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Today there are more than four thousand varieties of potatoes. All of them differ in skin color, root size, ripening time and taste. When choosing potatoes for your site, you must be guided by another quality of the vegetable – its keeping quality.. After all, potatoes should lie until the very spring, in order to “feed” the summer resident and his family until the new harvest.
Potatoes are usually stored in basements and cellars. And about which varieties of potatoes are most suitable for storage, let’s talk in this article.
Potato potatoes discord
The main feature of potato tubers is the content of dry substances in them, or rather, starch. The more starch is in the tuber, the faster the potatoes will boil during cooking (when boiling or frying). Based on this, foreign potato producers label their products in 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 slightly digestible variety is ideal, which is marked with the letter B;
- well-boiled 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 seeds and potatoes for human consumption also label their products according to this classification.
If the potato variety is older, the starch content may be indicated as a percentage. You need to focus on the fact that potatoes are used for frying with an approximate proportion of starch at the level of 15%, and for mashed potatoes you need to take a variety with at least 25% 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 skins. 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 fundamental in choosing a variety.
Terms of ripening of root crops
But the timing of the ripening of potato tubers plays a major role in choosing a variety for storage. It is believed that potatoes with medium or late ripening periods can lie the longest, while early-ripening root crops lie in the basement until November maximum.
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 a thicker skin, better tolerate diseases and viruses, and contain more tannins.
What kind of potatoes can lie all winter
When determining the variety of potatoes for storage, it is better to play it safe and buy 2-3 types of root crops at once, especially if the gardener has not had to deal with these varieties before.
It is not known how potatoes will behave in specific conditions, because For the keeping quality of root crops, several factors are important at once:
- Soil typeon which potatoes will grow. It is known that the best, most delicious and ripened root crops can only be harvested from sandy soil. While peat garden plots are unsuitable for growing this vegetable. A potato grown on peat will be tasteless, and it will not be able to lie until spring. Such root crops 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 (in this case, the potatoes will grow “watery”), high humidity will lead to premature damage to the crop. Potatoes harvested from moist soil will definitely not be stored for a long time – such root crops will begin to rot and deteriorate very quickly.
- Pests and diseases significantly reduce the ability of the potato crop for winter storage, because the damaged potato can lie much less than the whole one. Therefore, before storage, the crop must be sorted, the damaged potatoes and those that lay nearby (they could also become infected) should be removed.
- To prevent infection late blight, it is necessary to maintain normal humidity, not to thicken the plantings too much, to regularly treat the bushes with fungicidal preparations. Phytophthora on root crops is quite difficult to determine – outwardly, it does not manifest itself in any way. But, if a cut potato has black spots inside, it will not be stored, and it is impossible to eat it.
- Overzealous gardener nitrogen fertilizers and pesticides also affects the keeping quality of the potato crop. Such potatoes have a too tender skin and a watery core, and for storage you need elastic potatoes with a hard center.
- Too early harvest also unsuitable for winter storage. Such root crops have not yet had time to acquire a thick skin, their skin is too tender and flaky. During storage, the potatoes will become sluggish and soft, and begin to rot.
- Greenish peel potato indicates that the fruits were too close to the surface of the earth or “peeped” out, as a result, the potatoes got sunburned. It is impossible to store and eat such root crops, because they contain toxic substances – alkaloids.
Summing up, we can say that potatoes are needed for winter storage:
- with late maturation;
- grown on good crumbly soil;
- fully mature;
- 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 completely in the hands of the gardener himself.
Late varieties of potatoes
Late-ripening potatoes will keep much better and longer than other varieties. In addition, such root crops are more saturated with useful trace elements 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 still survives until spring with the least “losses” and continue its cultivation next season.
Picasso
Late-ripening potato variety of Dutch selection, root crops ripen by the 130th day after sowing. The bushes of this plant are medium-sized, not very sprawling, flowering is white. The roots themselves are oval, smooth and uniform. The peel is beige, the eyes are painted in a pinkish tint, they are on the same level with the peel. In the context of a cream-colored potato.
About twenty root crops ripen in each bush, 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 fragrant.
The variety is perfect for the climatic features of the Moscow region and the southern regions of the country. Tubers are well and long stored, plants perfectly tolerate periods of drought and extreme heat, rarely get sick.
