Cold Storage in the Barn
It’s the end of January. We still have a lot of potatoes stored in the barn. Barn temperatures are often well below freezing but the potatoes are in good shape. Last fall, before I put the potatoes in storage, I modified my straw bale walls and replaced the bales on top with insulating foam panels. It was a good move. It’s way easier sliding off panels than wrestling straw bales when you need some potatoes. The barn stays cleaner and the potatoes seem to be in better shape than the last year.
Mover’s Blankets
Below the foam I placed some mover’s blankets, which are good insulators, to take up a lot of the gaps.
Shipping Crate Set in Straw Bales
The bales surround a wood shipping crate that has been re-purposed as a storage bin.
Potatoes in the Crate
The potato varieties are separated in the crate by walls made of scrap press-board. I mixed some loose straw in with the potatoes and that seems to be a plus in potato longevity.
Potatoes Ready to Cook
We’re pacing ourselves on potato consumption, trying to get most of them eaten before serious sprouting and shriveling sets in. Our improved above ground cold storage system is helping us enjoy all those good potatoes we grew.
AWESOME idea! This is something I will implement on my seed farm.