Storing carrots and beetroot

[littlemoney]

I want to dig up my carrots and beetroot to store them for use in the winter. How do I do this please and how long will they keep? Thank you.

[Snadger]

If you don't need the space they are better left in the ground and used as you need them IMO. Either sand or peat are recommended for storage but personally I haven't had much success with either and prefer that 'just pulled' taste.

[Penellype]

I agree with Snadger that they are best left in the ground. I find if you try to store them they tend to go soft and they do taste better when fresh. Depending on the variety you may need to pull the carrots when it starts to get frosty, and beetroot are best covered if frost is about. I grow Nantes Frubund and Eskimo carrots which don't seem to mind being frozen in the ground.

I find both the above varieties of carrot are edible until about April, when they start to bolt and become woody. Beetroot becomes rather tasteless over winter.

[ameno]

I just leave mine in the ground all winter, no protection, no special varieties. Pulled the last of last years in March this year. They still tasted just as good as always, and none had rotted.
I don't get hard frosts where I am, though, and the ground never freezes more than about an inch deep, and never for more than a couple of days,

[littlemoney]

Thanks for the advice. I will leave them in the ground. My carrots were a bit of a failure with very poor germination so I haven't got too many.