How to make a potato storage box with your own hands

Sometimes it is easier to grow potatoes than to create conditions for their winter storage. This problem is especially relevant for city residents. You can buy a device for storing potatoes in an apartment, or you can make it yourself.

How to make such boxes, and what conditions generally should be for long-term preservation of potatoes in the cellar, basement and house - we will tell you in the article.

Potato storage conditions and preparation for it

Preparing potatoes for storage begins from the moment of harvest. After the cleaning process you must:

1. Dry the potatoes. Leave the tubers at the digging site for 1-2 hours.
2. Transfer to a shaded area and leave for 4-5 hours. During this period, the peel becomes coarser, which increases the protective properties of the tubers.
3. Thoroughly clean off the soil and sort by size.

Potato storage conditions:

1. The room temperature must be maintained between +2°C and +4°C. At this temperature, all biochemical processes slow down, which allows potatoes to not germinate or freeze for a long time. If the temperature is not maintained, the tubers will either become sweet (at low temperatures) or form a too thick crust (at high temperatures).
2. The place where the potatoes will lie, must be protected from sunlight and prolonged artificial lighting.
3. To prevent fungal and bacterial infections, the storage area for vegetables is treated with special preparations.
4. There must be insulation from rodents and other pests.
5. Indoor humidity is no higher than 80%. High humidity provokes diseases and activates the germination of tubers.

Where and how can you store potatoes at home?

Everyone chooses where and how to store potatoes based on their capabilities.

In the cellar

Cellar storage is, of course, the best way. The conditions created in such a room are optimal for potatoes. There is no natural light or elevated temperatures in the cellar.

Before stacking, the potatoes are checked to ensure that all conditions are met. If necessary, the room is insulated and treated against rodents, after which the container is transferred to the storage location.

Important! It is not recommended to store potatoes in bags - they begin to rot and sprout.

If all conditions in the cellar are met, the tubers will remain in good condition for up to ten months.

In the basement

Potatoes are stored in the basement:

• bulk method;
• in boxes;
• on shelves.

When using the bulk method, the height of the embankment should not exceed a meter. Do not pour potatoes onto the bare floor. Often, bins are built in basements - large wooden boxes. They must provide gaps between the crossbars for ventilation.

Many summer residents practice storing potatoes on racks. The tubers are laid out on the shelf in one layer. This makes it easier to keep track of them and discard spoiled ones.

On the balcony

To store potatoes on the balcony use:

• wooden boxes;
• thermal container;
• old refrigerator.

Important! The storage area must be insulated to reduce the risk of tubers freezing at low temperatures.To do this, the walls, bottom and lid of the box are insulated with sawdust, wood shavings or polystyrene foam.

When sub-zero temperatures occur, wrap the container using old clothes or a blanket, old fur coats or canvas bags.

Important! Sunlight should not penetrate inside the container. It provokes the release of solanine.

To regulate humidity, place in the box:

• onion peel;
• beets;
• elderberry sprig;
• bag of mint.

Under such conditions, the container will maintain a temperature of up to +7°C.

In the corridor

Storing potatoes in the hallway is not the best solution, but sometimes it is the only possible one. In such conditions it is difficult to achieve the desired temperature and humidity. As a rule, the corridor is used as temporary storage. The container should be ventilated; a bottle or jar of water should be placed nearby to raise humidity. Sometimes the box is placed in a vestibule or entrance. In this case, the container will be equipped with a lock against uninvited guests.

When storing potatoes in the corridor, sudden temperature changes occur due to drafts, which negatively affects the condition of the vegetables.

What should a potato storage box be like, how to make it yourself

A box is the most common container for storing potatoes. Its main advantage is mobility. It is convenient to use small boxes that can hold up to 12 kg. They are easy to carry, and there is quick access to the tubers to periodically sort through them. The material is plastic, wood or cardboard. The main thing is that it is convenient to monitor the safety of the tubers and there is excellent air ventilation.

Design requirements for the cellar and apartment

The general rules for maintaining the microclimate for storing potatoes are the same for both the cellar and the apartment.

The requirements for a homemade box are:

• materials must be safe;
• to maintain an optimal microclimate, ventilation holes are made;
• the box should not allow daylight to pass through.

The only difference between the designs will be its size. As a rule, large structures are prepared for the cellar - bins, but in an apartment this is impossible.

Important! For storage in small spaces, choose a design with a top lid.

What materials to make it from?

