How to store beets and carrots in the cellar 

Despite the fact that today you can buy carrots and beets in any store, many gardeners prefer to grow these vegetables on their plots. It’s just that root crops are obtained as environmentally friendly products, because chemistry is not used in the gardens.

But the grown crop must be saved in order to treat yourself to delicious juicy root vegetables in the cold winter, making salads and other goodies out of them. How do s store carrots and beets in the cellar, what advice do they offer to beginner gardeners. This will be discussed in our article.

Growing beets and carrots on the site, subject to agricultural practices, is not so difficult. The main thing is to save the harvest. Root crops are harvested in the ripeness phase, when a dense skin is formed on the vegetables, which protects the pulp from damage. At this time, a large amount of nutrients accumulate in beets and carrots.

When to harvest vegetables

If you remove the root crops ahead of time, then soon they will begin to take out and flake, and then rot. Both vegetables are frost-tolerant because the tops are above the soil surface. As a rule, root crops are harvested in the second half of September (climatic conditions must be taken into account!). You can check the readiness of root crops for harvesting by slightly yellowing leaves.

Cleaning methods

Two weeks before harvesting the root crops, watering is stopped so that the vegetables do not start growing again. Choose a sunny warm day. For digging up beets and carrots, it is better to use a pitchfork, so there will be less injuries. Having dug up part of the bed, the root crops are carefully pulled out by the tops. They are laid out for 2-3 hours on the very bed to dry under the sun.

After that, the vegetables are carried away under a canopy and begin to prepare for storage.

There should be no dirt left on the vegetables, they are gently rubbed with a hand. Many beginners are interested in whether root crops need to be washed. The answer is unequivocal – no way. Just take the vegetables by the tops and gently pat them together.

After that, you need to cut the tops. For both types of root crops, there are different options:

• twisting;
• circumcision to a short two-centimeter petiole;
• cutting off the top of the vegetable.

Each gardener chooses a method convenient for him.

The last step is sorting. For winter storage choose medium-sized root crops. Coarse fibers have already formed in large beets, such vegetables are poorly preserved. The same goes for carrots. In large specimens of dense, a rough core, and the taste is not so hot. And small and damaged root crops quickly lose moisture, wrinkle, and therefore are not suitable for storage.

Vegetables sorted for storage do not have to be immediately lowered into the cellar. The thing is, the temperature in the storage is still high. If possible, follow the advice of experienced gardeners, dig a hole and remove bagged carrots and beets.

From above you need to sprinkle with soil and throw something waterproof so that the autumn rains do not fall into the pit. With a decrease in average daily temperatures below 5-6 degrees, vegetables are selected and placed in a permanent place in a prepared cellar or basement.

I’m ready for the funeral

Collected vegetables for storage are placed in the cellar. Each of the root crops has its own peculiarities of keeping quality in winter, but they converge in one thing. Temperatures above +4 degrees dry them out, making them lethargic and flabby.

Before filling the root crops in the cellar, you need to put things in perfect order:

• clean the floor of any debris;
• whitewash the walls if necessary (preferably with karbofos or whiteness) in order to destroy possible pests and pathogenic microflora;
• check the operation of the ventilation system;
• prepare racks, containers for folding vegetables, material for pouring.

  

• if necessary, carry out waterproofing and insulation of the cellar.

Storage options include carrots and beets

Carrots and beets have been grown for a very long time. The issue of storing vegetables in winter has worried gardeners at all times. Therefore, there are many options for storing beets and carrots in the cellar. Consider the most common options.

