Great idea thank you! We had pretty good success just placing our potatoes in a single layer on an unfinished room upstairs they lasted really well. We blocked the light and the heat from the wood stove didn't reach up there. Problem is this year we are finishing the room and will be using it so I was looking for another option. I will definitely have to try this.
Thanks for the info! I will be harvesting my potatoes soon and planted a lot more than usual this year. No cellar here either. Definitely going to try this!
So this is a hard one to answer because SOME varieties of cedar are food safe and SOME are toxic. So I would probably err on the side of caution and not use them unless you know what type of tree they came from ☺️. Hope this was helpful! Have a blessed day. ~ Kirstie
What kind of room is your freeze dried room? Are you storing them there because it doesn’t get to cold or to hot? We have a so called storage room that the previous owner had dug out on the side of our basement. One end and one side are dirt (bank), one side concrete block basement wall and the other end has the entrance to the room. This basement beside the area is ALWAYS cool or downright cold! Can I store potatoes in an area like that using your example. And should I put a lid on them or does it need to be open to ventilate? Thanks for showing me a easy way to start my root cellaring journey.
We have done the Ruth stout method for the past 2 years. The first year didn't go great but the second wad decent! I think it will continue to get better as the straw rotts and becomes mulch for the potatoes.
Did you try the Ruth stout method ? I have the last couple of years and it’s amazing and so easy. Try shredded newspaper instead of wood chips. Cheaper and will not hold so much moisture.
Had my best season for potato production! Early Blight has been a constant nuisance to my potatoes but this year I used Copper Sulfate spray almost daily starting in late June when that purple discoloration first began to appear on the leaves. Sprayed the affected leaves almost every day until the blight faded away, about 6 weeks. Now I am harvesting red potatoes weighing up to a pound apiece! My yield is doubling over previous summers.
I did this and I'm not sure if it helped. I have to place mine in the basement by the garage door. It's the coldest spot. Our basement also has moisture. My potatoes always root. I have to wait till fall when it's cooler and I get 50 pound bags from the market. They last longer in the basement than upstairs. If I buy bulk in the summer it doesn't matter they start to root and go bad before I get through them.
Do they have to be pine shavings? Or would any wood shavings like cedar or Aspen work? Just wondering if the pine oils have something to do with the shelf life of the potatoes or just keeping them moist with any wood shavings is fine?
Hello I live in a apartment and have access to a basement. It may get a bit damn at times, but I use it for equipment storage. Now I am growing potatoes in containers and I want to save them for the winter. I can do the plastic containers and wood shavings (does it have to be pine?), but how to deal with rodents (mainly mice and roaches) is the issue. Any ideas?
I would say you need to eliminate the rodents first before storing food in that location. They are sneaky critters and will get into very sealed locations. Also there poop and urine can create major health issues. Look up the different bucket traps that people make for mice and rats. I will try and make a video on it here at some point. I hope this helps
This is a great suggestion, my father in law bought us 100 lbs of potatoes and we happen to have 2 black bins and pine shavings. Do you put a lid on top?
Yes I would absolutely recommend a lid if you have one to keep out light and critters. I unfortunately dont have a lid for mine 😬 so I just put it on a bottom shelf in the back of our dark pantry.
We have not tried with anything else this was an experiment for winter and summer over the past year. Summer wad hard but they were still edible even if some were soft. Winter worked amazing though!
Good day, how many pounds of wood shavings do you combine with 50 pounds of potatoes? Do you have a sensor in your potato storage room that monitors temperature and humidity? Is this potato storage room cooler than inside your home?
How about using sand to store potatoes and carrots? I just found your channel and I didn't know you were in the foothills. I'm down near, Sacramento, not in downtown, but we also own property in the mountains in Nevada that we want to establish a nice homestead on. I'll definitely sub and learn more from what you're doing in my area. I would love to meet at some point if possible or maybe pay you to come to our current house to see what else we can do to make things better for our situation.
OK.....I am from Philadelphia which is a huge city and I would have to drive a few hours to the nearest farm. The potatoes were very interesting but I don't understand the eggs with the baby chicks. I'm almost afraid to type this . Why chicks and eggs ?
