How to Keep Carrots, Potatoes and Beets Fresh All Winter
Michelle writes:
How do you cure root crops like potatoes and carrots to last longer than a couple weeks? I’ll be tipping over 2 of my three potato towers to see how that turned out. Now I’m wondering how on earth I preserve potatoes for an extended time. I’d like to try to grow 100+ pounds next year but gotta learn how to preserve my bounty. Lots of lessons learned this year of how to do gardening so hopefully next year is MUCH better!
Good question, Michelle. First things first, before you plant anything, remember that some varieties store much better than others. This is particularly true of potatoes with russet, Yukon gold, and Kennebec all being top choices for storing longer.
How to Keep Carrots, Potatoes and Beets Fresh All Winter
To cure potatoes, lay then out on newspaper in a cool, dark, and well-ventilated place. Let them sit there for about 2 weeks. That will give their skin a chance to toughen up for storage. Don’t wash the potatoes until you are ready to use them.
To find out how to properly store them, go HERE. Make sure to check them regularly throughout the winter. Even the best practices still yields rotting potatoes. If you catch them and throw them out, they won’t spoil the whole lot.
For carrots and beets, remove the tops {the green parts}. They will pull moisture from the actual carrot, making them dry and cracked.
For smaller amounts, place unwashed carrots/beets in ziploc bags, seal tightly to ensure no air is coming in. And store them in the coldest part of your fridge.
For larger crops, take unwashed carrots/beets {make sure none of them are damaged in anyway–those ones will spoil quickly} and cut off the leaves as close to the base of the edible part as you possible can without damaging it.
Brush off any loose dirt and then place the carrots/beets in boxes full of SLIGHTLY damp sand, alternating rows of carrots/beets with rows of sand.
For Larger Crops
Take unwashed carrots/beets {make sure none of them are damaged in anyway–those ones will spoil quickly} and cut off the leaves as close to the base of the edible part as you possible can without damaging it. Brush off any loose dirt. Then place the carrots/beets in boxes full of SLIGHTLY damp sand, alternating rows of carrots/beets with rows of sand.
Place the box in a cool place {shed or garage} and use them as needed. If the carrots/beets are too wet, they will rot. If they are too dry, they will split, harden and be mostly disgusting. It’s a delicate balance that may take some trial and error. Again, check them regularly for spoilage.
I hope that helps a little. As always, I am sure you can learn a lot more from my readers than me. So dear readers, how do you prepare your root crops for storage? How do you keep carrots, potatoes and beets fresh all winter? How do you store them? Let us know in the comments below!
~Mavis
For more gardening tips, head on over to my gardening section.
Looking for a cool garden book to read this winter? Check out The Backyard Homestead: Produce all the food you need on just a quarter acre!
mildred lane says
Mavis, there is a picture that I would like for u to see on the home stead survival site. It is a brooder box made from an old dresser. thanks
Lori B. says
I store my carrots in the garden! I do harvest some to use through winter and bury the rest. I pile mulch on top to keep the tops protected, and in spring when I’m out of carrots, I dig some up for use. They are the Sweetest carrots ever by spring. (I mostly plant Nantes carrots). Spring carrots from my garden are my favorite.
Darrel says
I never store my carrots in sand and I have done this for years. I wash off the carrots and let dry in the sun. I then cut off all the green at the top so the crown is gone. Take off any small roots then pack them in a heavy cardboard with a top to close. Then put them in cool dark place. I have root cellar and they good all winter up June.
Tanya says
Where do you live?
MELANIE says
You can store carrots in the ground anywhere, except perhaps somewhere with a rainy winter. If you live somewhere the ground freezes, simply cover the carrot patch with insulation of some kind (my dad, in northern Alberta Canada where it rarely get started warmer than -15C in the winter, often -30–40) did it with straw bales. He dug carrots at Christmas when it was -40 and they were delicious.
Gary says
Have you thought of the old fashioned CLAMP method of storing vegetables
Cat says
Can you please explain this method?? Ty in advance.