It is recommended to plant root crops at a sufficiently large distance from each other, otherwise the potatoes may “crawl out” to the surface and deteriorate due to excessive crowding. Another feature of the variety is susceptibility to phytophthora infection; plantings must be protected from excessive moisture.
To get a bountiful harvest, it is recommended to grow these potatoes in an intensive way – using organic and nitrogen supplements. For the purpose of storage – it is not necessary to fertilize the bushes.
“cranberry”
Belarusian variety of potatoes, ripening quite late – after 130 days of vegetation. Bushes of medium height, slightly spreading, bloom with bright purple inflorescences.
Root crops are round in shape, differ in that they have different sizes – in each bush there can be 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, they are on the same level with the peel. In the context of a yellow root.
The starch content is quite high, this potato is suitable for mashed potatoes, potato pancakes, and chips. The potato tastes very good, has a special potato flavor.
A distinctive feature of the variety is unpretentiousness. This potato, even with the minimum participation of 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 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.
Zhuravinka is stored well, during the winter the root crops do not get sick and do not rot.
“Asterix”
This variety is considered medium late. The plants are tall, the bush is erect, the potatoes bloom with red-violet inflorescences.
Root crops have an oval shape, elongated. The peel is colored red, in the context of a tuber of a yellow hue.
The starch content is average (at the level of 16%), which allows the use of Asterix potatoes for frying and deep-frying, as well as for the production of chips. Taste characteristics are good. The average weight of root crops is about 100 grams. Potatoes are resistant to mechanical damage, can not only be stored for a long time, but also transported over long distances.
Resistance to viruses and diseases in the variety is high – bushes and root crops rarely get sick. Commodity quality – on top.
“Blue”
The variety is named after the blue-blue inflorescences that the bushes bloom with. Plants of medium height, spreading. Potatoes ripen on average – 100 days after planting.
Potatoes are round in shape, painted white: both outside and inside. 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 boil well, have an excellent taste. Potatoes are suitable for mashed potatoes and casseroles, as well as for frying. At the same time, the variety has good commercial qualities, increased resistance to viruses and pathogens.
“Lorch”
Mid-late growing season, tall, branched bushes with pale green leaves and red-violet inflorescences are the characteristics of the Lorch potato.
Root crops can be found both round and oval. The peel is painted in a beige shade, the flesh is almost white.
Potatoes weigh from 100 to 120 grams. The variety has a high yield and good keeping quality. The starch content is high, which means that the potatoes will be well boiled.
This variety is not afraid of late blight and viral diseases, however, you should be wary of scab and cancer.
Atlant
Belarusian variety of potatoes, characterized by medium late ripening. Root crops have a rounded shape, painted in a brownish tint. The starch content is quite high – from 16 to 20%, which allows the crop to be used for frying and mashing.
The pulp of a potato does not darken in the air, it can be used to make potato pancakes, and on an industrial scale it can be processed to produce starch. The taste of tubers is quite high.
The variety is perfectly protected from viral and bacterial diseases. However, it does not tolerate too wide landings and waterlogging of the soil.
“Freckle”
Round potatoes of a light pink hue, with creamy flesh and mild eyes. These potatoes contain a lot of starch – up to 20%, ideal for mashing.
The variety is very unpretentious in terms of the composition and type of soil, tolerates drought and abundant moisture well, is protected from most diseases and viruses. Another feature of tubers is that they tolerate winter well. Potatoes need to be germinated before planting.
Potato Storage Recommendations
In order not to lose a good harvest during storage, you need to follow simple rules:
- It is necessary to store potatoes at a temperature of +2 degrees, air humidity should be at the level of 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 root crops from getting wet and freezing.
- Once or twice during the winter, the crop is sorted out, removing rotten specimens and potatoes that have sprouted.
- If the potato crop is stored on the balcony, it should be covered with warm rags or blankets to prevent freezing and exposure to sunlight.
- After harvesting, the crop is not immediately lowered into the cellar, the potatoes should be ventilated for two to three weeks.
- Potatoes cannot be stored with other vegetables and fruits; only beets are suitable as a “neighbor” for this crop (it absorbs excess moisture from the air).
In order to provide himself and his family with potatoes for the whole winter, the gardener needs to choose a potato variety suitable for storage, as well as observe simple storage conditions for root crops.