Thank you for the feedback! We have used this method in both summer and winter and we did experience sprouting in the summer but it was after several months. The temperature of your storage room will also have a lot to do with it. ~Kirstie
Just watched your video and hate to say I’m disappointed in your choice to even discuss storing let alone eating store purchased potatoes! They are sprayed with a hormone to prevent sprouting and are not good for anyone especially children to consume! I ran out of my own and purchased some from Walmart! That was several months ago, i could not eat them and they went soft in storage. They have been outside for a month in the sun on my lawn! They have not changed, not green , not sprouted and look better than when I put them out! PLEASE DO NOT EAT STORE POTATOES !
I am sorry to inform you of this, but the VAST majority of Americans AND people worldwide do not have the ability to grow enough potatoes to sustain their families for an entire year. Less than 2% of Americans farm for our entire country, YES sprout inhibitors are indeed sprayed on SOME potatoes from the store, but not all. To tell me that I shouldn't teach people how to store potatoes that are purchased from a farmer is ignorant and short-sighted. Amazingly, these store bought potatoes lasted over 6 months in storage when they eventually did sprout ... and then i planted them out in my potato patch. I hope that you plant enough next year to provide for everyone in your town, since you don't believe they should be buying any. Good night.
They are sprayed on all non organic potatoes. Some are just more soaked than other brands. I do try to grow enough for our little town and give most of what I grow to the food bank! I Ike that you are providing information for people to preserve food! It should be food worth preserving ! If you are on a homestead family channel you should not be promoting eating from the stores. If you are a homesteader and cannot even grow potatoes for your family you should look into alternative means of growing not purchasing from especially Walmart. Ruth stout, raised beds , containers even simple cardboard boxes grow potatoes. You should know better then to feed your kids store purchased anything. To show the storage of store bought potatoes defeats the purpose. They do have hormones and growth inhibitors on all of them and it shows nothing ! Like I said I have some sitting in my lawn not turning green and looking really good why would I store them and waste money on wood chips. By the way newspaper ripped in strips works way better and are free ! Wood chips can retain too much humidity and rot the potatoes . Oh except ones that are sprayed with chemicals that don't rot at all. Have a great day and don't feed your kids store bought food. It's not good for them.
Did you seriously just recommend using newspaper that is literally drenched in dye and ink to store our food!? 😂 get off of your high horse or its going to be a long fall.
You are missing the whole point of my comments! It doesn’t matter how you store purchased potatoes. Should I make a video of how I store my purchased potatoes on my lawn for over a month? It’s pointless to show store potatoes because they don’t go green or sprout anymore. My potatoes will look just as good if not better than yours. Doesn’t mean I would eat them. I also have an apple from last season I purchased in June. It’s been sitting on my table for over 6 weeks and has not changed a bit. Instead of getting upset you should take constructive criticism and not show people useless unproven methods. How can you say your method works when you use potatoes that don’t go bad? Again it’s pointless! @@kerschnerfarmstead
Great idea thank you! We had pretty good success just placing our potatoes in a single layer on an unfinished room upstairs they lasted really well. We blocked the light and the heat from the wood stove didn't reach up there. Problem is this year we are finishing the room and will be using it so I was looking for another option. I will definitely have to try this.
Thanks for the info! I will be harvesting my potatoes soon and planted a lot more than usual this year. No cellar here either. Definitely going to try this!
Please let us know how it goes for you in your climate!
thanks so much for your video. I happen to have cedar shavings. could those work?
So this is a hard one to answer because SOME varieties of cedar are food safe and SOME are toxic. So I would probably err on the side of caution and not use them unless you know what type of tree they came from ☺️. Hope this was helpful! Have a blessed day.
~ Kirstie
What kind of room is your freeze dried room? Are you storing them there because it doesn’t get to cold or to hot? We have a so called storage room that the previous owner had dug out on the side of our basement. One end and one side are dirt (bank), one side concrete block basement wall and the other end has the entrance to the room. This basement beside the area is ALWAYS cool or downright cold! Can I store potatoes in an area like that using your example. And should I put a lid on them or does it need to be open to ventilate? Thanks for showing me a easy way to start my root cellaring journey.
This is great thanks! We are going to try the Ruth Stout, above ground method, this year
We have done the Ruth stout method for the past 2 years. The first year didn't go great but the second wad decent! I think it will continue to get better as the straw rotts and becomes mulch for the potatoes.
