Always Harvest root crops in dry weather. DO NOT WASH your vegetables. Simply brush of loose soil before storing your crops.
Storage Options for Your Crops
Basement (if you have one): Is generally cool and dry. It may require additional ventilation.
Garage: A south facing cool wall is best
Refrigerator: Cold and dry (generally around 4C with 50-60% Relative Humidity)
Root Cellars: Cold and moist. May require ventilation. Insulating with straw or wood shavings will improve the root cellar. Making your own root cellar could be as simple as modifying an old chest freezer (adding ventilation) and burying in your backyard.
Some vegetables can be packed in sand, sawdust, or vermiculite. This is very intensive on the amount of space used and quite labour intensive.
NOTE: Always keep in mind when planning your storage the accessibility of rodents and insects!
All vegetables should be at peak maturity for best storage. Damaged or bruised produce will not store and should be used first.
Plastic is not recommended for storing vegetables in. Wooden boxes are a better choice is storing in boxes, though the value of a sturdy cardboard box should never be underestimated (assuming you do not have any pests)
Keep your boxes a few feet off the ground.
If the lists below are TL:DR …
As a general rule most vegetables store well at a temperature range of between 0C and 3C. With the exception of vegetables such as pumpkins, squash, sweet potatoes. These should be stored at around 10C. Light is the enemy! Store your produce out of direct sunlight. Check regularly for moisture, rot, and rodents
Individual List and Expected Storage Times
Different vegetables store at different levels of moisture and humidity. These can be arranged into four combinations:
- Cold and Dry: -1C – 4C, 65% Relative Humidity
- Cold and Moist: -1C – 4C, 95% Relative Humidity
- Cool and Dry: 10C – 15C, 60% Relative Humidity
- Cool and Moist: 10C – 15C, 90% Relative Humidity
Below is a list of some common vegetables and their optimum storage temperature and humidity.
Very Cold and Very Moist: -1C – 0C, 90-95% Relative Humidity
- Horseradish 10-12 months
Cold and Very Moist: 0C – 4C, 90-95% Relative Humidity
- Beets 1-3 months
- Brussels Sprouts 3-5 weeks
- Carrots 4-6 months
- Cauliflower 2-4 weeks
- Celeriac 3-4 months
- Celery 2-3 months
- Chinese Cabbage 1-2 months
- Daikon Radish (winter radish) 2-4 months
- Endive 2-3 weeks
- Kale 10-14 days
- Kohlrabi 2-4 weeks
- Leeks 1-3 months
- Parsnips 2-6 months. Can be left in the ground.
- Salsify 2-4 months
- Turnips 4-5 months
- Rutabaga 2-4 months
Cold and Moist: 0C – 4C, 80-90% Relative Humidity
- Apple 4-8 months Can be wrapped individually in newspaper and stored in a single layer. Apples will give off ethylene gas that causes potatoes to sprout, shortens the shelf life of squash and causes tomatoes to ripen.
- Asparagus 2 weeks Store upright
- Beans 1 week
- Beets 5 months Tops removed. Can be left in the ground.
- Broccoli 2 weeks
- Brussels Sprouts 1 month
- Cabbage 3-4 months. Gives off strong smell and will taint neighbouring vegetables
- Carrot 8 months. Can be left in the ground.
- Cauliflower 3 weeks
- Corn (sweet) 5 days Note the second it is picked sugars in corn begin to convert to starches. The fresher the corn, the sweeter the taste.
- Cucumbers 1 week Never store with apples or tomatoes
- Eggplant 1 week
- Kohlrabi 2 months
- Lettuce 1 week
- Peas 1 week
- Peppers 2 weeks
- Radish 1 month
- Rutabaga 4 months. Can be left in the ground.
- Spinach 10 days
- Turnips 4 months. Give off a strong smell and will flavour neighbouring vegeatbles.
- Watermelon 2 weeks
Cool and Dry: 0C – 10C, 60-70% Relative Humidity
- Dry Beans 1 year
- Garlic 6-7 months Brush off excess dirt gently. Trim roots and tops. Garlic can be plated or tied together in bunches and hung for storage in a warm dry spot. Do not store in sun.
