Detailed instructions: how to make a box for storing potatoes on the balcony

Gardeners grow potatoes in large quantities and keep the harvest until spring, and people without plots buy a lot of vegetables for the winter. In both cases, it becomes necessary to somehow store the potatoes. The presence of a cellar or basement is a good solution to the issue, but not available to everyone.

We will tell you how to make a box for storing potatoes on the balcony with your own hands in winter.

Potato storage rules

When storing potatoes it is important to maintain air temperature, humidity, ventilation and provide darkness in the selected space... Potatoes should not only not rot, but also not lose their beneficial properties.

Attention! If the tubers freeze, they will lose their taste and vitamins, and at high temperatures they will wither and rot.

Optimal storage conditions

To keep potatoes for a long time, they create optimal conditions for them.:

• air temperature - not lower than + 1 ° С;
• maximum temperature - up to + 7 ° С;
• dryness of the room, otherwise there is a high probability of rotting tubers;
• laying tubers in a layer no more than 1 m in height;
• darkness so that the tubers do not sprout and retain their beneficial properties.

If the loggia is heated, they are looking for the coolest place away from heating appliancesso that the potatoes do not rot.

How and what to store potatoes in the winter at home on the balcony

Ideal storage option potatoes - on a glazed and insulated loggia without heating.

In such a place, vegetables will be preserved better, and various devices will help in this.

Wooden boxes are the best option

It is wooden structures that are most suitable for storing vegetables.... They are environmentally friendly. But the tree is loved by various insects, so you should regularly inspect the boxes and, if necessary, destroy pests.

Wooden structures are made in the form:

• a chest with a top tab;
• cabinet with doors and shelves for separating different products.

These two are the most popular. for storing vegetables on balconies.

Plastic containers - simple and cheap

This is the easiest option... Plastic containers can be purchased at any hardware store. However, these structures will have to be insulatedsuch as a cotton blanket.

Several wooden sticks can be placed under the box to protect against cold concrete. Pieces of polystyrene are also used as insulation.

Thermobox - suitable microclimate

A special metal cabinet that is connected to electricity for the built-in heater and thermostat.

Such boxes provide the necessary storage conditions, are available in different volumes, but are expensive. It is possible to make it yourself.

Temporary containers - for a couple of days

Bags of various materials are convenient for storing potatoes, but they will not protect them from the cold.

You can keep vegetables in them for no more than 2-3 days, then they will freeze and quickly deteriorate.Temporary containers are used only for transportation; they are not suitable for storage.

Flexible containers

If you work a little on the temporary container and insulate it, it will save the harvest for the whole winter.... For colder areas, heating elements are installed between the layers of insulation if the temperature drops too low.

It turns out a compact container, convenient for storing potatoes. The same designs are sold ready-made in stores.

The shelf life of potatoes on the balcony

To potatoes preserved for a long time, the rules for selecting tubers should be followed:

• plant or buy late or mid-late varieties;
• dry the tubers before storing;
• do not store rotten potatoes, remove them immediately if found;
• choose varieties that have a thick peel that cannot be cleaned when scraped with a fingernail.

If the potatoes are selected correctly and the storage place is equipped in accordance with the recommendations, tubers will remain until early spring.

How to make a box for storing potatoes on the balcony in winter

For self-manufacture of a box for storing potatoes, you will need some wood and carpenter skills. The easiest way is to make just a wooden container; this does not require large financial investments.

What tools and materials will be needed

Start with a box frame, then proceed to the rest of the parts.

It will take:

• wooden beams up to 5 × 5 cm thick;
• plywood, chipboard or boards slightly thinner than a bar;
• nails;
• a hammer;
• hinges for opening the lid;
• corners for the convenience of fastening parts of the box;
• hacksaw.

Insulation may be required depending on the climatic conditions of the region or a heating element.

Attention! To ensure ventilation, leave gaps between the boards or drill holes with a drill.

Detailed instructions for assembling the box without insulation

The first step is to assemble the frame of the box. This requires:

• make accurate measurements so that the box fits in the right place;
• cut the bars to fit;
• connect 4 beams that form the bottom of the box;
• repeat the process - you get the upper part of the structure;
• using the corners, connect both parts with vertical bars, they form the walls of the box;
• prepare a frame for the cover of the structure by connecting 4 beams to the size of the box.

Then proceed to the sheathing... For the walls, a thinner material is used - plywood, wooden boards, chipboard sheets. Strong whole parts of the products are used, all rotten and rotten boards are excluded.

The bottom, walls and cover of the box are sheathed with sheets. Loops are attached to the top for attaching the lid.

With insulation

Foam is used to insulate the structure... They are sheathed with a box around the entire perimeter.

Council. To prevent the material from crumbling over time, it is covered with plywood, which additionally strengthens the entire structure.

Heat tightness

To prevent the cold from passing into the potato storage container, ensure the tightness of the box... To do this, use foam rubber or porous rubber.

The material is glued around the perimeter of the box lid and in the place where it fits. The loops on the reverse side are covered with a strip of felt fabric or leatherette.

Good ventilation

If the balcony is insulated and there is no need to protect the potatoes from frost, there is a problem with ventilation. To do this, when assembling the box, the boards are fixed at a distance of up to 3 cm from each other, and when using solid sheets of plywood, holes are drilled in the walls. Their diameter should not exceed 3 cm, and the holes themselves should be at least 10 cm from the bottom of the structure.

Important! Those parts of the box that will adjoin the outer wall of the balcony are best left intact.

An old refrigerator is a great storage box for potatoes

An unusual option for storing potatoes is a refrigerator that is out of order... The walls are insulated, tightness is observed.It is enough to remove the compressor and put the old device with the door up. If necessary, heating can be done if the balcony is not insulated and the frosts are strong.

As a heater, a perforated pipe with a hairdryer or lamp is placed inside the structure. incandescent. With the help of the built-in thermostat, it turns out to maintain the desired temperature.

The most common mistakes

When storing potatoes, mistakes are often made that lead to spoilage of vegetables.:

1. Attempts to preserve early or mid-early potatoes for the winter. Such tubers are not suitable for long-term storage, their peel is thin, and the pulp quickly begins to deteriorate.
2. The presence of spoiled tubers among the vegetables. Poor quality potatoes will quickly start to deteriorate, rot will appear, and all vegetables will suffer, therefore, before storing, the potatoes are sorted out and only strong and healthy tubers are left in the box.
3. Joint storage of potatoes with other vegetables in one box. The only exception can be beets, which eliminate excess moisture.
4. Failure to comply with the temperature regime for storing potatoes.
5. Lack of control after planting vegetables. You need to periodically inspect the potatoes and throw away rotten and spoiled tubers.

Conclusion

To preserve the potato harvest, it is important to choose the right container and provide vegetables with temperature, ventilation, and darkness.

It is not difficult to make a box with heating and ventilation on your own; it is enough to spend a little time and materials. You can purchase a finished plastic product from a specialist store.