How to store beets in the cellar in winter

Beetroot, beetroot, beetroot are the names of the same tasty sweet vegetable rich in vitamins and microelements. Beets are grown in almost every dacha and personal plot. It is not difficult to get a rich harvest with the right agricultural technology, but it still needs to be preserved until spring in a marketable form.

The question of how to store beets in a cellar interests many novice gardeners, and experienced vegetable growers are often looking for something new to test. There are many ways to preserve beets, but there are nuances without which it is difficult to keep beets fresh and firm until spring. This is what we will talk about today.

Variety selection is important

Since beets will have to be stored in a cellar or basement until spring, you need to choose keeping varieties. But not all beets have these properties. Therefore, the issue of choice must be approached seriously so that you do not have to throw out limp and even rotten vegetables from the cellar in winter.

What varieties of beets to choose for long-term storage:

• Bordeaux 237;
• Late winter A-474;
• Egyptian flat;
• Red ball;
• Libero.

Many gardeners grow the Cylinder variety on their plots.It has excellent taste and a bright burgundy color, but it is stored only if all conditions are met. The slightest deviation leads to the fact that the vegetable begins to wither.

Harvest

The issue of storing beets in the cellar in winter includes harvesting. Vegetable needed put away during. As a rule, beets are picked from the ground before the first frost. In the south, vegetable harvesting begins at the end of October, and in regions with a harsher climate at the end of September.

For harvesting, choose days with warm and dry weather. It is better to use a pitchfork to dig up the root crop: this way, we injure the vegetable less.

In this case, the central root can be damaged, and through the resulting wounds, pathogenic microorganisms can enter the root crop, causing putrefactive processes. Rot and fungal diseases lead to significant yield losses during long-term storage of beets.

Storage space for vegetables

Although beets are not a capricious vegetable, they still require the creation of comfortable storage conditions. Root crops are placed in cellars or basements. These rooms need to be specially prepared. If the necessary conditions are not maintained in the storage facility, then neither modern nor ancient methods of storing beets will give the desired result.

What needs to be done in the cellar to preserve the harvest of root crops:

1. Before storing vegetables for long-term winter storage, the room is cleared of any debris.
2. It is advisable to whitewash the walls by adding karbofos or whiteness to lime to destroy harmful microorganisms.
3. Create temperature conditions. Root vegetables are perfectly stored at a temperature of 0-+2 degrees.Higher temperatures promote top growth and drying out of beets.
4. Sunlight should not penetrate into the room.
5. Optimum humidity 90-92%.

Preparing root vegetables for storage

Winter storage of beets in the cellar requires careful preparation of root crops:

1. Once the beets have been selected from the garden bed, there is no need to rush to move them to another place. It is better to leave it under the sun to dry.
2. Then follows the stage of inspecting each root crop for damage or injury. Such specimens are rejected and processed first. Healthy root vegetables are suitable for long-term storage.
3. The question of how to store beets in the cellar in winter involves sorting the vegetable by size. For laying in the basement, it is best to choose root vegetables from 10 to 12 cm in diameter. Smaller ones will quickly wither, and larger specimens have a coarse flesh structure. It takes a long time to cook such beets, and they don’t store well.
4. Sorted root crops are cleared of soil. Do not use a knife, wood chips or brushes. In this case, injuries will appear on the beets. Root vegetables dried in the sun are simply lightly tapped against each other.
5. Beets are stored without tops. How to properly remove green mass? According to the rules for preparing root crops, the tops need to be cut off with a sharp knife, leaving a tail of no more than 1 cm. Some gardeners, before storing the vegetable for storage, cut off not only the tops, but also the top of the beet. This is a possible option, but care should be taken to dry and disinfect the cut. Firstly, the root vegetable should lie in the sun until completely dry. Secondly, the cut should be treated with dry wood ash.Experienced gardeners do not recommend twisting or simply tearing off the tops.
6. Often, new roots begin to grow on root crops by the time of harvesting. They need to be plucked off along with the lateral roots. The central taproot is also cut off, but not completely, but a tail of at least 7 cm is left.

Methods for storing beets

Since root crops have been grown for centuries, gardeners have come up with many ways to store beets in the cellar. Let's look at the most popular options:

• the beets are placed on top of the potatoes;
• stored in boxes with holes made of wood or plastic without refilling;
• sprinkled with various fillers;
• in polyethylene bags;
• in pyramids on the shelves.

How to properly store beets, which option is better, is up to the gardeners to decide. We will look at the most common methods in more detail.

Potatoes + beets

In big the box is first filled with potatoes, and root vegetables on top of it. By the way, this method is considered the best and optimal.

Let's find out why. Potatoes like the dry climate of a basement or cellar. Beets, on the contrary, are better stored in high humidity. During storage, moisture evaporates from the potatoes, which is immediately absorbed by the beets. The result is a mutually beneficial “cooperation”.

In boxes

1. Option one. Root vegetables are stored well in boxes made of wood and plastic. The main thing is that they have holes for air circulation. No more than 2-3 layers of beets are placed in the container. Vegetables are not sprinkled with anything.
2. Option two. After placing the root crops in boxes, sprinkle them generously with dry table salt. You can do it differently. Dilute a strong saline solution (brine) and keep the root vegetables in it.After the vegetables are dry, they are simply laid out for storage. Salt is not only an excellent absorbent, but also a good protection against fungal and mold diseases.
3. Option three. Many gardeners use plant leaves that release a volatile substance called phytoncide to store beets. They do not allow pathogenic bacteria and fungal diseases to multiply. Leaves of rowan, wormwood, fern, tansy, honey and other fragrant herbs are suitable. They are placed at the bottom of the box and between layers of root vegetables.
4. Option four. You will need a wooden box without holes. Dry ash or river sand is poured onto the bottom. Then the beets are placed at some distance from each other. On top there is sand, another layer of root vegetables and again sand or ash. Before use, it is recommended to heat the sand over a fire to disinfect it.

Pyramids of root vegetables

If there is enough space in the basements and there are shelves, then when storing beets you can do without containers. How to preserve beets this way?

Place a layer of straw on the racks or shelves (not on the floor!) or cover them with burlap. Burgundy root vegetables are laid on top.

In clay glaze

There is another ancient, time-tested way to preserve fresh beets. Although few gardeners use it because of the labor-intensive nature of the work. In addition, unlike all the options, this is the “dirty” way:

1. First, a clay solution is prepared; its consistency should resemble village sour cream. Some gardeners add a little powdered chalk.
2. Then the root vegetables are placed in clay, gently mixed and taken out to dry. After a while, the vegetables are again dipped into the clay mash.
3. What does this method provide? Firstly, clay does not allow the root crop to dry out. Secondly, microbes and bacteria are not able to penetrate the clay glaze.

In plastic bags

Storing beets in a cellar or basement is possible in polyethylene bags. This is a good option for small spaces. After all, a bag of root vegetables hangs on nails and does not take up space on the shelves. Holes are made at the bottom of the bag to allow condensation to drain. It is not recommended to tie it tightly, but the bag needs to be ventilated from time to time.

In piles

If you have a rich harvest of beets and have a lot of space in the basements, it is not necessary to use any containers or shelves to store root vegetables. Vegetables are laid out on them in layers. The bottom row is the most extensive, the shoulder narrows towards the top. This storage ensures air circulation.

Conclusion

We talked about the most common ways to preserve vegetables during the winter without loss. Each gardener makes his own choice. Many vegetable growers use several methods to store root vegetables simultaneously in order to choose the best option. The fact is that the microclimate of cellars is different: the same method can show both negative and positive results.

If you have your own, proven options, we invite you to share them with our readers.

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