When you have your own cellar, the question of storing stocks for the winter disappears by itself. But in order to preserve the potato crop without it, in urban conditions, you need to have considerable inventiveness and imagination. This issue can be resolved if the apartment has a balcony or a glazed loggia.
You will need
- - canvas bags;
- - cotton blankets;
- - old mattresses;
- - pillows;
- - boards or chipboard;
- - insulation for walls;
- - a bulb painted with paint;
- - an electric cord with a plug;
- - bulb holder;
- - shade;
- - old refrigerator;
- - fabric to absorb condensate.
Instruction manual
1
Before storing potatoes for storage, dry them well for 2-3 days, sprinkling them on a flat surface in 1 layer. Remove damaged and diseased tubers. Store a small amount of potatoes on the balcony in canvas bags or wooden containers. Leave the potatoes uncovered before the first frost. If the temperature drops significantly, cover the bags and boxes with an insulating material with low thermal conductivity. It can be old cotton blankets, mattresses or pillows. Be sure to insulate the potato containers on all sides.
2
To store potatoes on the balcony throughout the winter, prepare a special thermos box. From boards or chipboard, collect a container with a double bottom and walls. Insulate the space between them using foam rubber, foam or wall insulation material (mineral wool, cellulose insulation, expanded clay, etc.). Fasten the bulb holder on the inside of the box, in the middle of the wall. Route the cord to the outside of the thermos. Paint a regular light bulb black with heat-resistant paint and screw it into the cartridge. Install a small cover on top to protect the light bulb from damage. Fill the box with potatoes. At temperatures up to +2 degrees, store tubers without additional heating. When the temperature drops below, turn on the light bulb for 15-20 minutes two to three times a day.
3
Try to keep the potatoes in an old refrigerator that has fallen into disrepair. Its walls are reliably protected from the penetration of the cold. This will allow a short time to store potatoes on the balcony, at temperatures up to -10 ° C. Thoroughly rinse the refrigerator, dry it and lay it on the balcony with the door up. Place the potatoes and cover with a cloth that will absorb condensation from the lid. With this storage, tubers are often affected by various diseases, in warm weather, open the refrigerator for ventilation for 10-15 minutes.
