This post may containaffiliate links , which mean that I may meet a commission if you make a leverage using these links . As an Amazon Associate I pull in from qualifying purchases .
If you have an area in your basement that ride out coolheaded all wintertime long , you may make employment of these cold spots to keep store crops freshly well into winter . taste try out with these nine crop to grow for winter food storage .
I ’ve been gardening in one form or another all my lifetime . I came from a family that tend several large gardens . When I go forth home , I grow bracing herbs and attempted to spring up some vegetables in pots while daydream of a futurity in a home of my own with a yard and a veg garden . Finally , I buy a home on a few acres and begin growing my own solid food with a small-scale , sess replete garden .
The first twelvemonth , I grow a few herbs and some vegetables for sweet eating during the summer . The undermentioned yr , I thought it would be fun to study how to can and planted spear carrier to preservetomato sauce , salsa , carrots , andstring beans .
I remember devise the jars on shelves in the basement , demand a step back , and feel such a sense of pridefulness . I felt up so gratified and reach that I grew and conserve my own chemical innocent food to delight through the wintertime . I inquire what else I could grow to get us through until the garden produce again .
The years that follow involved expanding the garden and improving the soil so I could grow and continue even more . Our cellar is unwarmed and stays between 40 - 50?F all winter so I also experimented with crops that can be stored in basket , on shelf , or in buckets of dampish sand without dehydrating , freezing , or canning .
9 Crops to Grow for Food Storage
Do you have region in your home that detain cool during the wintertime month ? If so , you’re able to make function of these dusty spots to keep storage craw fresh well into winter . seek experimenting with get vegetables for wintertime food for thought storage . Here are my pet steward crops that I grow each year for winter intellectual nourishment storage :
Onions and Shallots
pick out Allium cepa or shallot salmagundi that are jazz for their long - term reposition capability . Since different varieties are trigger to bulb by day - distance , also be sure to select varieties for your growing expanse . onion plant raise from seed seem to last longer in computer memory . kind to reckon : Patterson , Stuttgarter , andRedwing .
arise Tips for Storage Onions : In northern mood , onion plant are plant in early spring . grant onions to mature fully to ensure the keen store capacity . onion are finished develop when the teetotum flop over , and the foliage begins to turn yellow . Harvest the onion plant on a dry day take care not to damage or bruise the bulbs . bring around the onion by pass around them out in a single level in a dark , coolheaded , and dry location with good air flow .
How to Store onion : Allow Allium cepa to heal for several weeks or until the top are completely wry and no green is visible when bring down the leafage . Once cured , trim height to 1 - inch and store loosely in baskets or mesh bags in a cool , benighted , and dry localization for winter .
Check the onions every few weeks and remove any that explicate soft areas . Different varieties and computer memory conditions will impress how long they last . Our onions usually last until April before they lead off to get soft and sprout .
Garlic
Select varieties that farm well in your sphere . Softneck varieties have a reputation for storing well and are suited for originate in meek climates . Hardneck varieties are more suited for areas with moth-eaten winter .
Storing Tips for Garlic : Garlic is planted in the drop , harvested the next summer , and cured before storing . Curing earmark the stratum to dry out out shape a protective cover around the electric light . Store cured garlic loosely in baskets or engagement pocketbook in a cool , dingy , and teetotal localization . Sort through the garlic every now and then and pull out any bulbs that palpate soft . Different strains and varieties of ail have different storage life ; ours ordinarily last until April before it begin to sprout .
Rutabagas
Rutabagas are a long - time of year harvest that requires at least 90 days to mature . Sow seed three months before your first expected fall frost ( look up yours here ) . reckon on the variety , thin seedlings to 6 to 12 in apart so the origin have room to blow up . diversity to consider : American Purple Top .
Storing Tips for Rutabagas : Rutabagas can resist light frost but harvest before a hard freezing . Harvest gently and trim crown and tap root to 1 - inch . brushing off loose soil , but do not lave . Store Brassica napus napobrassica in pail or tote bag packed with damp backbone or sawdust . Ideal memory board shape for rutabagas is at a temperature of 32- 35˚F and 90 % humidness . They shrivel up easy , so check Amandine Aurore Lucie Dupin frequently and re - moisten if need . Under these condition , rutabagas commonly last 2 to 4 months in storage .
Celeriac
turnip-rooted celery , also known asCelery Rootis a long season crop that need 90 to 120 years to reach harvest . seed are sown early indoors under brightness 10 to 12 weeks before the average last frost day of the month and transplantedhardened off seedlingsto the garden about two weeks before your last frost date . Celeriac has similar spring up requirements as it ’s cousin , Apium graveolens dulce and postulate lots of water . Self - watering containersare ideal for growing celeriac .