Gail Nowakowsky says
I have success storing carrots in the fridge from October until the following May by doing the following: cut tops and tails off the carrots and wash and dry them. I usually wash a bunch and let the “drip dry” in the sink, on a rack, for several hours. Some of the bottom ones may need to be wiped with a cloth or paper towel. Pack into the perforated ziplock bags that are designated for vegetable storage. Store in fridge. It is better to use the bags with the perforations than the ordinary bags because moisture will build up in the plain bags and cause spoilage. The vegetable bags work better than making holes in regular bags, which I also tried. I think the holes are small enough to let some moisture to escape but not big enough to allow them to dehydrate. One year I had fourteen bags of carrots stored in an extra fridge and they lasted almost until the next crop was ready to use. There was very little spoilage.
Now, please tell me, how do you grow such beautiful radishes? What varieties do you use? I live in British Columbia about five miles from the Washington border so not that much further north than you are.
Mavis Butterfield says
I love Crimson and French breakfast radishes.
Lorraine Dargis says
I’m from Alberta. The way I grow radishes is by putting a mesh on top as soon as I plant them. With this mesh the rain goes through it. I usually can buy this mesh in the greenhouses. Don’t forget the reason there are worms in them is because bugs can get to the radish. My radishes get as big apples with no worms. I hoped that helped.
Kayla says
I’m in souther Alberta. What mesh are you referring to? I always have bugs in the roots so I let them sprout and eat the pods instead with a snap pea. Super tasty but I also like radishes.
1ZsGirl says
I store my carrots the same way, quick wash to get dirt off, dry thoroughly, store in ziploc bags punctured with tiny holes, in the fridge..last all winter until they are all eaten up which is usually in March.
Carolyne Thrasher says
I don’t bother storing carrots. I leave them in the ground all winter. I’m zone 8 in Oregon’s Willamette Valley. I believe that down to zone 5 you can do this. Carrots sweeten after the first frosts and taste better. This only works with the big long varieties and I only do this in raised beds that get plenty of drainage. Potatoes though I do have to store but I have yet to grow enough to be able to. Hopefully next year. Thanks for the tips Mavis. Love your blog.
Connie says
Carolyne, I was in zone 4 and kept my carrots buried under hay, they worked great and I ever worried about which kind of carrot I grew.
Kristen says
Just a question about harvesting? Can you harvest these carrots in the dead of winter. I’m in zone 5 and my beds are covered with snow for two months in winter. Will I be able to dig them out this time of year. Usually the ground is frozen?
Lorraine Huntley says
Hi Kristen I left some in the ground when I lived in Rossland, BC 100m above sea level. They were delicious after the ground thawed but before they started to grow again. They will get woody and go to seed if left too long. I did pick some early in the winter when there was snow but the ground was not hard yet. I did not try to dig them out of the frozen ground. I stored some in the fridge for that time and probably ran out an bought some from the store. I am thinking of buying local and trying the storing in sand method as I don’t grow enough for all winter yet.
Lorraine Huntley says
That should be 1000m above sea level
Melanie says
If your ground freezes, cover them with straw or leaves before the ground freezes, deep enough to prevent frost. If the ground freezes solid, your carrots will be gross and you won’t want to eat them. Although it’s true that a touch of frost makes carrots sweeter, frozen ground ruins them.
Stacy Burrell says
I also live in Oregon. And I trialed some carrots last year. This year I’d like to do more. Is there a specific variety that is good for this climate? Or as long as they’re a bigger longer variety it’s okay? When you wintered them over, did you remove the tops? Cover them? Or just leave them?
Thank you, Stacy
Michele says
Thanks Mavis! Will keep this in my gardening notes. I am hoping to hace lots of potatoes by May. Here in Texas it seems “warm” enough to grow some veggies. Starting my spring crop in late Dec with grow lights. So excited.
Rusty Shackleford says
I thought I asked this once , but I don’t see it so.. Seems like a great way to store your root veggies but, as you’ve said before, you need to check them once in a while and get rid any that are going bad so they don’t make the whole lot go rotten. I’m assuming that means emptying out the whole thing, sorting through them, then repack all the good ones ? Mine are still in the ground.They’ve had a couple frosts. I cooked some beets yesterday, just steamed wiith butter n a lil salt.. WOW are they ever getting good ! Love your blog.. always learning a lotta little tid bits (y)
Esme says
Thank you for all the tips, learning new things every day:)
Patti says
Love this site and all the great advice!
Jane Campeau says
Thank you for the storage tips for carrots! I planted two crops this year and have a lot still in the ground. I live in a zone 4a to 4b at a high elevation so the growing season here is quite short. It’s great to know how I can continue to eat fresh veggies for a longer period of time.
