How to store root vegetables and when it is best to harvest it

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Root vegetables are hardy and can last outdoors until late October or early November. Depends on weather. The hardiest include parsnip or black root. Be sure to take the beetroot out of the ground before the first frosts, because if the tubers freeze, you can no longer store them.

Good weather and enough crates

To harvest root vegetables - if possible - choose a nice and sunny day. When the soil is dry, you will work better. In addition, vegetables harvested "dry" will last longer, as moisture would only promote the formation of mold and encourage various diseases.

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In addition to gardening tools such as a spade, digging fork, hoe, spade and knife, you will also need enough boxes to which you lay out the vegetables. If you are going to store it in a cellar, also prepare sand.

Then nothing stands in the way of the harvest. Carefully loosen the soil with a hoe or spade and pull out one root at a time. Be careful. Damaged roots and tubers are not suitable for storage - they would quickly catch mold. Therefore, put the damaged ones aside and use them as soon as possible.

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Preparing the roots for storage

Untwist or cut the root from the carrot, celery and parsley with a knife, about a centimeter above the root (leave a piece). With celery, as with beetroot, the so-called heart or center should remain, otherwise the tuber would wither.

You can prepare clean, dry, soil-free and undamaged roots for storage. If you have a cellar, you win. Place the roots one by one in the box and cover with sand so that only the tops of the roots are visible. The roots should not touch in the sand, so that possible mold does not spread between them. You can also put indentations in the sand with an inscription, which vegetables you have where. You will then find your way around better.

This is how you can easily store carrots, parsley, celery, parsnips, black root, black radish or beetroot. If you are storing vegetables this way for the first time, it might be a good idea to freeze or preserve part of the harvest. For sure.

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Requirements of root vegetables

Storing vegetables in sand requires experience and also good conditions. The cellar must be dark, cool, well ventilated and insulated against frost. It must be just the right amount of moisture and it must never freeze.

The temperature in the cellar should not exceed four degrees Celsius. If the vegetable gets too warm, it will start to turn green again, for example, a new leaf will appear on parsley. The humidity should be around 85 to 90 percent. Ventilate the cellar occasionally to get rid of excess moisture or diseases. Don't forget that sand dries out even in a damp basement, so sprinkle it lightly with water from time to time. Check the vegetables from time to time and don't be shy about throwing away rotten pieces.

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What if you don't have a cellar?

You don't have to give up your own vegetables even without a cellar. For example, you can use an empty greenhouse for storage. Be careful, however, that the vegetables do not freeze in it. Use earth as an insulating layer. Place the vegetables in it and cover it with a thick non-woven fabric. You can then pile leaves on it or use bubble wrap, which has excellent insulating properties.

And one more tip. Do not throw away the stalks of celery and parsley. Wash it, chop it, put it in bags and freeze it. You will have "green" in your soup all winter.

And what good things can be cooked with root vegetables? Minestrone with parsnips or upside-down salty carrot cake are excellent.