Potatoes are an essential 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 one in the winter. With this in mind, potatoes are purchased and stored for the entire cold period. But what if you live in an apartment building and you do not have a cellar, barn, and the like? In this case, there is an original solution - storing potatoes on the balcony. This allows you to have the much-desired vegetable and prepare a variety of dishes throughout the winter. However, for storing potatoes on the balcony in winter, it is necessary to create appropriate conditions, especially if your balcony is not heated. In this article we will tell you how many apartment tenants got out of the situation.
Proper storage
To store potatoes in winter, you need to harvest them in dry and warm weather. Also a mandatory requirement is to dry all 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 sick or damaged tubers are found, then put them aside. Use these potatoes 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 chosen storage method, good ventilation is organized on the balcony. Without changing the air, the potatoes will wilt and deteriorate 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 insulating material. Thick foil insulation is often used. It creates the effect of a thermos. A lattice must be placed inside the made 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 number of works aimed at creating heating. At the very least, it is necessary to reliably insulate the balcony itself. If it is not glazed, then be sure to put window frames. Some do-it-yourselfers use large incandescent bulbs for heating. It is not necessary to leave them on all day, just turn them on for a few hours. If you take all these steps, you will be able to provide the potatoes with proper storage conditions.
How to make storage
The storage, which will ensure the reliable storage of potatoes on the balcony, can be arranged by yourself. Let's consider several options. If you plan to store potatoes on the balcony in winter over the next years, then you can use wooden blocks and lining to make the box. Cover 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 avoid direct contact of potatoes with concrete, brick and other similar surfaces. Because of this, it can begin to blacken and rot. Therefore, the bottom shelf is necessarily equipped in the manufactured box. It turns out that you should have a space between the floor and the bottom shelf.
Potato storage box on the balcony in winter can be done top-loading. This is very practical especially for those with a small balcony. For example, a box might be narrow but tall. Taking this into account, the lid will be arranged on top. The lid must also be insulated. Additionally, it can be covered with a sturdy blanket.
If the balcony or loggia is spacious, then the box for storing potatoes on the balcony in winter can be combined with a sitting place. For example, make a rectangular box, fix the back to it, and fill the lid with soft foam rubber 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 rest.
Another option is to make a heated chamber. Especially such a decision will please those whose balcony is not insulated, and you live in a region of Russia where strong and prolonged frosts are felt. In this case, the manufacture of the same box is meant, only 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 the outer and inner cameras. A heat insulator will be placed between them, for example, construction 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, foam or rags are placed. A wire must be wound inside the box to connect an ordinary light bulb. For one day, the light is turned on to heat the potatoes 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 hairdryer instead of ordinary bulbs. A jet of warm air will quickly build up the required temperature.
For winter storage, you can also use plastic or wooden boxes. You stack boxes of potatoes one on top of the other. Their advantage is that they are breathable. To protect against frost, cover the boxes with vegetables with a warm cotton blanket on top.
Using wooden or plastic crates is the simplest solution. Plus, it is the most expensive one. 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 there is severe frost in your area. A simple cotton blanket will not be able to protect the potatoes from frost. For this reason, before choosing a particular 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 during the winter season.
- Available materials and insulation material.
- Is it possible to organize heating in your balcony.
- How well the balcony is insulated.
Conclusion
So, if you are a lover of potatoes and this vegetable is one of the main ones in the winter, then there is a way out. Even if you live in an apartment, you can use the space on the balcony for winter storage. We hope that this material has helped you understand this issue, and you also got food for thought on how to arrange a place to store potatoes on the balcony in winter.Additionally, we suggest you watch an introductory video.
