Storage of Vegetables

Vegetable Storage

Before we can store anything, we first need to harvest the vegetables from the beds. Harvesting, although it may not seem so, is a very time-consuming task. This is primarily because if you harvest slowly and unsystematically, you can spoil your vegetable crop. Vegetables become overripe, rot, or get destroyed by the first colder nights. They become more susceptible to mold and succumb to fungal bacteria. It's necessary to harvest on time not only common vegetables, but also vegetables intended for storage.

Particularly prone to overripening are, for example, radishes, which become woody, crack and bolt. Also pickling cucumbers tend to overgrow. And of course lettuce - if you don't harvest it on time, it becomes bitter and bolts to flower.

Early vegetable varieties - we harvest continuously - through so-called thinning. These are varieties that gradually ripen. These types of vegetables would spoil and rot if left on the plant. This primarily concerns tomatoes, bean pods, cucumbers, cauliflower, kohlrabi and others. Single harvest is used for garlic, parsley, carrots and late cabbage.

Autumn frosts can damage less frost-resistant vegetable varieties. After being affected by frost, they would spoil faster during storage. We harvest garlic and onions from the beds on time. These can be harvested as early as the end of August.

Some types of vegetables wilt quickly. Therefore, we harvest them in the evening or in the early morning hours. This especially applies to harvesting radishes, kohlrabi, and carrots during warm summer months. To prevent wilting, we remove the leaves from harvested vegetables.

The tops and leaves of harvested spinach and dill (which we want to preserve short-term) are placed in a container with water along with their roots.

Vegetable Storage

We store vegetables primarily to have sufficient supply during winter and early spring. Depending on possibilities, we use cellars, hotbeds, and other suitable spaces for storage. Some types of vegetables are frost-resistant enough that we can let them overwinter in open soil in beds.

Vegetable Storage in the Cellar

When storing vegetables in cellar spaces, hygiene and cleanliness of the storage environment are most important. Before storing vegetables, we thoroughly ventilate and disinfect the cellar. We perform disinfection using sulfur wicks, which we light and let work for two hours. The cellar can be whitewashed with lime milk. It is necessary to whitewash both walls and ceiling.

In cellars, we primarily store root vegetables. Carrots and parsley root are arranged in cone-shaped formations with circular bases. We layer them with sand. Cabbage heads are placed in crates. Everything must be clean. Remember that however you store your vegetables, that's how you will consume them.

Throughout the storage period in the cellar, it is necessary to maintain optimal temperature and air humidity. Air exchange is ensured through ventilation openings or a small window. The optimal temperature for vegetable storage is 1-4°C. If it's freezing outside, we don't ventilate. On the contrary, if the temperature in the cellar is higher, we cool it down with outside air. Definitely get a hygrometer for your cellar. The relative air humidity in the cellar should be around 90%. You can increase humidity in a dry cellar, for example, with moistened peat or by sprinkling the floor.

If you have a very dry cellar (in a new building, apartment block, etc.), you can store root vegetables in perforated polyethylene film bags.

An interesting option is, for example, storing vegetables on polystyrene boards. If you own a small and often freezing cellar or store vegetables in cottage cellars that are not intended for year-round use, then this is a good choice for you. Polystyrene provides good protection against low temperatures. In a polystyrene "shelter," you can preserve vegetables even on open balconies or verandas. It is known from construction that a 10 cm thick polystyrene board replaces 30 cm thick brick masonry.

If you decide to build a box for storing vegetables on your balcony, make it from wooden planks and line it with polystyrene. Join the polystyrene well so that the insulation is perfect. The joints must not have any gaps. If the box will be exposed to snow and rain, also ensure suitable waterproof covering.

Storing Vegetables in a Cold Frame

If you own a cold frame and remove the soil from it every year, then it is suitable for vegetable storage. Especially root vegetables and brassicas. We must dig out the cold frame to the greatest possible depth and cover the bottom with sand. We store root vegetables with their root balls and also cover them with sand. We can leave the cold frame ventilated until the first frosts. Then we cover it with windows, and during really severe frosts, we insulate the cold frame with a layer of leaves or straw.

Storing Vegetables in Open Beds

Some types of vegetables can be left in the beds even during winter months. And thus stored outdoors. However, vegetables are more difficult to harvest from frozen soil. Especially root vegetables and leeks. For example, Brussels sprouts harvested after the first frosts taste better. Other vegetables that can remain in the bed over winter are: parsley, kale, leeks, parsnips, black salsify, and others.

How do you store your vegetables?

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Author: Hana Michalíková