Available and inexpensive materials for making a box are wood or plastic. Any wooden material will do: lining, plywood, chipboard, regular board. First, a frame is created, and then covered with wooden beams.

The advantage of making containers with your own hands is that you can precisely adjust its dimensions to the parameters of your storage space. If you settled on the plastic option, then today hardware stores have a lot of options for polymer containers. Among them there will certainly be one that is suitable in size.

Preparation

First, determine the place where the box will stand:

• the box should not stand in the aisle and interfere with movement;
• The box should not be installed where there may be strong drafts, it will be cold and the tubers will freeze.

Next, calculate the size of the box. The parameters will depend on:

• quantity of potatoes;
• area allocated for storage;
• design forms;
• type of door opening.

To complete the work you will need:

• material;
• nails or screws;
• corners;
• thermal insulation;
• tools.

It is not necessary to buy new materials - boards left over after repair will also work.

Design Features

All potato storage boxes have a common structure:

• to ensure complete ventilation, the walls are made with holes;
• legs are attached to the bottom for better ventilation;
• all internal surfaces are made of wood to avoid the absorption of toxic substances by tubers;
• all surfaces are made smooth so as not to damage the tubers;
• Be sure to make a lid - for darkening.

Step-by-step production

After determining the location and dimensions, a drawing is made in which all the details are displayed. Then they begin production.

Important! It is more convenient to make the front wall collapsible for direct access to the potatoes lying at the bottom of the box.

Manufacturing stages:

1. The bars for the frame are prepared and sawn.
2. The frame is assembled using metal corners. Corners allow you to achieve perfectly even corners and add additional rigidity to the structure.
3. Cover the back wall of the frame with boards, leaving 1 cm gaps between them.
4. Turn the product over and sheathe the front wall up to half the height from the bottom, maintaining the distance between the boards. The upper part of the wall will be collapsible. For this purpose, guides are made from aluminum corners. The corners are screwed to vertical bars in such a way that there is a distance between the corner and the bar that is slightly larger than the thickness of the board.
5. Finish covering the remaining walls and bottom of the box, not forgetting the distance between the boards.
6. They make legs. To do this, screw three smaller bars to the bottom.
7. Insert removable boards on the front of the drawer. Since they should not be fixed, the distance between them is controlled using screws, screwing them into the side walls of the board.
8. They make a lid. To do this, assemble a frame, its corners are fixed with corners.
9. Attach the frame to the drawer using a long furniture loop.
10. Cover the lid with boards.

This box is suitable for storing potatoes in the basement or hallway.

If a balcony is chosen as a storage location, the box is made insulated:

1. Build two boxes in such a way that one fits into the other and there is a space between the walls of at least 5 cm.
2. Any thermal insulation material is placed in this space.
3. The lid is also made double and insulated.

At sub-zero temperatures in winter, heating is inserted inside the box. You will need a piece of perforated pipe. It is fixed vertically in the center of the container, and a light bulb with a socket or a hair dryer is inserted inside.

Important! The boards must be smooth, without any roughness, otherwise the tubers will be damaged and begin to rot when stored.

How to treat boxes

Storage boxes are pre-treated with the following disinfecting solutions:

• copper sulfate;
• bleach;
• strong solution of potassium permanganate;
• then dried outside.

Important! If the loggia or balcony is not glazed, additionally treat the external surfaces of the box with waterproof paint.

Storage rules

General requirements for long-term storage of potatoes:

• dark room without access to natural light;
• good ventilation;
• temperature from +2°С to +7°С;
• humidity up to 80%;
• potatoes are dried and sorted.

It is advisable to treat the storage room or container before storage.

Important! For long-term storage, use potatoes only late varieties. Early varieties are stored for no more than a few months.

If storage rules are not followed, there is a risk:

• infection of potatoes with fungal diseases;
• the tubers turn green;
• potato growth is activated;
• Due to low temperatures, a sweetish taste appears, and due to high temperatures, a crust forms.

If all storage rules are followed, the tubers will remain suitable for eating for as long as possible, retaining their taste and nutritional value.

Read also:

How to store pumpkin for the winter in the cellar.

The best recipes for sauerkraut without salt and sugar.

Conclusion

To preserve potatoes, it is worth considering the most common mistakes, which significantly reduce the time and amount of harvest. When stored in a special box, potatoes can remain fresh, tasty and healthy for 6-8 months. Anyone with minimal carpentry skills and a set of tools can make such a container on their own.