You have the right idea about dark and cool and you are lucky indeed if you have a really cool place. You didn't say what type of potatoes they are. Some types keep better than others. Red potatoes decay faster than many others. Potatoes will keep longer if you check on them ever so often to see if they have sprouted. If they began to sprout be sure to break off and discard all the sprouts because the sprouts cause shriveling which will ruin the potatoes. You will also need to check every so often to make sure non have decayed and if they have to remove them any any around the decayed potato. I'm sure others here will have more advice.

Beverly

We grow potatoes for a winter supply every year and they often keep until March/April. Maybe it is pure luck. We keep them out on a flatbed, spread out in our outside shed until it gets close to freezing. Then we bag them in burlap bags or put them in pails . We put them in our attached garage on a palet so they are not on the cement floor. We store them there until the temps get very cold. Then we move them to our celler which is "yukky" and damp so don't have them there very long. We do place a thermometer in the garage close to them so we can watch the temp a bit.Some years we just place them up on the landing over night when it is very cold and then put them back down. Confusing?? Have you ever tried freezing or canning them? Freezing the small ones is my project for tomorrow. We picked ours yesterday and got about 5 -5 gallon pails of big ones and a 1/2 pail of the small ones.I usually do hash browns but am goin to try tater tots this year. We will see how that turns out.Our kids really like the hash browns.Hope this helps.

We used to grow potatoes every year and they were so good and crisp.

In our last house had good luck storing our potatoes in our attached garage near the common wall with the house and on palettes to elevate off the concrete floor. It is a bit warmer near the common wall and rarely freezes. To keep track of the temperature, I kept a jar of water near the access door so I saw it as I came and went. If ice formed on the top of the water I moved the potatoes to the basement for a few days. But I only had to move the potatoes once or twice. I used to store my summer bulbs the same way and did not have any problems and I live in IL so our winters can be harsh.

Michelle

Thank you both for your advice. Hopefully our crop will last us into the cold (brrr) months.

We must have been posting at the same time ;o)

mrsmarv, I also store potatoes for the winter, although they are usually all eaten before Christmas.

I dig them and store them in the pole barn in buckets for a couple of weeks to "cure", it's cool there, but not cold. For winter storage they go into the cellar, which maintains a temperature of about 50F. That's still a little too warm, but it's what I have. I put them on pallets for air circulation, and store them in wooden crates. They last until they are all eaten, which is usually before Christmas.

I make a lot of french fries for the freezer, cut and fry just until they are starting to turn golden, then drain and spread on a sheet pan to freeze. I store them in zip lock bags and they get fried or baked when they are needed. The second frying makes them nice and crispy.

Annie

Dark, cool, and away from sources of both heat and excess moisture.

Thanks, annie. I plan on storing them in our garden shed until the weather gets too cold. I'll put them in buckets, suspended from the ceiling to prevent the critters from getting to them. I'll probably end up doing the same thing with the fries that you do. Whenever I make fries I fry them twice because they're the best that way ;o) Now that I have more than enough to do large batches of, it'll definitely be worth it. We have a large chest freezer in the garage which is slowly getting filled....whoopeee!

Have fun, mrsmarv, I'm continuously surprised at the speed with which those french fries disappear. Everyone prefers them to the store bought fries and whenever Amanda takes a couple of bags home I smile and say "Thank you for shopping at Mom's". (grin)

Annie

Also, mashed potato recipes that include adding sour cream and cream cheese freeze very well. When potatoes show signs of spoiling or sprouting this is the way I preserve them.

Keep as much dirt on them as possible. That helps to keep them dark and cool.

In my youth, I spent time in the Outback, where shopping was a rare event. The family I worked for bought potatoes to feed a family of 10 (plus me) for at least a year. They used an old double spring-base bed frame, and spread the potatoes out so they didn't touch each other on the base. This bed was kept in the store-room which had no window and was always kept in complete darkness. A few pieces of charcoal scattered amongst the potatoes prevented them from sprouting. They lasted a long, long time.

You can keep potatoes in brown paper bags to keep them dark, too. If any do sprout, or have any green on them, don't eat them, replant them!