Storing roots

From Gardening Wiki

Storing Garden Roots over the Winter

Many roots are the most salable in winter, when there are no green vegetables, and many seed crops require the roots to be carefully preserved from frost during winter and transplanted sound in the spring. To preserve them properly is an important matter. The most natural and the simplest plan, is to put them in pits. These should not be very deep, nor very long, as it is not advisable to store many in one bulk. A good size is one that will hold about thirty-five bushels, twelve feet long, two feet deep, two feet wide at the bottom, and two and a half feet at the top. The pit should be filled rather more than even-full, covered with six inches of straw and eight inches of earth, which must be packed firm to turn the water.

" Chimneys " of straw may protrude from the center for ventilation, but if the bulk is small and the roots are perfectly dry when put away, this will not be necessary. At the approach of severe cold weather, the covering should be increased to eighteen inches, or at least enough to keep out the frost.

Root-cellars were formerly used to some extent, and will yet be found very convenient, where small lots of roots arc frequently wanted. They can be made by digging, say six feet deep, any length and breadth, setting posts and boarding up the sides, covering with a strong roof, over which put twelve inches of soil and sod the whole.

The door should be to the southward, and so arranged as to be covered in severe cold weather. No windows are necessary, as all roots keep best away from the light. The inside may be divided into bins, of any convenient size, but here, as in pitting, it will be advisable not to put too many roots in one bulk. An ordinary cellar can be used, if free from frost and yet not over-warm ; but the main difficulty generally is, cellars are too dry, and there is too much light. Roots will keep well in a cool cellar, placed in heaps, and covered with thin sods.

Onions should be kept in a dry loft, well ventilated, and spread thin until settled cold weather, when they may be put thicker, and covered with straw mats, straw, or hay. They must not be disturbed while frozen, nor the covering removed until they become thawed out away from the light and air. Directions for preserving green roots, such as celery, etc., arc given under their respective heads.