Tip: Want to print these instructions? Download the printer-friendly version here.
If you are to have home grown potatoes all year around then you need to have a way of storing them when you have a glut so that they keep until the months when potatoes cannot be grown. As long as potatotes are kept in a cool, dark, and frost free environment, they will keep for many months. The ideal solution for both garden and allotment growers is the potato clamp.
Potato Clamp
The basis for a potato clamp is a shallow hole dug in the ground from which the potatoes came with its base firmed down. The hole should be around 10-20cm (3.94-7.88 inches)deep with an area which depends on the volume of potatoes to be stored. The potatoes should be left exposed to the air for around one hour to dry and for the skins to thicken.
The hole should then be filled with straw with the potatoes piled up in a pyramid/cone on top of the straw. A good 20cm ( 7.88 inches) gap should be left between the side of the hole and the pototoes, and the pile of potatoes should be no more than 50cm (19.7 inches) tall at its highest point. Then a further 15cm( 5.90 inches) deep layer of straw should be placed over the potatoes