How to Cure and Store Potatoes for Winter

Proper curing and storage are essential for enjoying your potato harvest well into winter. With careful handling and the right conditions, your maincrop potatoes can last for months without sprouting, shriveling, or rotting. Here’s how to do it right.

Curing Potatoes

• What is Curing?
  Curing lets potatoes’ skins harden and minor digs or scrapes heal—reducing moisture loss and rot during storage.
• How To Cure:
  1. After lifting, lay tubers out in a single layer in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place (like a shed or garage).
  2. Keep at 10–15°C (50–59°F) with moderate humidity (not damp).
  3. Leave for 1–2 weeks—avoid washing; just brush off excess soil.
  4. Inspect for soft, green, or damaged potatoes and remove these before storage.

Storing Potatoes for Winter

• Best Containers:
  Paper or hessian (burlap) sacks, slatted wooden crates, or cardboard boxes with holes for ventilation. Avoid plastic bags or sealed containers.
• Ideal Conditions:
  • Cool (2–5°C / 36–41°F), dark, and frost-free.
  • HUMID (not damp): Too much moisture = rot; conditions too dry = shriveled potatoes.
• Darkness:
  Light causes potatoes to sprout and turn green; always cover to exclude all light.
• Do Not Store With:
  Apples, onions, or fruit—these can hasten sprouting/spoilage.

Tips for Longest Storage

• Check stored potatoes every few weeks and remove any that are soft, sprouting, or moldy.
• Don’t wash before storage—only before cooking.
• “Chit” (sprout) any that begin to bud for an early spring crop, or use in the kitchen first.

Safety Reminder

• Never eat potatoes with green skins or shoots—they contain toxic solanine.
• Small amounts of green can be peeled off, but heavily green or bitter potatoes should be discarded.