How to Store Potatoes: Cellar, Basement, Garage or Fridge

How to store potatoes comes down to a 7- to 14-day cure, then a dark spot at 40°F to 45°F and about 90% humidity for 5 to 8 months.

Originally published: October 22, 2026

Storing potatoes means keeping a cured potato dormant: cool enough not to sprout, warm enough not to turn sweet, damp enough not to shrivel and dark enough not to turn green. That is how to store potatoes in one sentence, most people recommend about 40°F to 45°F and 90% humidity. The dark part is also the safety part, because a potato that is green under the skin is NOT dinner.

Here is the catch. Nebraska Extension says most modern homes have few good places to store vegetables, and the obvious ones work against you. A sack on the kitchen counter lasts about two weeks at room temperature (that is Iowa State’s number), and a kitchen fridge can run cold enough to turn potatoes sweet. So the whole game is finding the right spot in your house.

How to Store Potatoes, Place by Place

Find your spot and read across; every number is for cured potatoes.

Storage conditions are each extension service’s numbers for cured potatoes: Purdue and Nebraska give 40°F to 45°F at 90% humidity, Iowa State 40°F at 90% to 95%, Oregon State 40°F to 46°F. Keeping time follows the thermometer, not the room.

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How to Cure Potatoes

Let’s start in the garden. Curing lets minor cuts and bruises heal and the skin thicken, says Iowa State Extension, and Oregon State Extension says it extends storage life. Potatoes can take a light frost of 30°F to 32°F in the ground, but Nebraska Extension says a heavier frost shortens storage life. Our frost dates by ZIP code tool gives your average first fall freeze.

1. Let the vines die. Oregon State says to reduce watering in mid-August and let the vines die back completely; for storage potatoes, Nebraska waits until they have been dead about two weeks.
2. Rub-test the skin. Dig one potato and rub the skin, and if it rubs off easily, wait another week.
3. Dig on a warm, dry day, far enough from the plant that the fork misses the crop. Anything you cut or bruise goes to the kitchen first.
4. Brush off most of the soil instead of washing, and keep the light low while you clean them.
5. Cure them in the dark for 7 to 14 days at 45°F to 60°F and 85% to 95% humidity. Nebraska recommends perforated plastic bags to hold the humidity in.
6. Sort, then cool. Pull anything soft, shriveled, blemished or diseased, then lower the temperature gradually to 40°F to 45°F.

On the cure itself, Oregon State says 7 to 10 days with moderate temperatures and high humidity. Iowa State (50°F to 60°F, 85% to 90% humidity) and Nebraska (45°F to 60°F, 85% to 95%) both say two weeks, so I would give them the full two. And sort hard, because Nebraska warns that soft, shriveled or blemished potatoes “may spoil in storage and destroy much of the crop.”

Best Temperature to Store Potatoes

The four extension services in the table agree within a few degrees. In over 20 years as a professional in the firearms industry, I have learned to trust a published spec over a forum guess, and this one is about as settled as specs get. Aim for 40°F to 45°F.

So why not run the cellar at 32°F like the carrots? Because cold turns a potato’s starch into sugar. Iowa State says potatoes stored below 40°F develop a sugary, sweet taste, and Oregon State draws the line at 38°F, adding that cold-stored potatoes may fry up darker and oilier. A few days at room temperature brings back the natural flavor, per Iowa State.

Warm is the other way to lose them. Above 46°F, Oregon State says storage life drops to 2 to 3 months, with some risk of sprouting and shriveling.

Humidity matters as much as the thermometer. Potatoes are about 80% water, Oregon State says, and Nebraska says potatoes kept in dry air turn soft and withered. Then keep the light out, because Oregon State, Iowa State and Nebraska all warn that light turns potatoes green.

Can You Store Potatoes in the Fridge?

Well, here the federal government and the extension services part ways. FDA’s acrylamide page says storing potatoes in the refrigerator can result in increased acrylamide during cooking, and it says to store them outside the refrigerator, preferably in a dark, cool place such as a closet or a pantry. (Acrylamide forms from sugars and an amino acid during high-heat cooking like frying, roasting or baking, FDA explains, and cold storage builds up the sugar.)