- Jerusalem Artichokes 2-5 months Harvest once stems die down. Make sure you get them all as they will repropagate and spread! Store as for potatoes
- Kumara/Sweet Potato 4-6 months (prefer 12C – 16C, 85-90% Relative Humidity) Harvest when tops die down. Cure for 5 to 10 days before storing. Store as for potatoes.
- Onions 5-8 months (prefer 65-70% Relative Humidity) Cure at room temperature 2-4 weeks before storage. Can be plaited and hung as for Garlic.
- Dry Peppers 6 months
- Parsnips 4 months Can be left in the ground. Will sweeten after 2 weeks at 0C. So the longer in the ground the better. Harvest when crown is 10cm before it becomes woody. Store as for potatoes.
- Potato 5-8 months As with other root vegetables, it is possible to store potatoes in the ground and harvest only as needed. Harvest after the vines die down. Cure for a couple of weeks in a warm (10C-15C) spot. Avoid light. Store in a cool spot. Potatoes can be individually wrapped in newspaper prior to storage. If the potatoes start to sprout this is an indication that the temperatures are to high. Traditionally potatoes are stored in hessian sacks, though cloth shopping bags or paper bags work just as well. Other options include an old laundry basket lined with newspaper. Stacking in egg trays and layering into a potato tower. In bins or buckets filled with sand or sawdust.
- Yams Leave yams in the ground until tops die down. Ideally after some frosts. The sudden cold converts starches to sugars enhancing the flavour. Cooler temperatures toughen skins. Harvest with a fork and store as for potatoes. Any left in will resprout next season.
Moderately Warm and Dry: 10C – 12C, 60-70% Relative Humidity)
- Pumpkin 2-3 months. Leave stem on. Cure by leaving a week or two in a warm (23C-29C) dry airy spot before storing until stem is woody (skin my go dull). ALWAYS check on your pumpkins occasionally. Remove any that show signs of mould or blemishes.
- Winter Squash 2-6 months (prefers 70-75% Relative Humidity) Leave stem on. Cure by leaving a week or two in a warm (23C-29C) dry airy spot before storing until stem is woody (skin my go dull). Some varieties of squash store better than others; for example while most squash will store for 2-3 months, Buttercup will store for 4 months and Butternut for 6 months
Rhubarb
Most varieties die down in autumn. Can be bottled but better frozen. Wipe stems, cut into chunks 1.5cm long – place in singel layer on foil tray and freeze. Once frozen tip into plastics bags
Tomatoes
Bottle, make soup, Freeze
Thick walled Roma best for drying. Can oven dry at 100 degrees C. Can take up to 6 hours to dry
Parsley
Freeze
Leeks
Leave in ground over winter. Actually taste better after a couple of frosts. Watch in early spring as they will go to flower.
Only Store bug free, unblemished vegetables
Do not store in plastic.
Store in garage or laundry where it is cool and dark, well ventilated.
Hessian Potato sacks or onion bags are ideal.
Potatoes
Can be left in the soil over winter if the ground does not become waterlogged or boggy.
To harvest gently dig up.
Discard anything too small. Remove excess soil. Store in a dark cool position in a hessian sack.
Yams
Leave yams in the ground until tops die down. Ideally after some frosts. The sudden cold converts starches to sugars enhancing rthe flavour. Cooler temperatures toughen skins. Harvest with a fork and store as for potatoes. Any left in will reprout next season.
Parsnips
The longer in the ground the better. Hrvest when crown is 10cm before it becomes woody. Lift, wash excess soil off, store as for potatoes. or blanch and freeze.
Jerusalem Artichokes
Harvest once stems die down. Make sure you get them all as they will repropogate and spread! Store as for potatotes
Kumara
Harvest once the leaves start to die down. Dig as you would for potatoes but leave on top of the soil to dry for a few days. Store as for potatoes.
Other Root Crops
Carrots, beetroot best lifted and washed and used.
Swedes, turnips and celeriac swell and sweeten in the coldest months. Harvest and use these crops whenever. In spring they will bolt and loose flavour.