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Today there are more than four thousand varieties of potatoes. They all differ in peel color, root size, ripening time and taste. When choosing potatoes for your plot, you need to be guided by another quality of the vegetable - its keeping quality.. After all, potatoes must last until spring in order to “feed” the summer resident and his family until the new harvest.
Store potatoes, usually in basements and cellars. And about which potato varieties are most suitable? for storage, we'll talk about it in this article.
Potatoes are different
The main feature of potato tubers is their content of dry matter, or more precisely, starch. The more starch there is in the tuber, the faster the potatoes will boil during cooking (during boiling or frying). Based on this, foreign potato producing companies label their products with Latin letters from A to D.
So:
- For salads and soups, potatoes with the letter A next to the variety name are most suitable;
- for chips, a low-cooking variety is ideal, which is marked with the letter B;
- well-cooked potatoes are suitable for frying and deep-frying - this is the letter C;
- For casseroles and mashed potatoes, you need to buy potatoes with the letter D in the name.
Today, most domestic producers of seed material and potatoes for food also label their products according to this classification.
If potato variety refers to older ones, the starch content can be indicated as a percentage. You need to be guided by the fact that for frying they use potatoes with an approximate proportion of starch of 15%, and for mashed potatoes you need to take a variety with at least 25% of the dry matter in the tuber.
Based on what has been said, we can conclude that each gardener will have to plant several varieties of potatoes at once, because there is no universal root crop suitable for both mashed potatoes and salads.
In addition, there are potatoes with red or white skin. In principle, the color of the tuber does not affect either the keeping quality of root crops or their taste, so this factor is not important in choosing a variety.
Timing of ripening of root crops
But the timing of potato tuber ripening plays a major role in choosing a variety for storage. It is believed that mid- or late-ripening potatoes can last the longest, while early-ripening root crops will last in the basement until November at most.
For storage, you need to choose potatoes that reach technical ripeness on the 100-130th day after planting in the ground. Such potato roots ripen better, have thicker skins, are better able to tolerate diseases and viruses, and contain more tannins.
What kind of potatoes can last all winter?
When determining the variety of potatoes for storage, it is better to play it safe and buy 2-3 types of root vegetables at once, especially if the gardener has not had to deal with these varieties before.
It is unknown how potatoes will behave in specific conditions, because Several factors are important for the shelf life of root crops:
- Soil typeon which potatoes will grow. It is known that the best, most delicious and ripened root vegetables can only be collected from sandy soil. While peat garden plots are unsuitable for growing this vegetable. Potatoes grown on peat will be tasteless and will not last until spring. These root vegetables can be distinguished by black dust on the peel. Loamy and chernozem soils are well suited for growing potatoes, but in the latter there is a high probability of infection of root crops, since all microorganisms and viruses multiply very quickly in chernozem.
- Weather also affect the quality of potato roots and their ability to be stored for a long time. It is believed that too much rainfall affects not only the taste of the fruit (potatoes in this case will grow “watery”), but increased humidity will lead to premature damage to the crop. Potatoes collected from wet soil will definitely not be stored for long - such root vegetables will begin to rot and deteriorate very quickly.
- Pests and diseases significantly reduce the ability of the potato crop to be stored in winter, because damaged potatoes can last much less than whole ones. Therefore, before storage, the harvest must be sorted, damaged potatoes and those that were lying nearby (they could also become infected) must be removed.
- To prevent infection late blight, it is necessary to maintain normal humidity, not to thicken the plantings too much, and regularly treat the bushes with fungicidal preparations. Late blight on root crops is quite difficult to determine - it does not appear outwardly. But, if a cut potato has black spots inside, it will not be stored, and it is impossible to eat it.
- Excessive gardening hobby nitrogen fertilizers and pesticides also affects the keeping quality of the potato crop. Such potatoes have too delicate skin and a watery core, and for storage you need elastic potatoes with a hard center.
- Harvested too early also unsuitable for winter storage. Such root vegetables have not yet acquired a thick skin; their skin is too tender and flaky. During storage, the potatoes will become limp and soft and begin to rot.
- Greenish peel potatoes indicates that the fruits were too close to the surface of the ground or “peeled out”; as a result, the potatoes received sunburn. You cannot store or eat such root vegetables, because they contain toxic substances - alkaloids.
To summarize, we can say that potatoes are needed for winter storage:
- with late ripening;
- grown on good crumbly soil;
- fully matured;
- dry and clean;
- healthy and without signs of damage.
If the last four factors depend on cultivation methods, weather conditions and timely harvesting, then the choice of variety is entirely in the hands of the gardener himself.
Late potato varieties
Late-ripening potatoes will be stored much better and longer than other varieties. In addition, such root vegetables are more saturated with useful microelements than others. For winter storage, it is better to choose two or three varieties of potatoes at once in order to find out which of them will last until spring with the least “losses” and continue its cultivation next season.
"Picasso"
A potato variety of Dutch selection, which is classified as late-ripening - root crops ripen by the 130th day after sowing. The bushes of this plant are medium-sized, not very spreading, the blooms are white. The root vegetables themselves are oval, smooth and uniform. The peel is beige in color, the eyes are colored pinkish, and are located at the same level as the peel. When cut, the potato is cream-colored.