Tips for Storing Celeriac : Celeriac can tolerate light frosts but harvest before a hard freeze . harvest home and trim upper side and gnarled roots to 1 - column inch . agitate off loose soil , but do not wash . Store turnip-rooted celery in buckets or tote bag pack with dampish sand or sawdust . idealistic memory condition is at a temperature of 32- 40˚F and 90 % humidity . They wither well , so determine George Sand ofttimes and re - drizzle if needed . Under these condition , root celery normally last 2 to 4 months in warehousing .
Carrots
pick out cultivated carrot varieties that are known for their long - term storage capabilities . Start seed late in the time of year so the carrots are mature by frost . mixture to count : Chantenay , Imperator , and Danvers .
summit for put in Carrots : Carrots can be lead in the dry land though promiscuous frosts , but grind before the footing freeze for recollective storage potential difference . Trim foliage , encounter off excess grime , and sort by size . Larger carrots seem to last longer in storage . Layer the carrots in sand or sawdust in a boxful or tote begin with the turgid ones on the bottom so you may use up the small unity first . Ideal computer memory condition is at a temperature of 32 - 35˚F and 90 % humidness . Under these precondition , carrots can last 4 to 6 calendar month in storage .
Parsnip
Parsnips require a full season of emergence . Sow in former springiness and keep moist until seeds germinate , which could take up to 3 weeks . calculate on the diverseness , fragile seedlings to 2 to 4 inch asunder so the root word have elbow room to expand . Variety to consider : All American .
Tips for store Parsnip : Parsnips should be left in the terra firma until frost to sweeten the spirit , but dig before the ground complete frost . trig foliage , coppice off excess soil , and sort by size of it . Layer the parsnips in George Sand or sawdust in a box or tug begin with the gravid ones on the bottom so you may habituate up the little unity first . idealistic storage condition is at a temperature of 32- 35?F and 90 % humidity . Under these condition , parsnips can last 3 to 5 months in storage .
Potatoes
Select late season tater varieties that are acknowledge for their winter storage capableness such as Yukon Gold , Katahdin , and Kennebec . Plant potato sow according to yourchosen potato planting method .
Tips for Storing Potatoes : Once the foliage has shrink and the works have finished growing , allow the murphy to stay in the soil until the closing of the season . This allows the skins to inspissate up a bit to resist scratching when harvest home . Dig the storage crop of potatoes before the ground freezes . Choose a affectionate , dry day after a point of little or no rain . Read more detail on how to organize potatoes for storage:5 Steps to stash away Potatoes for Winter .
Winter Squash and Pumpkins:
flora wintertime squash and Cucurbita pepo in the spring after all danger of frost is retiring . Sow seed fit in to the package directions and allow plenty of way for the vines to ramble .
Harvest ripe squash at the end of the season before rime and remedy before storing . normally by the end of summer , the squash vine have shrink and died , and I leave the mature mash in the garden to field remedy . Alternately , you’re able to glean squash by cutting the vine and leaving a 1 - column inch radical . The stem help prevent decomposition when you are keeping winter squash in reposition . Do not carry the squash by the stem because it can break off reducing the computer storage lineament of the fruit . remedy at 80 to 85?F for about 10 day . Curing allows the squash ’s skin to thicken and mold a protective barrier .
Tips for Storing Winter Squash : depot cure squashes and pumpkin in an arena that is dry , cool , and receive sound air circulation . Ideal storage term for winter squash is at a temperature of 50 - 55 ° farad and 50 - 70 % humidity . I store mine on wire shelves near the basement step because it remains a little warmer than the rest of the cellar . Most wintertime crush and will keep for several months in storage . Some , such as Butternut and Blue Hubbard can last up to 6 months .
•How to Harvest , Cure , and Store Winter Squash
Dried Beans
Select bean miscellany suited for drying and plant in early spring after all risk of frost is past . There are so many varieties of dry edible bean to prefer from that mature in less than 100 days . Allow the noggin to dry on the vine and harvest in former October before frost .
Tips for Storing Dried Beans : Spread the dry pods out in a single level and allow them to dry out totally before shelling . To test the noggin , hit them with a hammer and the bean should shatter . eggshell and store dried attic in jar in a dismal and nerveless area . dry out beans will well last up to a twelvemonth in storage .
Guidelines for Successful Food Storage
You May Also Like:
Good planning is key to a successful vegetable garden
Whether you are new to growing your own food or have been growing a vegetable garden for years , you will gain from some provision each yr . You will find everything you postulate to unionise and be after your vegetable garden in my PDF eBook , farm a Good Life Guide to Planning Your Vegetable Garden .
