I have a concrete block basement with concrete floor, it stays at 63 during the winter ( a little colder at actual floor temperature)
and 70 in the summer. How do I store potatoes especially over the winter. Do they need wrapped or covered, what do I keep them in. Do I need to cut out the floor and build a root cellar? Any help would be appreciated.

According to this site potatoes need to be stored in the dark at 45-50F. You might be able to do it if you lay them directly on the basement floor as long as it isn't damp. Check the link for details and warnings.

-Blast

I say build a root cellar.

My dad had one built off of the basement when the foundation was poured.

He has stored bushel baskets of potatoes with no problem for years and years. Also onions, cabbages, etc.

Just to add to this, potatoes or any vegetable should not be stored directly on a cement floor. The best way for any type of floor is to ensure the potatoes are off the floor but with circulation under them. Depending on how much room you have, a wooden pallet or /1/2 pallet can be used for this purpose.

Check the temperature of various parts of the basement, near the floor, as some places may be cooler than others. Sherpadog is right about not putting them right on the floor, as floors (esp concrete) sweat.

The lowest temp you can find that isn't below 45F is still better than room temperature. And you probably know that they need to be kept dry and protected from light, which will turn them green.

And don't store them anywhere near apples, as the ethylene gas they give off will cause the apples to spoil.

Sue

My folks had a section of the fruit room that had a small sand box. Potatoes were always stored in the sand, not buried, but in burlap sacks on top. My dad said this kept the ones on bottom from spoiling. They would store a couple hundred pounds in the fall and would use them all winter,(4-5 months). Potatoes were never washed, actually still had the dirt stuck to them, and a few of them would sprout during the winter. The room was always between 40-50 degrees.

Potato Storage
http://www.fao.org/docrep/X5670E/x5670e0d.htm
http://www.healthypotato.com/downloads/PotatoStorageandCare.pdf
http://vric.ucdavis.edu/veginfo/commodity/potato/potato_storage.pdf
http://vric.ucdavis.edu/veginfo/commodity/potato/potato_storage_disease.pdf
http://www.gov.mb.ca/agriculture/crops/potatoes/bda04s06.html
http://www.ag.uidaho.edu/potato/production/files/Chapter%2018_Storage.pdf
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/743452/

Celler
http://web1.msue.msu.edu/imp/modp1/morefile/E0104.pdf

Root Cellars
http://waltonfeed.com/old/cellars.html
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/robert_conroy/rootcell.htm
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Green-Home-Building/2004-12-01/Build-a-Basement-Root-Cellar.aspx
http://www.permapak.net/rootcellar1.htm
http://waltonfeed.com/old/cellar4.html
http://theepicenter.com/tow1102.html
http://www.seedsofknowledge.com/rootcellar.html
http://www.organicgardening.com/feature/0,7518,s1-5-19-173,00.html
http://www.ehow.com/how_2085550_make-basement-root-cellar.html
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/robert_conroy/rootcell.htm
http://www.agf.gov.bc.ca/resmgmt/publist/Leaflets/FruitVeg/331-50.pdf

Nice list. Thanks!

Dave

Uh, I wish I had known that. I left a half-bag in a cabinet for about 2 months while living in Philly over the summer. I actually had a friend sub-let the place, so I have now idea how this happened...

Apparently potatoes can melt. which brings in TONS of fruit flies. I think there were still stains when I moved out a year later.

Ya they can get really stinky and nasty! I almost got sick once when I found a surprise bag under the sink.

Dave