Fall is an active period for harvesting in your garden and beds. Sweet carrots, healthy garlic, vitamin cabbage can lose their taste and appearance in the first few months due to improper storage conditions. It is not enough to collect a good harvest, it is important to be able to preserve it until spring! We have prepared for you all the storing vegetables tips.
General rules for storing vegetables
There are several rules for winter storage of vegetables. They concern the selection of suitable varieties, protection from diseases, the correct choice of harvesting dates, and so on.
Choosing varieties for long-term storage
When buying seeds or seedlings, be sure to look at the ripening period. Late varieties of vegetables are suitable for long-term storage.
Protecting crops from pests and diseases
It is necessary to carry out preventive treatments of plants with insecticides and fungicides in a timely manner to avoid spoilage of vegetables. Otherwise, the harvest will be unsuitable for long-term storage.
Compliance with harvesting deadlines
Untimely (too early or too late) harvesting reduces the storage time of vegetables. The fruits lose their taste, rot or dry out.
The following tips will help you decide on the timing of the harvest:
- potatoes are dug up two to three weeks after the tops have dried out;
- onions are harvested when the feather turns yellow and the neck dries out;
- garlic is removed from the ground before the heads fall apart;
- carrots and beets are dug up before small roots form (carrots, when the night temperature drops to 41-43 °F, and beets – to 35-37 °F);
- cabbage is harvested when the heads of cabbage have acquired sufficient density, but before they begin to crack (the average daily temperature should be kept at 32-41 degrees).
Preparing the harvest for storage
Cut off the tops of the root crops and leave them outside for 1-2 hours to dry. Then remove any remaining soil with your hands and place them in a ventilated area for 24 hours.
Dry the dug up potatoes in a ventilated area, then clean the tubers from the soil. Then place the tubers in a cool room, and after a week sort them out, remove damaged and rotten fruits.
When cutting, leave a few wrapper leaves and a small (about 1 inch) stalk on the cabbage heads. Send the heads of cabbage to a ventilated, warm room for 24 hours to dry.
Dry the harvested onions in the garden for 1-2 hours. Then remove the soil and cut off the leaves, leaving a 2-3-inch neck. Place the peeled bulbs in a ventilated room for a couple of weeks.
Dry the garlic well, cutting off the leaves.
Selection of vegetables for storing
For storage, select absolutely healthy and well-ripened fruits that do not have mechanical damage and defects. They must be cleared of soil and well dried.
Storing vegetables conditions
The optimal place for winter storage of vegetables is a basement or cellar. But you can use a loggia or balcony, having previously insulated them and limited access to sunlight. Harvest Stores well in the refrigerator and freezer.
Storage conditions vary depending on the type of vegetable.
Potatoes storing
Spread the tubers in a thin layer (no more than 5 feet). You can place them in containers or boxes with holes, which are located on stands. It is advisable to sprinkle the potatoes with sawdust (they retain moisture) or rowan leaves. They neutralize pathogens due to the presence of phytoncides.
The room should be dark, the temperature should be maintained at 35-39 °F, and the humidity – 80-90%.
Cabbage storing
Hang the heads of cabbage from the ceiling or wrap them in paper and lay them out on shelves (roots up).
The optimum temperature is from 30 to 33 °F, humidity – 95-98%.
Carrots storing
Place the carrots in polypropylene bags or in wet sand. You can sprinkle with sawdust or rowan leaves, or pour in a clay solution, which will “preserve” the carrots.
Store at a temperature of 32 to 34 °F, humidity 80-90%.
Beets storing
It is best to lay the beets in a single layer on top of the potatoes, and sprinkle them with chalk. You can also store the beets in small wooden boxes, sprinkled with sand or sawdust.
The optimal storage temperature for beets is from 32 to 35 °F, humidity – 85-95%.
Onions and garlic storing
Place the bulbs in containers with ventilation holes (baskets, wooden containers, vegetable nets or one-size tights) in a single layer. You can store onions and garlic in braids, but in this case, the tops are not cut off. It is recommended to pre-cover the garlic with melted paraffin to avoid drying out.
The temperature can fluctuate between 59-68 °F, humidity – 50-70%. The main requirement is the absence of juicy vegetables (cabbage, carrots, beets) nearby.
Fall is not only the period of harvesting and preparation, but also a great time to buy a greenhouse!