Did you try the Ruth stout method ? I have the last couple of years and it’s amazing and so easy. Try shredded newspaper instead of wood chips. Cheaper and will not hold so much moisture.
Definitely going to try this!!..Thank you!..Love your hat!🇺🇸
Yes! Please share your experience for your area! And thank you! God Bless America! 🇺🇸
Had my best season for potato production! Early Blight has been a constant nuisance to my potatoes but this year I used Copper Sulfate spray almost daily starting in late June when that purple discoloration first began to appear on the leaves. Sprayed the affected leaves almost every day until the blight faded away, about 6 weeks. Now I am harvesting red potatoes weighing up to a pound apiece! My yield is doubling over previous summers.
Awesome! Is copper sulfate organic? If so, where did you get it?
I'm curious to ask if anyone has tried this same storage method with pumpkins and melons? And if it would work? Thanks.
I did this and I'm not sure if it helped. I have to place mine in the basement by the garage door. It's the coldest spot. Our basement also has moisture. My potatoes always root. I have to wait till fall when it's cooler and I get 50 pound bags from the market. They last longer in the basement than upstairs. If I buy bulk in the summer it doesn't matter they start to root and go bad before I get through them.
Do they have to be pine shavings? Or would any wood shavings like cedar or Aspen work? Just wondering if the pine oils have something to do with the shelf life of the potatoes or just keeping them moist with any wood shavings is fine?
I don't see why it would have to be pine cedar is a super good pest deterrent as well. That was a good question thank you and let us know how it goes.
Hello I live in a apartment and have access to a basement. It may get a bit damn at times, but I use it for equipment storage. Now I am growing potatoes in containers and I want to save them for the winter. I can do the plastic containers and wood shavings (does it have to be pine?), but how to deal with rodents (mainly mice and roaches) is the issue. Any ideas?
I would say you need to eliminate the rodents first before storing food in that location. They are sneaky critters and will get into very sealed locations. Also there poop and urine can create major health issues. Look up the different bucket traps that people make for mice and rats. I will try and make a video on it here at some point. I hope this helps
This is a great suggestion, my father in law bought us 100 lbs of potatoes and we happen to have 2 black bins and pine shavings. Do you put a lid on top?
Yes I would absolutely recommend a lid if you have one to keep out light and critters. I unfortunately dont have a lid for mine 😬 so I just put it on a bottom shelf in the back of our dark pantry.
@@kerschnerfarmstead thanks! I may poke air holes in the lid
We do not have a root cellar or a basement so been searching for a method… going to give this a try. Have you tried this with onions or other veggies?
We have not tried with anything else this was an experiment for winter and summer over the past year. Summer wad hard but they were still edible even if some were soft. Winter worked amazing though!
Good day, how many pounds of wood shavings do you combine with 50 pounds of potatoes? Do you have a sensor in your potato storage room that monitors temperature and humidity? Is this potato storage room cooler than inside your home?
How about using sand to store potatoes and carrots?
I just found your channel and I didn't know you were in the foothills. I'm down near, Sacramento, not in downtown, but we also own property in the mountains in Nevada that we want to establish a nice homestead on. I'll definitely sub and learn more from what you're doing in my area. I would love to meet at some point if possible or maybe pay you to come to our current house to see what else we can do to make things better for our situation.
What is the freeze-dry room? Temperature? We could use a little help storing potatoes. My grandmother had a root cellar but I need something easier.
Will this work well in humid climates?
It should work as long as they stay decently cool. I can't wait to see how they do over the summer here. You should try it and let me know!
how did this work out for you in the summer?
This is our first summer trying it. So far so good and we have hit 115 at our house! Our potatoes are stored in a non climate controlled area.
@@kerschnerfarmstead do you think this works better than sand?
I am honestly not sure, I have not tried sand but I would definitely be willing to do a side by side comparison 😄
if you cant get potatoes in ground, try growing in containers.
So I don’t need to put a lid on the container?
I recommend if you have your potatoes stored anywhere with the chance of rodents then put a lid on it.