Each bush ripens about twenty root crops, the average weight of which is 100 grams. The starch content is low, these potatoes are most suitable for making soups and frying, they do not boil well. The taste is good, the tubers are aromatic.
The variety is perfect for climatic conditions Moscow region and southern regions of the country. The tubers are stored well and for a long time, the plants tolerate periods of drought and extreme heat well, and rarely get sick.
It is recommended to plant root crops at a sufficiently large distance from each other, otherwise the potatoes may “climb” to the surface and spoil due to excessive crowding. Another feature of the variety is its susceptibility to late blight infection; plantings must be protected from excessive moisture.
To obtain a bountiful harvest, it is recommended to grow these potatoes in an intensive way - using organic and nitrogen supplements. For storage purposes, there is no need to fertilize the bushes.
"Crane"
A Belarusian potato variety that ripens quite late - after 130 days of growing season. The bushes are of medium height, slightly spreading, blooming with bright purple inflorescences.
Root vegetables are round in shape and differ in that they have different sizes - each bush can have up to 18 potatoes of different weights (from 100 grams or more). The color of the peel is red, the eyes do not protrude above the surface and are at the same level as the peel. In cross section, the root vegetable is yellow in color.
The starch content is quite high; these potatoes are suitable for mashed potatoes, potato pancakes, and chips. The potatoes taste very good and have a special potato aroma.
A distinctive feature of the variety is its unpretentiousness. These potatoes, even with minimal participation from a gardener or summer resident, will give a good harvest. The plant is resistant to most potato diseases, including scab and late blight. This allows for minimal processing of the bushes; they will only have to be protected from pests.
Before planting the tubers in the ground, they need to be warmed up for several weeks. To do this, potatoes intended for planting are taken out of the basement and placed in a warmer place.
“Crane” is stored well; during the winter the root crops do not get sick or rot.
"Asterix"
This variety is considered medium late. The plants are tall, the bush is erect, the potatoes bloom with red-violet inflorescences.
Root vegetables are oval-shaped and elongated. The peel is colored red; when cut, the tuber is yellow in color.
The starch content is average (at 16%), which allows Asterix potatoes to be used for frying and deep-frying, as well as for the production of chips. The taste characteristics are good. The average weight of root vegetables is about 100 grams. Potatoes are resistant to mechanical damage and can not only be stored for a long time, but also transported over long distances.
The variety is highly resistant to viruses and diseases - bushes and root crops rarely get sick. Product quality is excellent.
"Blue"
The variety is named after the blue-blue inflorescences that bloom on the bushes. Plants of medium height, spreading. Potatoes ripen in an average time - 100 days after planting.
Potatoes are round in shape and painted white, both outside and inside. The root crops are quite large - the average weight of each is about 150 grams, this determines the high yield of the variety (up to 500 centners per hectare of land).
The tubers cook well and have an excellent taste. Potatoes are suitable for making mashed potatoes and casseroles, as well as for frying. At the same time, the variety has good commercial qualities and increased resistance to viruses and pathogens.
"Lorch"
Mid-late growing season, tall, branched bushes with soft green leaves and red-violet inflorescences are the characteristics of the Lorch potato.
Root vegetables can be either round or oval. The peel is beige in color, the flesh is almost white.
Potatoes weigh from 100 to 120 grams. The variety is distinguished by high yield and good keeping quality. The starch content is high, which means the potatoes will boil well.
This variety is not afraid of late blight and viral diseases, however, you should be wary of scab and cancer.
"Atlant"
Belarusian potato variety, characterized by medium-late ripening. The root vegetables are round in shape and brownish in color. The starch content is quite high - from 16 to 20%, which allows the crop to be used for frying and making purees.
Potato pulp does not darken in air; it can be used to make potato pancakes, and on an industrial scale it can be processed to produce starch. The taste of the tubers is quite high.
The variety is perfectly protected from viral and bacterial diseases. However, it does not tolerate too wide plantings and waterlogged soil.
"Vesnyanka"
Round potatoes of a light pink color, with creamy flesh and faint eyes. These potatoes contain a lot of starch - up to 20%, ideal for making mashed potatoes.
The variety is very unpretentious to the composition and type of soil, tolerates drought and abundant moisture, and is protected from most diseases and viruses. Another feature of tubers is that they tolerate winter well. Before planting, potatoes need to be germinated.
Recommendations for storing potatoes
In order not to lose a good harvest during storage, you need to follow simple rules:
- Potatoes must be stored at a temperature of +2 degrees, air humidity should be at 80-90%. The ideal place to store potatoes is the basement.
- Potatoes are stored in wooden boxes with ventilation holes, placed on pallets and moved 10-15 cm away from the walls. This will prevent the roots from getting wet and freezing.
- Once or twice during the winter, the crop is sorted, removing rotten specimens and potatoes that have sprouted.
- If the potato harvest is stored on the balcony, it should be covered with warm rags or blankets to prevent freezing and exposure to sunlight.
- After harvesting, the harvest is not immediately lowered into the cellar; the potatoes must be ventilated for two to three weeks.
- You cannot store potatoes with other vegetables and fruits; only beets are suitable as a “neighbor” for this crop (it absorbs excess moisture from the air).
To provide yourself and your family with potatoes for the whole winter, a gardener needs to choose a potato variety suitable for storage, and also follow simple storage conditions for root crops.
