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Despite the fact that today you can buy carrots and beets in any store, many gardeners prefer to grow these vegetables in their plots. It’s just that the root vegetables are environmentally friendly products, because no chemicals are used in the gardens.
But the harvest must be preserved so that in the cold winter time you can enjoy delicious, juicy root vegetables, making salads and other delicacies from them. How to store carrots and beets in the cellar, Russians, what advice do they offer to new gardeners. This will be discussed in our article.
Growing beets and carrots on the plot, subject to agrotechnical techniques, is not so difficult. The main thing is to preserve the harvest. Roots clean up in the ripeness phase, when a dense skin forms on the vegetables, protecting the pulp from damage. At this time, beets and carrots accumulate a large amount of nutrients.
When to Harvest Vegetables for Storage
If you remove root crops ahead of time, they will soon begin to fall apart and become flabby, and then rot. Both vegetables do not tolerate frost because the top part is 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 root crops, watering is stopped so that the vegetables do not start growing again. Choose a sunny, warm day. It is better to use a pitchfork to dig up beets and carrots, this way there will be fewer injuries. Having dug up part of the bed, carefully pull out the root crops by the tops. They are laid out for 2-3 hours on the bed itself to dry under the sun.
After this, the vegetables are taken under a canopy and begin to be prepared for storage.
There should be no dirt left on the vegetables; they should be carefully wiped with your hand. Many beginners are interested in whether it is necessary to wash root vegetables. The answer is clear - under no circumstances. Simply grab the vegetables by the tops and gently pat them together.
After this you need to trim the tops. There are different options for both types of root vegetables:
- twisting;
- pruning to a short two-centimeter petiole;
- cutting off the top of a vegetable.
Each gardener chooses a method that is convenient for him.
The last stage is sorting. For winter storage, medium-sized root crops are chosen. Large beets have already formed coarse fibers; such vegetables are poorly preserved. The same applies to carrots. Large, dense specimens have a rough core, and the taste is not so great. And small and damaged root vegetables quickly lose moisture and shrink, so they are not suitable for storage.
Vegetables sorted for storage do not have to be immediately lowered into the cellar.The fact is that the temperature in the storage facility is still high. If possible, follow the advice of experienced gardeners, dig a hole and remove the carrots and beets put in bags.
Sprinkle the top with soil and throw in something waterproof to prevent autumn rains from falling into the hole. When average daily temperatures drop below 5-6 degrees, vegetables are selected and placed in a permanent place in a prepared cellar or basement.
Preparing the cellar
The collected vegetables are placed in the cellar for storage. Each of the root crops has its own characteristics of shelf life in winter, but they agree on one thing. Temperatures above +4 degrees dry them out, making them sluggish and flabby.
Before filling the root crops in the cellar, you need to put things in perfect order:
- clear the floor of any debris;
- whitewash the walls if necessary (preferably with karbofos or whiteness) to destroy possible pests and pathogenic microflora;
- check the operation of the ventilation system;
- prepare racks, containers for storing vegetables, and material for filling.
- If necessary, waterproof and insulate the cellar.
Storage options for 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, options beet storage and there are a lot of carrots in the cellar. Let's look at the most common options.
General methods
Carrots and beets can be preserved in the same ways:
- In wooden boxes, in plastic containers with a lid. A layer of sand and ash is poured onto the bottom of the box, and beets or carrots are placed on top in one row. A layer of filler is again poured onto it.It is advisable not to place more than three layers of vegetables. Firstly, there is always the risk that diseased root crops were looked through during sorting. Secondly, it will be inconvenient to take. If sand is used, it must be calcined over a fire to destroy harmful microflora. Experienced gardeners advise adding regular chalk to sand to prevent putrefactive processes. The boxes can be stacked, which will 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. You should also not install drawers close to the top shelf. You can place the bottom drawer on the floor, but a grille is fitted underneath it for ventilation.
Storage in sand:
Beets and carrots are stored well in slightly moistened sawdust from coniferous trees. They contain phytoncides and essential oils that do not allow harmful microflora to multiply.
- There is another old, time-tested method of storing carrots and beets. True, not every gardener will decide to use it - in clay glaze. Dissolve the clay in water in advance until a creamy mass is obtained. Carrots and beets are placed in it separately. The root vegetables are carefully mixed so that they are completely covered in clay. Remove and dry. The procedure is repeated twice. Thanks to the resulting clay crust, the vegetables do not lose moisture and remain elastic and juicy. In addition, harmful insects cannot get through such a shell. And mice don’t want to feast on such vegetables either.
- You can put orange and burgundy root vegetables in sugar or flour bags. Why is this method attractive? No separate storage space is required on racks or shelves.The bag is simply hung on a nail or hook. In this case, the vegetables are sprinkled with chalk or ash.
- In recent years, many gardeners prefer store beets and carrots in plastic bags. To prevent the vegetables from fogging up, holes are made in the bottom to allow condensation to drain, and the bag itself is tied loosely to allow air to enter. The fact is that vegetables emit carbon dioxide during storage, which can adversely affect storage. How convenient is such a container? The bag can be placed on a rack, shelf, hung on a hook, or placed directly on the potatoes. But there is also an inconvenience: the contents must be constantly checked. If moisture accumulates, you will need to transfer the vegetables to a dry bag. But the root vegetables remain dense and juicy. From 1.5 to 5 kg of vegetables are placed in a bag, depending on the volume. Another way to store beets and carrots in bags:
- Some gardeners, planting beets and carrots on storage in boxes, lay the layers not with sand or sawdust, but with spacers, corrugated cardboard, which are used for apples or tangerines.
- Both carrots and beets are well stored in pyramids. But this method requires more space. Sand is poured onto the rack, then vegetables are laid. Sand again and so on layer by layer. Air circulates well in the pyramid, so you don’t have to worry about the safety of the harvest.
- Root vegetables can be arranged in boxes with plant leaves and herbs that release volatile phytoncide. This filler prevents fungal diseases and keeps vegetables firm and juicy for a long time. You can use fern, rowan, tansy, and honey.
Ideal options for beets
- 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 is a godsend for beets. It turns out that one vegetable remains dry, while the other is saturated with life-giving moisture.
- Unfortunately, few gardeners know about this method. Regular table salt helps preserve the juiciness of beets. It can be used in different ways: simply pour over vegetables or prepare a brine solution and dip root vegetables in it. After drying, place in boxes. You don't have to cover it. “Salted” vegetables do not dry out, and pests and diseases do not like them.
Other ways to store carrots
- Dust with chalk powder. For 10 kg of carrots you need 200 grams of chalk.
- You can preserve the juiciness of the root vegetable in onion peels. Vegetables and peels are laid out in layers in a bag. Onion scales, releasing phytoncides, protect carrots from rot.
Conclusion
We tried to talk about some ways to store carrots and beets in the cellar. Of course, this is only a small part of the options. Our gardeners are people with great imagination. They come up with their own ways. The main thing is that you can preserve fresh root vegetables until the next harvest. If anyone wants to talk about their experiments, we will be only too happy.
