Ever felt the frustration of seeing your hard-earned potato harvest sprout too soon? You're not alone. Properly harvesting, curing, and storing potatoes can make the difference between enjoying fresh potatoes for months or dealing with a spoiled crop.
Potatoes are a core crop for any home gardener looking to be more self-sufficient. They’re easy to grow in-ground or you can even grow potatoes in containers, and they have low input requirements considering their yield potential.
But if you’re like me in the past, you’ve probably seen your potato potential quickly diminish as your stored potatoes start to sprout seemingly too soon.
In my early attempts, I often found my potatoes sprouting within weeks. After some experimenting, I discovered that maintaining a consistent temperature, humidity level, and total darkness was key. One particularly hot summer, I improvised by using blackout curtains and a small humidifier, which extended the storage life significantly!
This guide will walk you through the process I use to harvest, cure, and store potatoes, so that they stay fresh and delicious for months.
How to Store Potatoes for Maximum Freshness -Harvest when 80% of foliage has died back. - Cure in a cool, dry, and dark place for two weeks. - Store in a cool, dark location with high humidity (40-50°F, 80-85% humidity).
How I harvest potatoes
The Best Time to Harvest:
I wait to harvest potatoes until around 80% of the foliage has died back, or just before the first frost - whichever comes first. The yellowing leaves lets me know that the tubers are mature and ready to be dug up.
Much of this timing will depend on when you planted your spuds, and if you grew an early, mid, or late-season variety. Early varieties are the fastest to mature, while late-season types might not be ready to harvest until just around your frost date.
For reference, I usually plant some potatoes in mid March and a second batch in early May. In my zone 7 garden, the mid-March planted crop is ready for harvest by mid-late July. The early May planting is ready in late August/early September.
Tip: Once you notice that around half of your potato leaves have died back, stop watering them. For best results, harvest your potatoes when you haven’t had any rainfall for a few days.
Tools Required:
Garden fork or shovel (optional): To carefully dig up the tubers.
Hands (my preferred method): I just dig through the dirt by hand because I seem to not have the finesse not to stab my potatoes with a potato fork.
Large box or wheelbarrow: To transport your harvest without damage.
Step-by-Step Harvesting Process
Check Plant Maturity: Survey your crop and confirm that around 80% of the potato plants' foliage has died back. Pull up a plant to check if the size of the tubers is about right.
Loosen the Soil: Using a garden fork or your hands, gently loosen the soil around the potato plants. For fun, wear a pirate hat and pretend like you’re digging for treasure. In a way, you really are, right? Dig a few inches away from the plant to prevent damaging the tubers if you’re brave enough to use a fork.
If your soil is loamy (lucky gardener!), you may be able to just pull up the potato plant to collect most of the tubers, and then fish around in the soil to collect any stragglers.
Pull the tubers up and admire your crop: Admire the giants and remove all the small ones so that you don’t get surprise potato plants next year. This will help keep your rows true to crop rotation methods.
Shake Off Excess Soil: Shake off any loose soil from the tubers. Do not wash them! This will cause them to rot during storage. Place them in a box out of direct sunlight as you harvest
Personal Tip: I like to use cardboard boxes with lids on them to harvest into, so that I can close the lids once a box is full. This prevents the heat and sunlight from damaging your potatoes. A wheelbarrow helps me to make quick work of transporting the boxes from the garden into the house.
I re-purpose my seed starting rack into a potato storage rack. A blanket normally covers this shelf, and we have black-out curtains in this room.
How to Store Potatoes Long-Term: Key Tips
Did you know? Oregon State University just received a $2M grant to help extend the shelf life of organic potatoes!
Pre-Curing Preparation
Gently brush off any clinging dirt with your hands. Some dirt is okay.
Inspect the potatoes for any signs of insect damage or green spots. I personally put any green potatoes into the compost, since they contain toxic solanine and I don’t want to mess with that.
How I Cure Potatoes
Curing potatoes is what helps your potatoes to last for months. When done right, it toughens their skins and delays sprouting.
Environment:
Cool: The best way to cure potatoes is to give them a cool, dry, and well-ventilated area. Opt for an area outside with 100% shade, or a room in your house that stays the coolest during hot summer days.
