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Storing Root Crops |
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Root crops may be stored in the garden or the root cellar. If left in the garden, they should be covered with 1 1/2 - 2 inches of insulating material. Parsnips, salsify and horseradish are particularly sensitive to alternate freezing and thawing so keep them covered until outside temperatures are consistently low, then remove the mulch to permit thorough freezing. After they have frozen, mulch them deep enough to keep them frozen.
Before storing root crops in the cellar, wait until the storage area is cool. The plants may be left in the garden until then (late fall). Dig up the root when the soil is dry so less soil will cling to the roots. Cut off the root crop tops about 1/2 inch above the root. They may be washed, but should be allowed to dry before being stored. Temperature of the storage area should be between 32 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit and very humid. Temperatures above 45 degrees Fahrenheit will encourage woodiness and sprouting. Pack the root crops in bins or crates between layers of moist sand, sawdust, sphagnum or peat moss. Containers should be lined with a perforated plastic sheet.
If the humidity is not high enough in the storage area, place the roots in plastic bags in which at least 4, 1/4 inch holes have been cut. Store only healthy root crops. If storage conditions are right, the root crops should keep 3 to 5 months, except for kohlrabi, which keeps for only a few weeks.
Source: MSU Extension
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RE: Storing Root Crops
Potatoes give off a gas that will change the taste of your carrots. Never store apples and carrots in the same cold area (whether in the same fridge or cold storage) the carrots will change their taste again. Apples and potatoes don't mix either. Potatoes give off a gas that will also keep the flower bulbs that you are forcing for the winter from being at their 100% best when they bloom later. But I have a huge huge cold storage area and put apples in one corner, potatoes in another, carrots in another and all my tubers and bulbs in the other corner. Note: I have stored potatoes for up to 5 months (the article says only 2 months). Carrots and beets almost as long.
Potatoes need cool temps and a dark area. Carrots need to be placed in a plastic bag, put a few holes in the bag, tie shut and keep cool and dark also. Beets need the plastic also to keep their humidity, and cool and dark. Apples can be left open for a short period of time but I would put them in a bag with a few holes and place in the dark and cool area if I wanted to keep them longer. Use them as soon as possible, they will not stay quite as long. Onions do not like cool damp areas like the root vegetables. They will last for a few months, but then you will find them slowly molding from the humidity. Our grandparents used a hole in the ground to keep their vegetables. If in doubt on how to keep what you have, ask around.
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