer and do better in long-term storage such as:
- Kennebec
- German Butterball
- Red Pontiac
- Russian Purple
- Russet Burbank
- Warba
- Yukon Gold
- Norland
- Adirondack Blue
- Green Mountain
I buy my potatoes at a local garden center, but you can also order organic seed potatoes from True Leaf Market.
How to Cure Potatoes for Storage
Once harvesting your potatoes, brush them off but do not remove all of the dirt.
Set them out in a dark, well ventilated place to cure. I use a wire rack similar to this with a sheet of cardboard under the smaller potatoes. However, you could also just lay them on cardboard. If you lay them on cardboard, you will need to flip them after about 1 week to cure on the other side.
If the place you are curing your potatoes doesn’t get good ventilation, run a fan like this to help.
It is best to cure potatoes at a temperature of 50-70 degrees Fahrenheit with a humidity of about 95 percent. I cure my potatoes in our root cellar, but you could also cure them in a basement, well-ventilated garage, or a dark closet.
You can use a hygrometer like this to measure humidity levels. If the area is not humid enough, you could temporarily add a humidifier to get to the correct humidity levels.
It will take the potatoes 1-2 weeks to cure. They will develop a tough, thick skin that will protect them during storage.
I store my potatoes in cardboard boxes, layered in between straw. You could also store them in drawers or ventilated buckets with straw.
Other Potato Preservation Methods
If you don’t want to cure potatoes, here are some other storage methods to try:
- Freezing cooked potatoes (read this post to learn how to use a vacuum sealer for freezing)
- Dehydrating blanched potatoes (I use this dehydrator)
- Freeze drying potatoes (this freeze dryer is highly recommended for durability!)
- Pressure canning potatoes (I have this pressure canner)
Possible Potato Curing Problems
My first year curing potatoes, they started sprouting and did not last as long as I hoped. I think this was due in part to moisture and light issues in my root cellar.
I learned through my research that light and heat can cause cured potatoes to sprout sooner. This year, I’m going to try to block out more light and use a fan to help with circulation when the cellar feels too warm.
Don’t Eat the Potatoes If…
If you notice that your storage potatoes have turned green or have started to grow sprouts, do not eat them. Potatoes can become toxic, so it is better not to take the risk!
You can, however, try to re-plant sprouted potatoes to grow new potatoes once it is time! Read this post to learn all about how to plant potatoes from eyes.
Potato Recipes to Try with your Cured Potatoes
Other Posts to Read After Reading How to Cure Potatoes for Storage
Curing Potatoes for a Year-Long Crop
Potatoes are a great crop to prioritize as a beginner gardener! They are delicious, nutritious, and can be used in many different recipes! If you choose to grow potatoes, it’s important to learn how to properly cure potatoes for storage so that you can have them for months to come!
Leave a Reply