Dark: Darkness is essential. I cure my potatoes on a wire shelf and cover it with a blanket. The blanket doesn’t directly contact the potatoes but prevents any light from getting in.
Breezy: Circulation is also key. The wire shelf helps the potatoes to get airflow underneath them. Run a fan on occasion if curing the potatoes indoors
Duration:
Curing typically takes about two weeks. During this time, the skins will toughen and minor cuts or bruises will scab over.
Storing Potatoes So They Last
Proper storage is what makes or breaks the quality of your potatoes and prevents sprouting.
Ideal Potato Storage Conditions:
Temperature: According to UC Davis, the ideal storage temperature is between 40-50°F (4-10°C) with high humidity, around 80-85%.
This is where the challenge lies, since most folks don’t have a root cellar and keep their house heated, which dries out the air.
Humidity Tip: We keep our potatoes in a room that does not receive heat from the wood stove and keep the window open to bring the humidity up and the temperature down. This has been key to longer potato storage.
Darkness: Store potatoes in a dark location to prevent greening and sprouting. Light exposure can cause the development of solanine, a toxic compound. We keep the potatoes covered and the room dark in order to help prevent greening.
We’re serious about our potato storage and have black-out curtains in their storage room to further help the goal of total darkness.
Advanced Storage Tip: For those looking to store potatoes for even longer, consider using a root cellar, basement, or a temperature-controlled storage unit. These methods, though more complex, can significantly prolong the shelf life of your potatoes.
Saving Potatoes for Planting
Choose the largest healthy and disease-free potatoes for future planting. It’s tempting to eat the giant spuds but they will yield bigger potatoes than a medium-small potato will.
Healthy tubers ensure robust plants in the next growing season.
Don’t plant potatoes from a diseased crop. Purchase new, certified disease-free potatoes instead.
Got extra sprouted spuds? Sharing your potato harvest with neighbors fosters a sense of community and support among local gardeners.
Wet Weather: Harvesting in dry soil conditions prevents compacted soil and tuber damage.
Compacted Soil: Gently loosen the soil to make the harvest easier and avoid damaging the tubers.
Storage Problems:
Improper Curing: Signs include soft spots or sprouting. Ensure the curing environment is cool, dry, and well-ventilated.
Exposure to Light: Prevent greening and sprouting by storing potatoes in a dark location.
Diseases and Pests: Be vigilant about common storage diseases like blight and pests like potato beetles. Regularly inspect your stored potatoes and remove any affected ones to prevent spread.
Hash Browns and Mashed Potatoes for Months!
Harvesting, curing, and storing potatoes may require attention to detail, but the rewards are well worth the effort. By following these steps, you’ll enjoy a bountiful potato harvest that remains fresh and tasty for months. Remember, each tuber carries with it the promise of future growth and the joy of homegrown produce. You’ll have many nights of mashed potatoes ahead of you!
Summary of Key Points:
How do you know when potatoes are ready to dig up and harvest?
Harvest potatoes when 80% of the foliage has died back and avoid rainy days.
What do you do with potatoes after you dig them up?
Do not wash potatoes before curing; gently brush off excess soil.
Cure potatoes in a cool, dry, and dark environment for about two weeks.
Store in a cool, dark place with high humidity to prevent sprouting.
FAQs:
Why should I avoid washing potatoes before curing?
Washing can introduce moisture, leading to rot during storage. Instead, gently brush off excess soil.
How can I tell if my potatoes are properly cured?
Properly cured potatoes will have tough skins and minor cuts or bruises will have healed.
What should I do if my potatoes start sprouting during storage?
Ensure they are stored in a darker, cooler place with higher humidity. Removing sprouts promptly can also help.
Can potatoes be left in the ground too long?
Potatoes do NOT store well if they go through a freeze in the ground..unless you're making Peruvian chuño, that is.
Do I have to wait to eat potatoes after harvest?
Nope! You can eat freshly dug potatoes. However, you’ll still need to wash and cook them. Try them diced and roasted with garlic and mint and a side of ketchup for a tasty treat!
What to plant after you harvest potatoes?
Try carrots, beets, or broccoli raab. You can also plant a quick cover crop and terminate it before planting out your garlic in the fall.
