Potatoes are an integral part of the daily diet of many families. Today you can find many recipes where this vegetable is used. Moreover, for many, this product becomes the main product in the winter. Given this, potatoes are purchased and stored throughout the cold period. But what if you live in an apartment building and you do not have a cellar, a barn, and the like? In this case, there is an original solution – storing potatoes on the balcony. This allows you to have such a coveted vegetable all winter and cook a variety of dishes. However, storing potatoes on your balcony in winter requires the right conditions, especially if your balcony is not heated. In this article, we will tell you how many apartment residents got out of the situation.
Proper storage
To store potatoes in the winter, you need to pick them in dry and warm weather. Also a mandatory requirement is to dry all the tubers in the open air in the shade. During the drying process, exposure to direct sunlight is unacceptable. The next step is to sort the potatoes. If diseased or damaged tubers are found, then set them aside. Use these potatoes for food first.
As for the method of storing potatoes on the balcony, it is necessary to make a kind of chest or container. It can be made with your own hands from a wooden frame and sheathed with special material. Regardless of the storage method chosen, good ventilation is organized on the balcony. Without a change of air, potatoes will wither and spoil very quickly. Among other things, ventilation should maintain a relatively stable humidity on the balcony, in the region of about 40%.
If you made a container for storing potatoes on the balcony yourself, then it should be insulated. Styrofoam is usually used as a heat-insulating material. Often used thick foil insulation. It creates the effect of a thermos. A grate is necessarily laid inside the manufactured box. This will create an air gap.
But what if your balcony or loggia is not heated in winter? In this case, you will have to carry out a series of works aimed at creating heating. At the very least, it is necessary to securely insulate the balcony itself. If it is not glazed, then be sure to put window frames. As heating, some home craftsmen use large incandescent lamps. It is not necessary to leave them on all day, it is enough to turn them on for a few hours. If you take all these actions, then you will be able to provide the potatoes with proper storage conditions.
How to make a vault
A storage that will provide reliable storage of potatoes on the balcony can be arranged independently. Let’s consider several options. If you plan to store potatoes in the winter on the balcony for the next years, then you can use wooden bars and lining to make a box. Finish the inside of the box with foil or other reflective material. Buy styrofoam as a heat insulator. The use of these materials will ensure reliable storage of potatoes in severe winter frosts.
It is important to prevent direct contact of potatoes with concrete, brick and other similar surfaces. Because of this, it can begin to blacken and rot. Therefore, in the manufactured box, the lower shelf is necessarily equipped. It turns out that you should have a space between the floor and the bottom shelf.
A box for storing potatoes on a balcony in winter can be made with vertical loading. This is very practical especially for those who have a small balcony. For example, a box may be narrow but tall. Given this, a lid will be equipped on top. The lid must also be insulated. Additionally, it can be covered with a durable blanket.
If the balcony or loggia is spacious, then the storage box for potatoes in winter on the balcony can be combined with a seat. For example, make a box of a rectangular shape, fix the back to it, and stuff soft foam rubber on the lid from the top side. Thus, you will immediately have two useful things on the balcony – a box for storing potatoes in winter and a place to relax.
Another option is to make the chamber heated. This decision will especially please those whose balcony is not insulated, and you live in a region of Our Country where severe and prolonged frosts are felt. In this case, the manufacture of the same box is implied, but with heating. To do this, you need to make 2 boxes of different sizes, one larger, the other smaller. This is necessary in order to make an external and internal camera. Between them, a heat insulator will be laid, for example, building foam, polystyrene and the like. Sawdust is poured into the pallet, which does not allow the potatoes to have direct contact with the base, cardboard, polystyrene or rags are placed. A wire must be inserted inside the box to connect a conventional light bulb. For one day, the light turns on to keep the potatoes warm for 5 hours.
With this method of electricity, you will not spend much, but your potatoes will be dry and in a warm place in winter. Some home craftsmen have adapted a hair dryer instead of ordinary light bulbs. A jet of warm air will quickly build up the required temperature.
For winter storage, you can also use plastic or wooden boxes. Stack boxes of potatoes one on top of the other. Their advantage is that they allow air to pass through. To protect against frost, cover the boxes with vegetables from above with a warm cotton blanket.
Using wooden or plastic crates is the easiest solution. Plus, it’s the most expensive. Also, you do not need to waste time on their manufacture, because the boxes can be bought ready-made. However, this method is least effective if your area is very cold. Just a cotton blanket will not be able to protect potatoes from frost. For this reason, before choosing one or another storage method, consider the following points:
- Consider not only your financial capabilities, but also climatic conditions.
- Also be sure to consider the size of the balcony or loggia. This will allow you to determine in advance how much potatoes can be stored in the winter season.
- Available materials and thermal insulation material.
- Is it possible to organize heating in your balcony.
- How well is the balcony insulated?
Conclusion
So, if you are a potato lover and this vegetable is one of the main ones in winter, then there is a way out. Even if you live in an apartment, you can use the balcony space for winter storage. We hope that this material helped you understand this issue, and you also got food for thought on how to arrange a place to store potatoes in the winter on the balcony. Additionally, we suggest you watch the introductory video.
