Harvesting veg

[janekt]

Hi all,

I have just started to harvest some of my veg and I need advice on storing it.
I pulled up a few carrots, potatoes and beetroot and they all went a bit limp very quickly (potatoes also started to turn green). Any ideas how to keep them or am I doing something wrong?

Jane

[rustylady]

At this time of the year, just harvest what you need to use. That is part of the pleasure of growing your own. Instead of going to the supermarket you go to the lottie. Potatoes only go green if exposed to the light. Leave your crops in the ground until you need them. If you do need to lift them (to make space for something else), then preserve them (by freezing, storing in plastic tubs, or whatever is appropriate)

[sewer rat]

Need to be stored somewhere cool and dark to help them retain their firmness, and to stop the tatties going green. Also, do not store in poly bags - hessian, crates or net bags are best.
Having said that, if your veg is handy to your home, you don't need to pull more than you can eat at the moment so just harvest what you need and eat it as fresh as fresh can be.

[janekt]

Thanks I suppose I was treating it more as a supermarket and getting a bulk supply all at once!
The potatoes are in tubs though so if I want some I have to harvest the lot all in one go surely? Should I leave them unwashed too so they can dry out?

[Alice]

Hello Jane, just pick what you want for the day. As for your potatoes in tubs, if there is more than enough for a couple of days, have a poke into the top of the tub and pick the few you want, or slide the whole contents out, pick what you want, and slide the rest back in.
If you decide to have the lot, keep them in the dark or they will go green but they should be good for a few days. New potatoes are past their best after 3 days.

[vicpivo]

I've read that Carrots are supposed to be stored in plastic bags. It stops them from drying out.

I haven't tried it, but it makes sense.......

[Sebbster]

Carrot's are best stored in slightly damp sand, and they should not be touching each other. This will keep them nicely.

Pots are best stored in Hessien or paper bags, definitely not plastic as they will sweat. They must be stored in the dark, preferably a frost free shed although frost shouldn't be an issue now.

[Snadger]

Thanks I suppose I was treating it more as a supermarket and getting a bulk supply all at once!
The potatoes are in tubs though so if I want some I have to harvest the lot all in one go surely? Should I leave them unwashed too so they can dry out?

Hi Jane

As I harvest my new potatoes I wash them and rub off the skins straight away.(in an old tin bath at the bottom of the lottie!) Unlike maincrop potatoes which can be peeled, earlies are best eaten whole and are easier to clean straight after lifting. You don't want earlies to 'dry out' methinks!

[shirlthegirl43]

What I did with my spuds in buckets last year was harvest them when they were the size I wanted. I then put a layer of fresh multipurpose compost into a clean bucket and put a layer of spuds (not touching) then another layer of compost and so on until all spuds were stored. Then I just sent the kids out to 'pick' x spuds from the harvested bucket knowing that they would find them easily and not make a mess everywhere!

[Snadger]

Carrot's are best stored in slightly damp sand, and they should not be touching each other. This will keep them nicely.
.

I have sown my maincrop carrots in a sandy loam in short rows in a raised bed (18" high) This is covered with a 2 foot high framework covered with enviromesh.
I am hoping to leave my carrots in situ during the winter and just harvest fresh as required. The enviromesh hopefully will keep them frost free as well as protecting them from airborne predation! The height of the bed will mean the sun can warm the sides also.The sand in the loam should deter under soil predation!

Fingers crossed for a good crop!

[Sebbster]

Sounds like a good plan Snadger, the enviromesh will keep them frost free, I used wondermesh on my early tats when frost was forecast, worked a treat.

If the bed is 18" high then you may be protected from the dreaded c fly anyway, as this is around their max flying height.

I've not had a carrot fly problem on my plot and I dont protect against them, but my plot is very open and slightly windy and the carrot fly is such a weak flyer, I think it deters them.