Am awaiting the arrival of the potato sacks that I've ordered so I can harvest the Desiree potatoes. I've dug up one plant already and I was amazed at how big the tubers were - large enough to share one baked potato between two.
I want to dig them up before the pests discover how delicious they are too. I'm going to try Garlic Mashed Desiree Potatoes
There are a few points to remember when digging up and storing potatoes:
1. When you've dug the potatoes up they should be left in the sun for a few hours so the skins can dry off and harden a little.
2. Brush off soil and check for pests/damage. Fork-damaged or slug damaged potatoes need using up quickly.
3. Put potatoes into hessian sacks (I ordered mine online) to allow them to breathe and to allow excess moisture to evaporate.
4. It is essential to exclude light. If potatoes are exposed to prolonged light they will go green and become poisonous - they are a relative of Deadly Nightshade!
5. Stored potatoes need to be kept between 5 and 10 degrees centigrade and if the weather becomes very cold take care that your potatoes don't freeze.
6. Check your stored potatoes every so often, it's easy to miss a slug or two - also check for rot.
I'll be using this checklist myself as I store potatoes for the first time in my life!!!
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