[Odin]

Pictures of my Potatoe Freeze taken 19th Nov 11.  Basically constructed from pallets with sides. The main picture is of the freeze that has worked the best, it is also the largest. A couple of industrial crates with flimsy sides. At the time of filling I was short of boards for the sides so I put some plastic sheet in just to stop the spuds falling through the sides, air gaps were there but it did not work well. Plastic works for the top to run the water off and underneath to keep the damp out. But the only material required in the construction is wood with air gaps lined with straw. It dries the spuds out nicely. The main crop have kept well but the Wiljurs, late seconds have started to sprout, so they are now all bagged and ready for off .

[Odin]

Picture

[Odin]

spud

[suziequeue]

Are these tattys from last year or this year Odin?

[Odin]

  This years spuds, but all part of the process of getting them from the field, drying them and weighed then into bags. It is all very time consuming and day light hours are limited and so are decent days at this time of year. So the lifted spuds are tipped into the freeze boxes with straw where they stand until I can get to them to sort and bag. The longest time they have done in the freeze is five week, but even then opening the freeze I can smell the rotters.
The method in my madness is my new trailer, basically and old Howard drum type muck spreader. The body scrapped but the A' frame chassis kept and re-jigged to hold 2 large pallets, which are the base of my freeze boxes.
The lifted spuds are tipped into the freeze boxes and stored in the field corner under cover. A freeze box can then be loaded on to the trailer and carted out of the field into my shed (2 miles away) where I can sort & bag in doors in the dark or inclement weather, not stood in a field during Autumn. 

[Blonde]

An interesting idea,  why not have air flowing through the system.....wont this stop some of the potatoes from rotting?

[Odin]

Mice, keep the mice oot ! Air can get around< dont want it to hold damp, but there are plenty mice living in the field but as yet, not in the freeze.

[Sylvia]

What happened to your trip to Devon, Odin? I mucked the house out especially

[Odin]

Its not happened yet, then an alternative approach happened ... that failed, so it may still be on so save the fresh bail of straw for me to doss on. If january is quiet then it could happen, watch this space.