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Vegetable Storage Tips

Source: NDSU Extension Service Horticulturist

To store carrots, dig them in late fall when the soil is dry and immediately prepare them for storage. Cut off the tops to within inch of the carrot crown, then rinse in water and let dry. Pack into polyethylene bags that have small holes punched all over them. Store in a cold, damp place between 32 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. An extra refrigerator in the house is an excellent place for carrot storage. Beets, kohlrabi and winter radishes can be stored in the same way.

Onions must be mature and thoroughly dry to keep well in storage. Store them in a dry, well-ventilated place such as an attic or unheated room. Keep them in well-ventilated containers such as slatted crates stacked on cross bars or open-mesh bags hung from overhead hooks. Fill crates and bags only half full. Do not store onions in the cellar.

Potatoes to be stored require special handling at harvest. Dig potatoes carefully and remove them promptly from the garden to prevent sun and wind damage. If late blight is present, delay digging until potato vines are dead and dry.

Store only potatoes free of serious cuts and bruises. Late crop potatoes are better than early crop potatoes for long-term storage. Since outdoor temperatures usually are low when late crop potatoes are harvested, cool storage conditions are easy to maintain.

After harvest, cure late potatoes by holding them in moist air for 1 to 2 weeks at 60 to 75 degrees. Wounds do not heal at 50 degrees or below. After curing, and as soon as outdoor temperatures permit, lower the storage temperature to about 35 or 40 degrees for winter storage. Late potatoes keep well for several months in basement storage rooms and cellars. They keep best in moderately moist air. Store potatoes in the dark to prevent them from turning green. Potatoes stored at about 35 degrees for several months tend to become sweet. This condition usually can be corrected by holding the potatoes at about 70 degrees for a week or two before you use them.

Now, how about squash and pumpkins. Hard-rind varieties of winter pumpkin and squashes will keep for several months. Harvest them before frost, and leave a piece of stem on them when you cut them from the plants.

Store only well-matured vegetables and fruits that are free of insect and mechanical injuries. Pumpkins and squashes for long-term storage keep better if they are cured for 10 days at 80 to 85 degrees. If these temperatures are impractical, put the pumpkins and squashes near your furnace to cure them. Curing hardens the rinds and heals surface cuts. Bruised areas and pickleworm injuries, however, cannot be healed.

After curing the pumpkins and squashes, store them in a dry place at 55 to 60 degrees. If stored at 50 degrees or below, pumpkins and squashes are subject to damage by chilling. At temperatures above 60 degrees, they gradually lose moisture and become stringy.

Acorn squashes will keep for 35 to 40 days in a dry place at 45 to 50 degrees.

Also, do not store pumpkins and squashes in outdoor cellars.

Finally, here is how to store peppers. Mature green bell peppers can be kept in home storage for 2 to 3 weeks if they are properly handled. Firm, dark-green peppers are best for storage. Pick peppers just before frost, then wash them and sort them according to maturity and firmness.

Close control of moisture and temperature conditions is needed for successful storage of peppers. Using a polyethylene bag with 10 to 12 1/4 inch holes punched in it is a good way to maintain high humidity. The temperature should be between 45 and 50 degrees. Serious decay can occur at 40 degrees or lower in three weeks.

Hot varieties of peppers are easiest to store after they are dry. You can dry them in two ways: (1) pull the plants and hang them up, or (2) pick the peppers and store in a cool, dry place such as an attic or unheated room. Do not store in cellars.

If you have further questions, please contact your county office of the NDSU Extension Service for additional information.

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For More Information Contact your North Dakota County Extension Office of the NDSU Extension Service for additional information or see our main NDSU Web Page for publications and articles on Agriculture, Horticulture, Youth and Family, Business and Community and Food and Nutrition at  http://www.ag.ndsu.nodak.edu/