The extension services allow a refrigerator, with one condition: the setting. Oregon State names refrigerators set to 40°F to 46°F, and Nebraska and Purdue Extension both suggest a second refrigerator. FDA wants your kitchen fridge at or below 40°F for food safety, which parks potatoes at the bottom edge of their range or under it.

Britain’s Food Standards Agency used to advise against refrigerating raw potatoes too, then changed course after a study found home fridge storage does not materially increase acrylamide-forming potential. FDA’s page, with content current as of March 5, 2024, gives the outside-the-fridge advice.

My pick: keep a winter’s worth out of the kitchen fridge, and if you run a second fridge for the crop, put an appliance thermometer in it (FDA says they are generally inexpensive). If some potatoes do end up cold, FDA’s kitchen tips apply: soak raw slices 15 to 30 minutes before frying or roasting, blot them dry and cook them to golden yellow, not brown.

Root Cellar Potatoes

A root cellar is the classic answer, and our series on building a root cellar starts with part one if you are ready to dig. Purdue’s table puts late potatoes at 40°F to 45°F and 90% humidity, but carrots and beets at 32°F. So a cellar tuned for the carrots runs too cold for the potatoes.

Put a thermometer on more than one shelf and give the potatoes the spot closest to 40°F. Cold air sinks, as part one explains, so the low shelves run coldest. No room for a full cellar? Part two covers a basement cellar and a trash-can cellar.

How to Store Potatoes in a Garage or Basement

Nebraska Extension says a cool garage or basement may be the best site, and Oregon State names insulated garages and cool basements. Each has one problem.

In the basement, it is the furnace. Purdue says basements with a furnace are too warm for long storage but fine for short-term storage of potatoes, ideally in a walled-off north or east side away from heating pipes and ducts. That setup is good for 3 to 6 weeks; cover the windows too, since Purdue wants light kept out for the whole storage period.

In the garage, it is January. Iowa State tells gardeners to move stored onions out of an unheated garage before it drops below 32°F, Purdue lists 30.9°F as the freezing point of a late potato, and Nebraska says freezing turns the flesh gray or black. Can a garage work? Yes, if it is insulated and a thermometer shows it holding above freezing all winter.

Best Containers for Potatoes

Oregon State recommends perforated plastic bags or well-ventilated containers to maintain humidity, and Nebraska says perforated produce bags help keep humidity high in storage. A slatted crate counts as well-ventilated, and a cloth over the top keeps the light off. Skip the open wire basket in a warm, bright pantry: dry air, plenty of light and a two-week clock.

Keep Apples Away From Potatoes

Apples and potatoes are bad roommates. Iowa State says not to store potatoes with apples or other fruit, because ripening fruit gives off ethylene gas, which promotes sprouting. Purdue adds that apples and pears belong in a separate area from vegetables, and that fruit can absorb odors from potatoes and turnips (nobody wants an apple pie that tastes like the root cellar). Onions need their own spot too, for a different reason covered in the FAQ.

Green and Sprouted Potatoes

Check the bin once a month and pull anything soft, sprouting or rotting, since Oregon State says damaged tubers do not store well and may spread decay. Then look for green.

Green skin is the potato telling you it got light. Oregon State explains that the green itself is chlorophyll, which is harmless, but it often signals solanine, a toxic compound. Iowa State Extension’s AnswerLine says solanine irritates the digestive system and can bring on headaches and vomiting, and that cooking does not destroy it.

Peeling and cutting out the green parts removes most of the toxin, AnswerLine says, but if the green runs deeper into the tuber, throw it away. Remember, never eat a potato that is green beneath the skin.

Sprouts mean the potato’s dormant period is over. A firm potato with small sprouts is fine once you cut out the whole sprout and any green-tinged flesh, but AnswerLine says to toss one that has shriveled and grown sprouts an inch or longer. And do not shop for a spray: Iowa State says there is nothing home gardeners can put on potatoes to keep them from sprouting.

