Potato storage - first, second & mains

[Forage420]

This is a question I don't hear very often, how long can first and second potatoes store if the exact same curing and storage was followed as with a main crop?

I am currently storing second earlies (charlottes) and so far so good, but some research online has suggested that if the earlier varieties are not eaten within a week or two of being dug up they will spoil.

Any tips or suggestions on this ?

[MelanieSW]

I was still eating my first and second earlies in December, admittedly they were starting to sprout a bit, as my understairs cupboard wasn't quite cool enough, but still ok to eat.

[ameno]

Earlies will easily keep well over a month in the fridge. I suspect they'll last two, three months or more, actually.
At room temperature, though, they do seem to deteriorate quickly. The skin isn't really thick enough to contain water in the potato and to keep out fungi and bacteria that might cause rot.

[annie8]

I made clamps for my second earlies and maincrop and they lasted well for months. The earliea are best eaten pretty quickly though if possible.

[bramble]

I usually store my earlies in thick brown paper sacks.
Thry usually last for a couple of months.
They need to kept somewhere cool and dark.

[Forage420]

Brilliant, that's encouraging, thanks, I was expecting only the main crops to have a chance of long term storage.

[burnie]

My question is what do they taste like though, will they lose that waxy earlies texture and taste?

[greenishfing]

I grow mainly Wiljas (second earlies) and store them in the allotment shed into January or February every year.

[Snadger]

I only grow a small amount of tatties and much prefer them 'Dug as needed', as with most veg.
I dig them up in small blocks so that I can plant other stuff (leeks, brassicas) straight away where they were growing.

[Snoop Puss]

My question is what do they taste like though, will they lose that waxy earlies texture and taste?

I never have enough first earlies to need to store them. But I have stored Charlottes for months. They don't look so good as when first picked and the texture when raw isn't quite as firm, but cooked they are still delicious and the texture is fine.

[bario1]

I actually find with second earlies (I only really grow Charlotte) that they're better after they've been stored for a month or more in the fridge. Straight out of the ground they just seem to disintegrate when cooked.

[RobPro]

As someone who has never grown potatoes before, we are just leaving our Charlottes in the ground and digging them up as we require. Is there a negative to doing this?

[Penellype]

I store my potatoes in thick brown paper bags in my garage. How long they last depends on the variety and size of potato - small ones go soft quicker than big ones. The best keepers I've had are Sarpo Axona, which I was still eating in June this year, although admittedly they were starting to sprout. I find the larger potatoes of most varieties will keep until Christmas, maincrop into the new year. How quickly they start to sprout probably depends a bit on the temperature.

Another factor is how old the potatoes are - very young new potatoes (the sort you can scrape the skin off with your fingers) will not stay that way. The skins will harden in storage.

As for keeping them in the ground, the main risk apart from the possibility of blight is that slugs will start eating them. I have also had problems with rats digging up potatoes grown in a raised bed at the stables.

[Snoop Puss]

As someone who has never grown potatoes before, we are just leaving our Charlottes in the ground and digging them up as we require. Is there a negative to doing this?

The one year I grew Pink Fir Apple, I left them in the ground all winter. Very nice they were too when freshly dug up.

If it gets very cold where you live and you still have potatoes in the ground, it might be worth mulching to protect them. And, as Penellype says, there's the risk of pest damage.

[annie8]

Cut the foliage on my Second earlies yesterday. I will leave in the ground but will put in a clamp. That protects them from frost and other risks.