I store mine in the dark garage year round or sometimes a few in my dark pantry. I would not have room in my freezer to put a single potato :) I still have a few sweet potatoes we grew last summer in my garage and they are still fine. There are no windows in my garage. It is partly underground so it is cooler than most.

Sue

Do NOT store them in the light - they develop solanine (a toxic compound) in their skins.

It sounds like your storage area is too warm. They need to be cool, but not at refrigerator temps.

Have a plan for using them quickly - I make cooked cubed potatoes and fry them into omelets.

It's OK to break off the nubs of the sprouts and use the potato if it's still firm

I see. It's dark in the pantry, but there is no AC in there, and it's usually around 80 degrees, so too warm in summer. I do break off the sprouts as long as the potato is still firm. I absolutely don't have room in my freezer. If the nearest store wasn't so far away, I'd buy fresh ones more often. Thanks for all the replies!

I have peeled wrinkly potatoes and soaked them for awhile in cold water and they perk right up :)

Sue (who would like to soak her face in cold water and perk right up)

I don't store them , the ac is set at 78 here and while comfortable, too hot for potatoes. I buy potatoes in 10 lb sacks of russets or 5 lbs of red. They are kept on the counter out of bag on a big tray until I can do something with them for the freezer, usually within a week.

Here's the scoop from Idaho for home storage, which includes the optimal temp. and humidity (42-50°F and 90-95% relative humidity).

http://www.cals.uidaho.edu/edComm/pdf/CIS/CIS1153.pdf

I keep mine in a wire basket in the dark pantry. When they get soft and have 'plants' growing on them I stick them in the soil in one of my bigger pots. I usually have potatoes year around.

However, I never buy large quantities of potatoes unless I'm expecting the hordes to arrive for a visit.

Another thought: Since you indicate that you don't live near town and shopping is an expedition, have you considered getting a refrigerator just for your produce that can be set at an optimal temp and level of humidity? I once had a friend who did this, but it was mostly to store the large quantity of earth vegetables that she grew.

We bought a little bar frig that we use to stock up on milk and sales of produce. I always keep onions in the frig and this makes buying a 10-lb on sale much easier. Potatoes should never be stored in the frig.

Jasdip, I agree. I've had a few rot in the fridge over time. Not sure potatoes grow here. So CA is not Idaho, but I could try planting the sprouting wrinkly ones.

Too cold in the fridge also will turn the starches to sugar and you get odd flavored sweet tasting potatoes. I store mine in wire racks in my current version of the "root cellar", which is really just an unheated cement block room attached to the back of the house. It seems to be cool year round, being shaded by a large bunch of trees, but does not freeze in the winter.

I buy potatoes in 8 lb bags when I don't have any homegrown ones left, like right now. They seldom sprout, as they are treated to prevent that, usually, when buying commercial potatoes.

However, mine are about ready to dig, so blue and red potatoes will be stored in wire bins and the fingerlings will have to stay in plastic milk crates with mesh bottoms as they are small enough to slide through the wires on the bins. The crates stack nicely, although I seldom grow more than a couple of crates full. I always keep some back for next year's planting, and they'll keep until next year when it's time to plant, although I'll get sprouts that are measurable in feet instead of inches, LOL.

When I get a lot of them, I'll do like grainlady and prepare a lot of twice baked potatoes or freeze individual portions of mashed potatoes. I used to make a LOT of homemade French fries when the girls were home, cutting them into fries and par cooking them in hot oil. They would then get put into the oven when the girls wanted an afternoon snack before I got home from work and it was very convenient.

Annie

I love the idea of making a bunch of twice-baked and freezing them. I never ever think of doing that. Now that new potatoes are in stores, twice-baked is out of the question.