Storing Carrots, Beets and Potatoes for the Winter

We had another beautiful day.  The leaves are beginning to turn color and fall to the ground.  I decided to get the rest of the vegetables into storage before the snow flies.  It was 60 degrees today, but that can change in a heartbeat.  

One of the biggest questions people ask is 'now that I've grown all these beautiful veggies, how do I best store them for the winter?'  Many vegetables can be frozen or canned.  Root veggies, however, lend themselves to fresh storage so you can enjoy the goodness of them for months to come.  Some people leave them in the ground and just dig them as they need them.  Unfortunately, our winters can be very unpredictable, sometimes raining for days on end, sometimes dumping 3 - 4 feet of snow with the ground frozen to 2 or 3 feet deep.  This makes leaving them in the garden inconvenient.  Since I prefer to have them easily at hand, I have tried several different ways of storage, sometimes ending up with a pile of moldy, soggy carrot mush, squishy beets, and wrinkly potatoes. But after some time and research, trial and error, I believe I have discovered a method that is successful.

First, we will start with potatoes.  Once they have been dug out of the ground, if the weather permits, lay them out to dry a bit.  Potatoes should be dry when they go into storage.  If they are wet they will most certainly mold.  Be sure that the potatoes are not cut, as in when you slice into one with the shovel or fork while digging them. Pick out all of the ones that have been damaged.  Those potatoes should be used as soon as possible, but not left in storage as they will also mold and ruin many of the others.  Now that they are dried off a bit, just put them in a cardboard box and into a garage or other area where the temperature will be below 50 degrees F but above freezing. That is how you store potatoes.  

Beets are a different story entirely.  Again, dig them up and dust off the dirt as much as possible.  Be sure they are not damaged.  In order to prevent them from drying out and shriveling, they must be kept moist.  The best way to do that is to store them in damp sand.  Put a layer of damp sand in a cardboard box that is resting on plywood or plastic so the bottom doesn't fall out.  Add a layer of beets.  It is best if they do not touch each other.  Cover them with a layer of damp sand.  Be sure they are completely covered.  Add another layer of beets and another layer of sand.  Continue in this manner until all of the beets are in the box.  Finish with a layer of damp sand.  Store in a cool area where the temperature will be between 50 degrees F and above freezing.  And that is how you store beets.

Carrots are basically the same as beets.  Dig them and dust off.  Layer with sand as you did the beets.  Finish off with a layer of sand.   Store in an area that is between 50 degrees F and freezing.

The carrots and beets can be stored in plastic boxes if you'd like, be sure to put a good thick layer of sand 1- 1/2 to 2 inches in the bottom of the plastic container.  This will give an area to absorb any excess fluid that may develop since the plastic does not breathe like the cardboard does.   Leave the lid ajar and open it to let it air out if excess moisture is building up.  Potatoes, should be stored in cardboard since it does breathe.  If you must use plastic boxes, put a layer of dry sand underneath.  Check them frequently to be sure that moisture is not building up in the box.  Leave the lid off.  

Tip: Presuming you planted heirloom carrots and beets, you can take a couple of each that you stored fresh and plant them back in the garden in the spring.  Allow them to go to seed and in the fall you can harvest the seed for future use.  (Check out my earlier post from October 7.  I show you in detail how to save the seed.)  The small potatoes that collect at the bottom of the box can be planted in the spring.  Just put 2 or three in each hole you dig and they will produce beautiful plants and potatoes next year.