Prepare Veggies for Storage
Savor garden-fresh flavors all winter long by storing summer harvest.
The reward to growing gorgeous vegetables is eating them. Enjoying the sun-ripened taste of homegrown produce during the growing season makes every meal a gourmet delight. Some vegetables, like juicy tomatoes and sweet corn, are meant to be devoured fresh from the garden. Other plants, like potatoes, carrots, and winter squash, yield a harvest that can keep for months if prepared properly.
At the Lowe’s Giant Garden, we’re sharing our harvest with the garden staff and local soup kitchens, so we won’t be storing our vegetables for winter eating. In your own garden, if you’re growing any long-storing vegetables, you could savor your harvest well into winter, depending on the size of your crop and your family’s appetites. Follow our tips to increase your harvest’s storage potential.
Butternut squash
Waltham butternut squash vines yield large, tan-skinned fruits filled with bright orange, carotene-rich flesh. This squash actually tastes best after it’s been stored a few months. Properly cured Waltham butternut squashes can store up to 6 months.
Harvest
A type of winter squash, Waltham butternuts are ready to pick when the skin is thick enough that you can’t pierce it with your fingernail and when stems begin to shrivel and dry. Harvest all butternut squashes before the first frost. Some growers suggest picking after the first light frost but before the first hard or killing frost. If you intend to store winter squash, pick it before any frost, since even a light frost can shorten storage life.
Use a sharp knife to cut stems, leaving at least an inch of stem on each squash. Don’t carry your squash by the stem—it’s brittle and will snap. Butternut squashes with an intact stem store longer. Avoid bruising squash before storing.
Store:
For longest storage, cure butternut squash to harden the skin. To cure, place fruits in the sun for 10 days. If frost threatens at night, place squash in a garage or shed. For long-term storage, place squash in a cool (45 to 55 degrees F), dry, dark place. Arrange fruits in a single layer so they don’t touch each other. Eat immature or bruised squash first.
Carrots
These orange-rooted favorites keep growing even as the soil cools in fall. You’ll be rewarded with sweetest flavor if you pull carrots when tops are orange and roots are three-fourths to one-inch in diameter. If carrots aren’t too large, let them sit in the ground until frost. Frost actually sweetens the roots.
Harvest:
Carrots slip easily from moist soil. Plan to harvest carrots after a rain, or water your carrot bed before picking. After harvesting, cut all but 1 inch of the leafy tops from carrots so leaves don’t pull moisture out of roots. Set aside any damaged or oddly shaped carrots for immediate consumption; they won’t store well.
Store:
To prepare roots for storage, remove leafy tops. Don’t wash the roots. Place carrots in lightly dampened sand, sphagnum moss, or sawdust, layering them in a box, bin, or plastic pail. Mature carrots store longest. You can safely store mature roots up to 4-5 months at 32 degrees F and 95-99 percent humidity. Immature roots store under the same conditions up to 4 weeks. A root cellar, unheated attic, or garage can provide a safe place to store carrots.
In Zones 6 and warmer, you can also leave carrots in the ground over winter. After a heavy frost, cut tops back to 1 inch, and mulch the ground with 8 inches of straw or shredded leaves. Drive stakes into the ends of rows so you can find them. Pull carrots all winter long.
Potatoes
Mature potatoes are ready for digging when the green tops die back. You can leave potatoes in the ground for a week or two after tops die, but dig all potatoes before frost.
Harvest:
To harvest potatoes, loosen soil with a digging fork inserted into the ground about 12 inches away from stems. If you intend to store your potatoes, dig very carefully; bruised potatoes don’t store well. The best time to dig potatoes is when soil is dry.
Store:
For successful storage, cure potatoes to harden the skin. Gently brush soil from potatoes so you don’t damage uncured skins. Cure potatoes for two weeks at 55 degrees F in a dark spot with good ventilation. If curing outdoors, avoid exposing potatoes to direct sun. Store potatoes in uncovered cartons or boxes at 40 degrees F and 80-90 percent humidity.
During storage, check potatoes periodically. Rub off any sprouts, and use any potatoes that shrivel or become soft.
Pumpkins
A type of winter squash, pumpkins store longest when they’re cured. Pick pumpkins when they’re fully colored. If you intend to eat your pumpkins, leave fruits on the vine as long as possible to develop best flavor.
Harvest:
Pick pumpkins before the first frost, leaving at least 1 inch of stem on fruits. Cure pumpkins in the sun for 10 to 14 days.
Store:
Place cured pumpkins at 50 to 60 degrees F in a dark, dry place. Arrange fruits in a single layer so they don’t touch one another.