~Kirstie
@@kerschnerfarmsteadu know what thing when human brain swells up- that's what happens when rodent urine gets into food. PLEASE take care
That's why I said if there is a chance of rodents.... put a lid on it 👍 thank you for reaching out and have a blessed day
OK.....I am from Philadelphia which is a huge city and I would have to drive a few hours to the nearest farm. The potatoes were very interesting but I don't understand the eggs with the baby chicks. I'm almost afraid to type this . Why chicks and eggs ?
Haha! We run a small farm and our boys are hatching more chickens. We will be selling the hens and processing the roosters for the freezer.
Check out the boys video on their 5 favorite chicken breeds 😁
@@kerschnerfarmstead HaHa....goodness me....funny. Have to check out the boys
You don't use a lid?
I followed your method & all of my potatoes sprouted & grew so much that the top of the bin was lifted way off the keeper
Thank you for the feedback! We have used this method in both summer and winter and we did experience sprouting in the summer but it was after several months. The temperature of your storage room will also have a lot to do with it.
~Kirstie
So no lid? How do you keep rodents and insects out?
We do have good cats 🐈 just kidding lol but yeah we have a lid on there. Definatly a good lid is important.
Which shavings, fine or flakes, work best?
We like to use just the standard flakes but I'm sure the fine would work just as well!
Thank you! God bless! ☺️🙏🏼☀️❤️
God bless you as well and have a Merry Christmas! 🎄
Just watched your video and hate to say I’m disappointed in your choice to even discuss storing let alone eating store purchased potatoes! They are sprayed with a hormone to prevent sprouting and are not good for anyone especially children to consume! I ran out of my own and purchased some from Walmart! That was several months ago, i could not eat them and they went soft in storage. They have been outside for a month in the sun on my lawn! They have not changed, not green , not sprouted and look better than when I put them out! PLEASE DO NOT EAT STORE POTATOES !
I am sorry to inform you of this, but the VAST majority of Americans AND people worldwide do not have the ability to grow enough potatoes to sustain their families for an entire year. Less than 2% of Americans farm for our entire country, YES sprout inhibitors are indeed sprayed on SOME potatoes from the store, but not all. To tell me that I shouldn't teach people how to store potatoes that are purchased from a farmer is ignorant and short-sighted. Amazingly, these store bought potatoes lasted over 6 months in storage when they eventually did sprout
... and then i planted them out in my potato patch. I hope that you plant enough next year to provide for everyone in your town, since you don't believe they should be buying any. Good night.
@@kerschnerfarmstead
They are sprayed on all non organic potatoes. Some are just more soaked than other brands. I do try to grow enough for our little town and give most of what I grow to the food bank! I Ike that you are providing information for people to preserve food!
It should be food worth preserving !
If you are on a homestead family channel you should not be promoting eating from the stores.
If you are a homesteader and cannot even grow potatoes for your family you should look into alternative means of growing not purchasing from especially Walmart.
Ruth stout, raised beds , containers even simple cardboard boxes grow potatoes.
You should know better then to feed your kids store purchased anything.
To show the storage of store bought potatoes defeats the purpose.
They do have hormones and growth inhibitors on all of them and it shows nothing !
Like I said I have some sitting in my lawn not turning green and looking really good why would I store them and waste money on wood chips.
By the way newspaper ripped in strips works way better and are free !
Wood chips can retain too much humidity and rot the potatoes .
Oh except ones that are sprayed with chemicals that don't rot at all.
Have a great day and don't feed your kids store bought food.
It's not good for them.
Did you seriously just recommend using newspaper that is literally drenched in dye and ink to store our food!? 😂 get off of your high horse or its going to be a long fall.
You are missing the whole point of my comments! It doesn’t matter how you store purchased potatoes. Should I make a video of how I store my purchased potatoes on my lawn for over a month? It’s pointless to show store potatoes because they don’t go green or sprout anymore. My potatoes will look just as good if not better than yours. Doesn’t mean I would eat them. I also have an apple from last season I purchased in June. It’s been sitting on my table for over 6 weeks and has not changed a bit.
Instead of getting upset you should take constructive criticism and not show people useless unproven methods. How can you say your method works when you use potatoes that don’t go bad?
Again it’s pointless! @@kerschnerfarmstead
pքɾօʍօʂʍ 🎉