Vegetable Harvest and Storage Follow Up by Jim Gill
I must emphasize that the first thing we want to do after harvesting any vegetable for storage is to sort the vegetables and store only those that are sound. We don’t want to try and store a tomato for instance that has blossom end rot or a potato that has scab or ring rot. Generally speaking, we will want to store the larger, more productive, vegetables harvested.
As an example, I will often store my large potatoes and use the smaller tubers to make potato soup to be frozen and consumed during the cold chilly winter months. Thus it is important during harvest that one be careful not to bruise or split the spuds with the spade while digging. Its always the biggest spud that gets injured, it seems like.
Keep in mind that different vegetables will require different storage temperatures and relative humidity. The following are suggestions to optimize the storability of a given vegetable.
Table Beets: Wash the roots and trim the tap roots to about a half an inch. It will help to place them in perforated plastic bags and store in refrigerator or root cellar if you are lucky enough to have one. You can expect them to last 3 to 4 months.
Carrots: Wash the carrots well after harvesting and trim the tops back to about a half an inch. Store in perforated plastic bags for storage in the frig. The carrots will store for up to 4 months. I have seen folks have great success mulching over carrots still in the garden and harvesting them in the dead of winter. Man, are they ever crispy that way!
Cabbage: Peel and discard any outer leaves that are discolored, moldy or weathered and store the head in the refrigerator in plastic bags. May keep up to 2 months.
Sweet Peppers: Store up to 3 weeks in the warmest part of the frig in plastic bags. Pumpkins and Winter Squash: Harvest when the skin hardens and proper color sets in. Harvest with a portion of stem attached before hard frost sets in. Store on shelves in a frost free environment.
Onions: Cure at room temperature 2-4 weeks before storage and do not let them freeze. Store in a cool moist environment to keep them up to 4 months.