General methods

Carrots and beets can be stored in the same ways:

1. In wooden boxes, in plastic containers with a lid. A layer of sand, ash is poured at the bottom of the box, and beets or carrots are placed on top in one row. A layer of filler is again poured on it. It is advisable not to lay more than three layers of vegetables. Firstly, there is always the risk that diseased root crops were overlooked during sorting. Secondly, it will be inconvenient to take. If sand is used, then it must be calcined on fire to destroy harmful microflora. Experienced gardeners advise adding ordinary chalk to the sand to prevent putrefactive processes. The boxes can be stacked to save space in the cellar or basement. But there is one condition: there must be at least 15 cm from the wall to the container for air circulation. It is also impossible to install boxes close to the top shelf. You can put the bottom drawer on the floor, but a ventilation grill is fitted under it.

   Sand storage:

   Beets and carrots are well stored in slightly moistened sawdust from coniferous trees. They contain phytoncides, essential oils that do not allow harmful microflora to multiply.

   

2. There is another old, proven over the years way of storing carrots and beets. True, not every gardener will dare to use it – in clay glaze. The clay is dissolved in water in advance until a creamy mass is obtained. Carrots and beets are laid separately in it. Root crops are gently mixed so that clay completely envelops them. Take out and dry. The procedure is repeated twice. Thanks to the formed clay crust, vegetables do not lose moisture, remain elastic and juicy. In addition, harmful insects cannot get through such a shell. Yes, and mice also do not want to feast on such vegetables.

   

3. You can put orange and burgundy root vegetables in bags of sugar or flour. Why is this method attractive? No separate storage space on racks or shelves is required. The bag is simply hung on a nail or hook. In this case, the vegetables are sprinkled with chalk or ash.

   

4. In recent years, many gardeners prefer to store beets and carrots in plastic bags. So that the vegetables do not fog up, holes are made in the bottom to drain the condensate, and the bag itself is tied loosely so that air can enter. The fact is that vegetables emit carbon dioxide during storage, which can adversely affect storage. How convenient is such a container? The package can be put on a rack, shelf, hung on a hook or placed directly on the potato. But there is also an inconvenience: the content must be constantly checked. If moisture accumulates, you will need to transfer the vegetables to a dry bag. But the roots remain dense and juicy. From 1,5 to 5 kg of vegetables are placed in the bag, depending on the volume. Another way to store beets and carrots in bags:
   SUPER METHOD OF STORAGE CARROTS AND BEETS!

5. Some gardeners, laying beets and carrots for storage in boxes, shift the layers not with sand or sawdust, but with corrugated cardboard pads that are used for apples or tangerines.
6. Carrots and beets are well stored in pyramids. But this method requires more space. Sand is poured onto the rack, then vegetables are laid. Again sand and so on layer by layer. Air circulates well in the pyramid, so you don’t have to be afraid for the safety of the harvested crop.
7. Root crops can be shifted in boxes with plant leaves and herbs that release volatile phytoncide. Such a filler prevents fungal diseases and keeps vegetables dense and juicy for a long time. You can use fern, mountain ash, tansy, gout.

Options ideal for beets

1. An excellent option for storing beets in bulk on top of potatoes. The fact is that potatoes need dry air, but beets, on the contrary, need high humidity. Evaporation from potatoes for beets is a godsend. It turns out that one vegetable remains dry, while the other is saturated with life-giving moisture.

   

2. Unfortunately, few gardeners know about this method. Regular table salt helps to keep the juiciness of the beets. It can be used in different ways: just sprinkle vegetables or prepare a saline solution with grits and dip root vegetables in it. After drying, arrange in boxes. You may not cover. “Salted” vegetables do not dry out, and pests and diseases do not like them.

Other ways to store carrots

1. Powdered with chalk powder. For 10 kg of carrots, 200 grams of chalk are needed.
2. You can save the juiciness of the root crop in onion peel. Layers of vegetables and husks are laid out in a bag. Onion scales, releasing phytoncides, save carrots from rot.

Conclusion

We tried to talk about some ways to store carrots and beets in the cellar. Of course, these are just a few of the options. Our gardeners are people with great imagination. They come up with their own ways. The main thing is that you can save fresh root crops until the next harvest. If someone has a desire to talk about their experiments, we will only be happy.