How to keep carrots in the cellar? Surely this question is of interest to almost every gardener, especially after he gathered a rich harvest. Naturally, no one wants his work to be wasted, and preserving the freshness of vegetables for as long as possible is the first priority.
Of course, it's no secret that only cold can provide a long shelf life, so the basement is ideal for this.
Not sure how to store carrots in the cellar? First of all, it is necessary to properly prepare the storage location.
Cellar preparation
Before laying vegetables, it is necessary to clean the basement from dirt and debris, disinfect it and ventilate. The first procedure can be done by slaking lime. In addition, this method of disinfection will protect the cellar from mold and fungal rot.
Those who are concerned about the question of how to keep carrots in the cellar should know that certain conditions are necessary for this in the room. Air temperature should be from -1 to +2 degrees Celsius, humidity - 90-95%. It is advisable that the basement is not located near groundwater, since excess moisture can spoil vegetables.
Harvesting Recommendations
How and under what conditions you will collect carrots also affects the shelf life of this vegetable. It is recommended to dig it out in dry and warm weather, and it is recommended to water the vegetable for several days before the procedure itself - it is easier to extract it from the ground, and the carrot itself becomes juicy. Naturally, when harvesting, you should carefully work with a shovel or pitchfork, so as not to damage the root crop. In a dissected form, it will not be stored for a long time. After you have dug up and collected the carrots in plastic or nylon bags, you should keep the vegetables in a well-ventilated room for a couple of days, after having laid them out on a straw bed. At the same time, root crops should be protected from direct sunlight and moisture.
After this, it will be useful to sort the carrots once again, to select exclusively whole root crops, without rot and damage.
Ways
There is a whole arsenal of ways by which the question of how to save carrots in the cellar is solved. They differ only in the degree of effectiveness, so each gardener independently chooses the most suitable option for himself.
One of the most common options is the standard formation of small piles on the floor. You only need to regularly sort out the vegetables, removing rotten ones.
Crates
How to keep carrots in the cellar until spring? To do this, you will need small boxes with a capacity of about 20 kilograms. In this case, the container must be with a lid and dense walls.
In such boxes, root crops are stored better than in boxes with holes. The container itself should be on supports or shelves - at a height of about 20 centimeters from the floor.
Sawdust
You have no idea how to store carrots in the cellar? Many gardeners hold it in sawdust, and they do the right thing. This solution to this problem is often used in cases where there are no boxes at hand.
First, sawdust is sprinkled directly on the shelves, and then carrots are laid out on them. After this, the root crops are again covered with a layer of shavings, and the procedure is repeated until 5-6 layers are formed. At the same time, note that the last layer should be sawdust. It is better to use coniferous wood shavings, as root vegetables are stored for as long as possible (they contain essential oils that slow down the process of germination of vegetables and minimize the risk of rot formation).
Sand
Those who are worried about how to keep carrots in the cellar for the winter should know that ordinary sand can be used instead of sawdust.
For this, vegetables are folded in the form of a pyramid with a height of about 1 meter, and then each layer is poured with the above bulk material. It will act as insulation and will not allow root crops to come into contact.
Painting
Want to know if there are any other solutions to the problem, how to keep carrots in the cellar until spring? Of course, yes. Coating method is quite effective. In this case, the option involves placing root crops in a moist chalk solution, and then the process of drying them follows. Dry coating involves applying a powdered structure of chalk to root crops in a ratio of 200 grams per 10 kilograms of vegetables. The chalk layer forms an alkaline environment on the root surface, which prevents the occurrence of pathogens.
Polyethylene
Many gardeners have information on how to store carrots in the cellar in bags. To do this, you need products made of polyethylene. Several holes should be made at the bottom of the bags.
Root crops should first be mixed with sand, and then placed in prepared containers, while bags should not be closed to ensure high-quality air access.
Clay
You can increase the shelf life of carrots if you process the surface of root crops in a clay composition. It is enough to dip each carrot into the mass for several minutes. In this case, make sure that the mixture has the consistency of sour cream. After the root crop is removed from the clay composition, it is dried and then placed in a wooden container so that the clay shell is not damaged. Of course, the above method takes a considerable amount of time and effort, but its effectiveness is very high.
Onion peel
To enjoy the taste of fresh carrots in winter, before laying them in the cellar, root crops are immersed in a decoction prepared on the basis of onion husks, while the ratio is 300 grams of the mixture per 10 liters of water. You can just sprinkle the stored vegetables with dry onion husks.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are plenty of options for storing carrots. You should also remember that the shelf life of the root crop also depends on the variety. As practice shows, ripening vegetables cannot be fresh for a long time. The following carrots are an exception: “chantane”, “vitamin”, “Moscow winter”.