Potatoes need proper storage after harvest so they’ll last until you’re ready to eat them. There is no real advantage to growing potatoes from store bought ones (those soft, sprouting grocery store potatoes will make good compost). Seed potatoes are no more expensive than the ones purchased for eating. Store-bought potatoes are so slow to sprout because commercial growers apply a chemical to them to inhibit sprouting. They’ll still require a dark place away from other fruits and vegetables, except maybe an apple. "I found a really good sale on sweet potatoes, so I stocked up and bought 25 lbs! Sprouting sweet potatoes to make slips (the green shoots from a mature sweet potato that are used for planting) is one of our favorite spring activities. Last Updated: April 9, 2020 However, you can store them in sand packed in layers in barrels or crates. Ideal temperatures are 80 to 85 F. (26 to 29 C.) with a humidity level of 80 percent. Sweet potatoes prefer slightly different conditions that white potatoes. This article has been viewed 340,830 times. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. When you are ready to cook them, wash the potatoes and prepare them. How to Store Sweet Potatoes Make sure to store sweet potatoes in a place that stays at 60 degrees Fahrenheit (15.6 degrees Celsius) or above. Try to minimize any damage to the tuber, as it invites mold, insects and disease. The key with this type of sweet potato storage was to provide ventilation, prevent water from entering and keep the tubers cool but not allow them to freeze. ", "We learned how to keep sweet potatoes for a longer period of time.". When to Harvest Sweet Potatoes. While I was on a pruning course a few weeks ago I met a very interesting guy called Bill Whitehead. Eaten fresh sweet potatoes can be boiled, roasted or cut into chips; the shoots and leaves can be cooked and used as a spinach substitute. Do not use an airtight storage container. Storing your sweet potatoes at temperatures below 50 F can cause them to have an off flavor, or worse, rot. They are treated to prevent sprouting. You can, but I don't recommend freezing vegetables because it can affect the taste (though they would still be perfectly edible). Handle them carefully since sweet potatoes tend to bruise easily, and shake off excess dirt but do not wash the roots. This is so the curing process can finish. % of people told us that this article helped them. You need to cook the sweet potatoes before you can freeze them, as raw sweet potatoes tend to break down and lose both flavor and nutrients in the freezer. If stored at a temperature range of 55–60°F (13–15.5°C) with high humidity, the tubers should last for about 6 months. 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While they are heavily cultivated commercially, potatoes are also fairly easy to grow at home. Lay them out in the sun for a few hours immediately after harvesting and then move them to a warm, humid place for 10 days - a greenhouse is ideal. They will not make either spoil faster. By: Bonnie L. Grant, Certified Urban Agriculturist. Provided proper steps are taken during harvesting and storing sweet potatoes, the tubers should last well into winter. It dates from 1771. For best results, keep the sweet potatoes from touching each other as they cure. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. In order to get them thoroughly clean, you should gently scrub them with a vegetable brush. Now it’s time to harvest and store the sweet potatoes! Our grandparents would place the tubers in a situation called banking. Place each section in a jar or glass of water with half of the potato below the water and half above. To create this article, volunteer authors worked to edit and improve it over time. You can have homegrown tubers for months past the growing season if you know how to store sweet potatoes after harvest. Lay out the tubers carefully and let them dry for 10 days to 2 weeks in a warm location with high humidity. ", potatoes to last thirty days, approximately two per week. It is fun and really pays off. There are 10 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. I store my potatoes in recycled paper boxes nestled in shredded paper recycled from bills and other paperwork. Tubers rot if frozen and are hard to store, so consume sweet potatoes promptly. Smaller roots work better than large ones. Sweet potatoes mature in 85 to 120 days (3 to 4 months) after planting slips. and make a versatile base for many dishes. Start sweet potato slips 6 weeks prior to planting … Remove and destroy all crop debris, volunteer sweet potatoes, and morning glories in the area. Importantly, do not store your sweet potatoes near certain other vegetables as the sweet potatoes can cause the others to ripen more quickly than preferred. I grow mine in two 4’x8’ raised beds, and manage to collect a six- to nine-month supply of delicious tubers come fall. With Three to four weeks prior to planting, put the potatoes in an area with brighter light, such as a sunny window or beneath grow lights. Planting seed potatoes Once you have your seed potatoes, expose them to some light (avoid direct sunlight) and let the shoots grow to 1 cm long. The orange-fleshed sweet potatoes are the most familiar, but sweet potatoes can be white, yellow, and even purple. This video spans the whole growing season from planting to harvest and what to do after harvest. Remove them from storage gently to prevent bruising. 5 Steps to Storing Potatoes for Winter 1. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/f\/f1\/Store-Sweet-Potatoes-Step-1-Version-3.jpg\/v4-460px-Store-Sweet-Potatoes-Step-1-Version-3.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/f\/f1\/Store-Sweet-Potatoes-Step-1-Version-3.jpg\/aid2670059-v4-728px-Store-Sweet-Potatoes-Step-1-Version-3.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":"728","bigHeight":"546","licensing":"