Which Potatoes Keep Longest?

Variety matters. Oregon State says red and thin-skinned potatoes generally store for less time than thick-skinned varieties like russets, and late-maturing varieties store better than early ones. Iowa State says new potatoes should be used right away, since they do not store well. So eat the new potatoes and the reds first, and save the late russets for spring.

If you are planning the next potato patch with the bin in mind, our guide to growing potatoes in your backyard garden covers seed potatoes and when the late ones are ready to dig.

Sweet Potatoes Are Different

Sweet potatoes break most of these rules. Iowa State says to air-dry them for 10 to 14 days in a warm, shady spot like a garage, then store them at 55°F to 60°F and 85% to 90% humidity. Below 55°F they may develop an off-flavor and discolored flesh, above 60°F they may sprout, and cured and stored right they keep 4 to 6 months. The corner that suits a russet is too cold for a sweet potato.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should you wash potatoes before storing them?

No, brush them. Nebraska Extension says washing decreases storage life and increases the potential for rots. The exception is fine, sticky clay, which Oregon State says you may need to rinse off, as long as the potatoes are completely dry before storage.

Can you store potatoes with onions?

Not in the same spot. Iowa State stores onions at 32°F to 40°F and 65% to 70% humidity, against 40°F and 90% to 95% for potatoes, so no single corner suits both. UW–Madison Extension says it plainly: store onions away from potatoes.

How long do potatoes last in a root cellar?

About 5 to 8 months on average at 40°F and 90% to 95% humidity, according to Iowa State, and Oregon State says mature, late-season potatoes keep seven to eight months. Purdue’s table gives late potatoes anywhere from 2 to 9 months, and Oregon State says early and thin-skinned types store for less time.

Do potatoes last longer in the fridge or on the counter?

Longer in a fridge that holds 40°F to 46°F, which Oregon State lists as a suitable storage spot, than on a counter, where Iowa State says they usually last about 2 weeks. But FDA advises against refrigerating them because of acrylamide, and a fridge colder than 38°F turns them sweet. For a store-bought bag, I would follow FDA: a cool, dark closet or pantry, where Nebraska Extension’s food storage chart gives them about 1 month.

Can you plant sprouted potatoes from storage?

Oregon State recommends against planting sprouted or shriveled tubers the following spring because of potential disease problems, especially viruses. Whenever possible, plant certified, healthy seed potatoes instead.

My verdict on how to store potatoes: buy the thermometer before the crate. A cured potato that spends the winter dark and damp at about 40°F is still mashed-potato material in spring, and one left on a warm counter starts planting the next garden all by itself.

Sources: Oregon State Extension, “Best practices for harvesting and storing homegrown potatoes”; Iowa State Extension, “Storing Winter Storage Vegetables”; Iowa State Extension, “Is there something I can put on my potatoes to keep them from sprouting over winter?”; Iowa State Extension AnswerLine, “Spouting or Greening Potatoes . . . Keep or Toss?”; Iowa State Extension, “When should I harvest potatoes?”; Nebraska Extension, “Potatoes: Harvesting & Storage”; Nebraska Extension, “Food Storage”; Purdue Extension, “Storing Vegetables and Fruits at Home”; UW–Madison Extension, “Veggie Bites: Onion”; FDA, “Acrylamide and Diet, Food Storage, and Food Preparation”; FDA, “Acrylamide Questions and Answers”; FDA, “Are You Storing Food Safely?”; UK Food Standards Agency, “Acrylamide”.

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James Nicholas

NFA Firearms Manufacturer & Professional Gunsmith The XDMAN has a talent for taking complex firearms subject matter and breaking it down into an easy-to-understand format that all experience levels can relate to. James is an 07/02 NFA Firearms Manufacturer, a Professional Gunsmith with over 20 years of experience, and a Firearms Writer, Photographer and Firearms Expert. Connect with him on Instagram, X, and Facebook as @therealxdman.

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