How to Store Potatoes So They Last for Months
The best way to store homegrown potatoes: temperature, darkness, humidity, why not the fridge, keeping them away from onions, and preventing sprouting and greening.
Store cured potatoes in a dark, cool, humid, ventilated place at about 4–7 °C (40–45 °F). Below about 4 °C, starch turns to sugar and potatoes taste sweet and darken when fried; above 10 °C, they sprout. Kept well, main-crop potatoes last 4–6 months.
Tips
- Store only sound, cured potatoes; use damaged ones first.
- Keep them in the dark: light turns them green.
- Use paper sacks, burlap bags, wooden crates or cardboard boxes, never sealed plastic.
- Keep away from onions and apples, which speed up sprouting.
- Check monthly and remove soft or rotting tubers.
Storage Life
| Type | Shelf life |
|---|---|
| New potatoes | 1–2 weeks (fridge) |
| Early varieties | 1–2 months |
| Main-crop varieties | 4–6 months |
Green Potatoes
Green skin indicates solanine. Cut away all green parts and sprouts before eating, or discard heavily green potatoes.
More Potato Guides
- How to Grow Potatoes: The Complete Guide
- Why potatoes are small
- Potato fertilizer
- Potato blight and diseases
Frequently Asked Questions
Should potatoes be refrigerated?
Not storage potatoes; fridge temperatures make them sweet. New potatoes can be kept in the fridge briefly.
Why are my stored potatoes sprouting?
They are too warm or exposed to light, or stored near onions.
TarlaTapan guides focus on practical, field-tested growing advice. Corrections and suggestions are welcome at info@tarlatapan.tr.