PattyB says
Hummm. I am making my own self-watering planters this Spring out of storage bins. They need holes drilled and then there is an area in the bottom for a water reservoir so it has a false bottom that is elevated a bit. I think I can reuse these bins to store the carrots and beets in sand in Winter. No need to figure where I’m going to store the bulky bins over the winter! And, I won’t have to worry about the moisture level because I can keep a bit of water in the reservoir beneath the stored root veggies. Has anyone else tried this? Has it worked well?
Linda says
I have a question about city water and the garden. If I were to fill a large container with city water and leave the lid off would
the chlorine get out? Does chlorine hurt the garden?
I really enjoy the blog so keep it up.
Mavis says
I’ve always just watered straight from the hose with no issues at all. Some people are of the let-it-sit-out-so-chlorine-can-evaporate camp. I’ve never done that and my garden seems to thrive!
Judi says
Chlorine dissapates in sunlight. If you leave the lid off your container a couple of days it should be fine
Billy says
We used to store our potatoes in the ground. We would dig several bushels, let them dry in the sun a little, then put them in a big hole lined with a very thick layer of leaves or hay. We put this hole in a place that was well drained. Then we covered the top with another thick layer of leaves or hay. Lastly, we covered all with a layer of loose soil at least two feet thick. This left a good sized mound which drained the water away. We would access the potatoes throughout the winter as needed. They would last until the Spring growing time started, and then if you left them too long, they would sprout.
Ashley says
For the question about city water. My hubby and I live in the country but do have city water (we are close to the treatment plant). I started seeds this year for my garden and I was watering them with regular tap water. However, I saw a post about rain water and how plants love it. So I set a 5 gallon bucket under one of my down spouts and my plants thrived because of it! Plus it’s free if your water bills are high in your area. I’ve seen people use trash bins if they need more than 5 gallons. It looks silly to the eye but really helps the plants. In the end I would rather look silly and have a beautiful garden! You could always build a surround for it to hid it. Hope this helps!
Diana@Gardeners Services London says
I remember my granny used to store potatoes in holes in the backyard when I was little. Now, almoust 20 years later, I still do it. Loved your tips on carrots, I’ll be surely storing them as well.
Linda says
My mother has been storing carrots in 5 gallon buckets for as long as I can remember. She is now 91. She digs them after they have been watered and after the frost to help sweeten them up. With a knife she cuts out all the leaf part, making a bit of an indentation. She then puts a bit of damp sand on top of the top layer, covers it with wet newspaper and the lid. She then puts the buckets in a dark cool place where it won’t freeze. The carrots last until early summer.
Dawn says
We have 2 metal trash cans we have digged a hole in the grown and placed the trash cans into. In one we place carrots other potatoes. Cover with news papers and straw. Put lid on them and some straw over top. Keeps them fresh all winter long in michigan. Just go open lid take out what need close up until need more
jenny says
hi Dawn, in this way, do you clump the carrots or potatoes plain or layer with sand or straw or newspaper between rows?
Nora says
Does she put lids on the plastic buckets?
Meagan says
Hi there! We did the damp method for storing carrots and beets in our basement, but I just checked on them to discover they sprouted! Any advice? Thank you!
Jacquie Scheffler says
Ours have sprouted too. What did we do wrong?
allen says
how long can you keep cooked beets in open air
Melody Ritter says
I was reading through the E-mails and the post about storage… I have been racking my brain on how to store
potato’s and carrot’s I thank each and every one of you who put in your advice. I will be starting my first garden
here in zone 7 a in New Mexico and can’t wait to get started. The last time I had a garden I was a little girl with my parents and now I’m trying to remember things I’ve gotten to old to recall so what all of you good folks are telling me is helping a lot. Again thank you all very much!
Kathy says
No haven’t tried but I’m going to. Sounds very reasonable
Timothy says
I thank you for the information.But I am looking for information on what varieties are best for storing all vegetables in a root cellar. Any ideas where to look.
Mary says
Great information! Learning all the things I can about gardening.
Auburn says
I live in zone 3 and store my root crops in picnic coolers in an unheated garage.
I clean off most of the mud and let them dry for a day. Then I put a plastic mesh along the bottom of the cooler to keep the veggies from sitting in any water that may condense and drip down.
They keep well until the outside temperatures dip down to -25 C. Then I move the coolers to the basement.