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Storing Vegetables After the Harvest

© Vic Ferri

After harvest, proper storage of your vegetables is important to maintain quality and freshness. Some vegetables can be stored for months under proper conditions while others can only be stored successfully for a week or two.

Storage conditions can be divided into 5 basic types: 1.warm and dry (for tomatoes and winter squash) 50 to 55 degrees F, 60 to 70% humidity. 2.cool and dry (for onions) 35 to 40 degrees, 60 to 70% humidity. 3.cold and moist (for cabbage and potatoes) 32 to 40 degrees 80 to 90 % humidity. 4.cold and very moist (for beets, carrots, turnips, and winter type radishes) 32 to 40 degrees, 80 to 90% humidity. 5.warm and moist (for sweet potatoes) 50 to 55 degrees, 80 to 85% humidity.

The temperatures and humidity levels given above are the ideal ones for maximum storage life. Most home gardeners can`t be expected to provide those exact conditions but they do serve as a guideline to know what you should strive for. Potential storage areas in the home include include root cellars, unheated pantries, basements, attics, crawl spaces, stair and window wells, refrigerators, unused rooms, and right in your own garden under a thick layer of mulch.

Storage Guideline for Specific Vegetables

Potatoes - ventilated boxes/bags, 35 - 40° F. in moderately moist conditions. A pit or cellar is ideal. Storage life is about six months.

Sweet Potatoes - ventilated boxes/bags at 55 - 60° F. in dry storage area. Storage life is about six months.

Dark green vegetables - fresh flexible package at 38 - 40° F. The refrigerator is the most common storage area and they should keep for about a week.

Onions - place in a dry net bag and keep the temperature cool - about 32° F, and keep in a cool, dry area. They should keep for six months.

Carrots - Use ventilated boxes/bags and store in a moist pit or cellar where the temperature is about 32° F. Six months is the average shelf life.

Pumpkin - Place in a ventilated box kept in a moderately dry basement where the temperature is around 55° F. A pumpkin should keep for up to six months.

Winter Squash - Place in a ventilated box and store the same as above for pumpkins.

Ripe tomatoes - Red tomatoes can last up to two weeks in the refrigerator but begin to lose their quality rather quickly.

Cabbage - Place in a ventilated box in a moderately moist cellar or pit where the temperature averages just above the freezing point - 32° F. A cabbage can keep up to six months.

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