Taiji
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Best way to store seed potatoes?

Hello.
I recently bought some seed potatoes, but since it's too early to plant, what would be the best way to store them? In a dark place under the kitchen sink, or the fridge vegetable drawer? If they begin to sprout, is that a good thing?
Thx.

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applestar
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I recently learned from a french enthusiast that he uses thick corrugated liquor bottle cases with bottle separators to store his seed potatoes. He puts different varieties in each partition just piled in, and keep the cases stacked up in his garage where it stays cool-ish but not freeze. A basement or pantry should work as well. He said to trim any sprouts to about 3 inches max. ans don't let them grow into tangled mess. You don't want to rub them off or damage their attachment to the tubers. He makes up a map of the partitions to keep track of what is what.

Taiji
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sounds good, thx.

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rainbowgardener
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but yes, it is a good thing if they begin to sprout. You want them to be at least a little bit sprouted.

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jal_ut
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If your ground is not going to freeze any more, I would just go plant them. They will come up when its warm enough.
I would hesitate to plant taters here this early, but I am at 5000 ft and quite a bit North of you there in AZ.
Potatoes left in the ground over winter will come up if the ground did not freeze. Freezing ground kills them. Here sometimes it snows enough that the ground never freezes, and the volunteer potatoes come up all over. Most years though we get frozen ground and the taters left in the garden die.

Taiji
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Thx. That's good to know. Temps have been in low 70's these days. Wondered if I could just put 'em in. If the ground does freeze, it would only be the top half inch or inch. After a tremendous cold snap early, it has been unseasonably warm. Junipers are blooming and I am sneezing! I'm at 5000' too.

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Lindsaylew82
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If you plant them deep, (6") you'd have to get one heck of a freeze to freeze the ground that deep. You could always mulch them with straw as well!

Taiji
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I was thinkin the same thing Lindsay!



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