Root veg storage

[muddymeldrew]

Hi All,

Okay, here's possibly a stupid question. I live in a flat with a small freezer, a larder where I store potatoes and onions, and no garage. My allotment shed is only 6x4 and is not particularly frost free. I also have a 6x4 unheated greenhouse. So my question is, as far as beetroots and turnips are concerned, is there any way other than pickling (beetroots that is, not turnips!), freezing or storing in sand/peat boxes they can be stored? Are they likely to be affected if stored in boxes in the greenhouse?

Any advice appreciated.

[muddymeldrew]

[goodlife]

If you can keep the worst of the freezing weather away from the stored crops...then unheated shed or GH is not problem.
Any large container that is insulated with straw, dry'ish sand or compost will keep your roots from freezing all over. If the crops is not touching the container walls and is well packed with 'bedding' it is as good as it gets. Only issue with GH is that it may get bit too warm in sunny days..best storage conditions are when the temp is as evenly cool as possible.
I keep my 'stuff' in unheated shed in metal dustbin...bedded in with either dry straw or hay and that keeps everything cosy..if the weather is going to turn truly cold..I have old duvet that gets thrown all over the bin. Some togs will keep them happily in hibernation

[squeezyjohn]

I suppose the old fashioned methods of "clamping" and "root-cellaring" are the only real options here in the UK with our wide range of temperatures in the autumn/winter/spring.

As you're in a flat - a cellar is probably out of the question - but you could try to rig up something in the allotment somewhere between a clamp and a small cellar.  The underlying principle is that not that far under the ground temperatures are far more stable both in summer and winter - similar temperatures to inside a fridge.  You need to find a way to store the root veg under the ground in a way that is not too wet and not too dry, rodent-proof and allows the veg to breathe without causing so much condensation that it begins to rot the veg.  Any veg to be stored like this needs to be undamaged and unbruised otherwise it will rot.  It also needs to have all it's foliage removed and be cured by leaving out on a few dry days to harden up the skin (to keep the inside juicy).

A simple traditional clamp can be put anywhere that is not prone to flooding and is done by digging a hole at least 2 ft down, lining with a good layer of straw and then layering your veg to be stored with other layers of straw (it's best if the individual roots don't touch) - it's topped off with a thick layer of straw and then covered back over with the soil from the hole.  Dig a deep drainage trench round the outside and cover the clamp with that soil too.  Top off with a waterproof sheet (tarp or similar) to stop heavy rain penetrating the clamp.  The straw is good at stopping slugs or snails - but if vermin get a whiff of what's in there then this system can go wrong and the harvest can be decimated!

There are lots of other solutions out there - Mr. Google is your friend - including vermin-proof methods that use things like old fridges and chest freezers that have their seals intact buried it the ground.

Good luck!

[muddymeldrew]

Thanks for your replies. They'll give me something to work on.