How do you keep potatoes from sprouting?

Cook ‘em. (That’s really the only way I know.)

Keep ‘em in the dark and well ventilated.

If they’re in a tight bag, they’ll think they’re underground ready to be plants. The gasses they emit naturally will build up and accelerate both sprouting and rotting.
If they are in the light they think they are ready to be plants, too, and get the process going by sprouting.

This is a bit of a mystery to me. I tend to keep my potatoes in the same place, under the same conditions, yet I find sometimes they begin to sprout soon after I buy them, and sometimes it takes longer. I wonder if the conditions under which they are harvested or stored before sale plays a role in this.

Yes, do not refrigerate them, they are a root vegetable and should be stored in a cool, dark and dry environment and used within some weeks of purchase.
Have you thought about digging a root cellar? haha
@glacial So you’re a keep your potatoes in the same place kinda person ey?
I prefer to move my potatoes around.
Hey, who moved my pototoes? lol

Use them quicker. Do not put them in the frig or the freezer.

I used to keep them out on the counter and throw out those which sprouted – usually after a few days to a week. I highly recommend refrigerating them – they last much much longer.

I am surprised at all the comments here against refrigerating.

Try it with a few and see for yourself. Compare.

Then get back to us.

@zensky Yes, I think I will try both refrigerating and freezing them and keeping some in a cool, dark, dry place (the usual recommendation) and comparing. I’m surprised that no one has tried refrigerating or freezing them. After all, I figure, out in nature, doesn’t the ground freeze in the winter? What happens to potatoes that are left in the ground over the winter?

I don’t know about freezing. Defrosting a spud? I dunno.

But def. in da fridge.