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Post by littleminnie on Sept 20, 2012 7:26:51 GMT -5
I am going out of town Saturday for 3 nights. We are supposed to get a frost if not a freeze Saturday night so I am going to have to dig them Friday. But then usually I make a little hot room for them to cure. Being I will be gone I wouldn't want to have a heater on. So if I just put them in the house at room temp will they be ok? Then when we get home I can heat the room.
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Post by ferdzy on Sept 20, 2012 11:15:36 GMT -5
Well, what's room temperature? If it's 75°F or more, they will cure properly, albeit slowly. If it's 55°F or less, you have a problem.
Assuming your actual room temperature is somewhere in the middle, I would put them in a layer or two in cardboard boxes and cover them. They need to be kept in humid conditions yet have some air circulation. Maybe if there is a warmer spot in your house, like a small south facing room, or next to the water heater or furnace they could go there.
Most of above information extracted from Ken Allens book on sweet potatoes.
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Post by bluelacedredhead on Sept 20, 2012 11:51:22 GMT -5
I used to save the net onion bags and hang my SP's from the ceiling of a closet in the bags. We kept the house cool (65F) but the closet was draft free of course and it seemed to work perfectly.
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Post by davida on Sept 20, 2012 14:23:11 GMT -5
I am going out of town Saturday for 3 nights. We are supposed to get a frost if not a freeze Saturday night so I am going to have to dig them Friday. But then usually I make a little hot room for them to cure. Being I will be gone I wouldn't want to have a heater on. So if I just put them in the house at room temp will they be ok? Then when we get home I can heat the room. LM, For only 3 nights, I would be comfortable leaving them at room temperature. Like you, I believe for oprimum taste and storage, curing for 5-7 days at 85F to 90F is best. The flavor continues to improve after curing and ours are best Christmas and after. Have fun on your trip. David |
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Post by littleminnie on Sept 20, 2012 21:46:54 GMT -5
Thanks. I guess my plan is to turn up the heat before we leave without DH knowing. The cats will sure be cozy sleepers then! I could have the house at 70 then rather than 60. We are still showing 32 or less for Saturday night so I will dig them tomorrow.
I don't have any room or warmer small area they can be in. When we get home I will put them in the crawl space with the heater fan like last year. First I have to see how many I got!
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Post by littleminnie on Sept 25, 2012 18:12:41 GMT -5
I had the house at 70 and now put the heater fan there and some jugs of water for humidity. It doesn't really matter now that I think about it because there are never enough for long term storage.  |
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Post by paquebot on Oct 3, 2012 2:16:10 GMT -5
There's not many places even 70º around here. Saw some mention a few days ago that jogged my memory as to where it may not only be the desired 80º but I'd have to be careful to not go over 100º. That's in the cold frames where it may get hot enough to melt plastic starter packs in the summer. Brassica and tomato cold frames are both with glass covers and big enough to easily hold 2 bushels. Never tried it this way but it's the best I can offer without setting up some expensive heating apparatus.
Martin
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edwin
gardener
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Post by edwin on Oct 3, 2012 7:59:39 GMT -5
I think we're going to press our second bathroom into service as a curing room. The thought of heating the whole house sounds expensive - even at this time of year.
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Post by gixxerific on Oct 3, 2012 20:05:15 GMT -5
I normally just leave them in the basement. about 60 - 70. They have been outside for 4 days with warm days but cool nights am I doing something bad here?
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Nov 14, 2012 13:30:01 GMT -5
My first attempt failed, actually. If their planter freezes, they will start to rot.
This year was my second attempt. These were harvested, just before the slightest frost!
I was anxious to try one, so cooked it, immediately. Very much like an ordinary potato.
After a couple weeks, they feel just a little bit lighter and have a sweetish smell. Any small gouges in the skin have opened wide, but are dried over.
They are in a breathable, cardboard box, in a cool corner of the kitchen.
We are coming to notice that production on a self-sufficient scale, and storage, used to take place in a separate building. These used to look like the counters and sinks, at the water, where they processed fish. And, there were cellars. I try to stay organized, but a suburban-style house really wasn't designed for this.
This side of town was built over the remnants of many subdivided orchards. So, at least, we have a few lots to grow things.
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