Storing through winter

When storing potatoes you need to exclude light and moisture but retaining an even temperature. Do not wash spuds before storing. Do not allow them to be stored too cold or the starch will turn to sugar and start to go black. A fridge is too cold.

A clamp is a simple pile to store Potatoes or Turnips outdoors. Lay a 6 inch bed of straw on the ground and place potatoes in a pile after removing any loose soil. Then place straw on top and around the root crop. On top of the straw pile 6 inches of soil to keep it in place and pat it smooth so it can shed rain. Dig a drainage trench around the pile. Leave ventilation holes in the top by pulling some straw through.

If rodents are a problem place chicken wire over the straw and bend at the base to form a barrier against burrowing. When opening the clamp to get some potatoes out check for rotting, if it is bad remake the clamp with more straw in a drier area. The graphic is more complex than needed at home or in the allottment a round pile will do.