Root Vegetable Question

[Rosyrain]

I plan to start growing root vegetables like carrots, potatoes, and parsnips when the growing season rolls around again and have a couple questions...how long will they hold up if they are stored in an underground root cellar? Is it better to pick them as you need them or all at once?

 

[Chuck]

Where I live one must harvest root crops as they become ripe. I can let them stay in the ground for a short period, maybe 3 weeks but after that I am taking a huge risk of them rotting as the soil temperature rises. I don't know where your farm is but the ambient temperature is the deciding factor in underground storage, whether it be in the ground or in a basement. The warmer it becomes the faster they will go bad. Adequate air circulation is also very important for long term storage.

 

[headfullofbees]

Potatoes are not root veg; tubers are part of the stem, connected by stolons.
When you plant a seed potato, ALL the roots grow below the seed, ALL the potatoes grow above.

 

[Corzhens]

I'm not sure of potatoes but with cassava and taro as root tubers, we only harvest them right before cooking in the day. It is not for the preservation but to assure us that we get fresh tubers particularly the cassava is so delicious when cooked right after harvesting. Now, for the process of storing the tuber, what we do is to wrap the tuber in old newspapers and store is in a cool place. That would double the life of the tuber according to the farmers.

 

[petesede]

The best way to do is it to plant in rotations.. what I do is every 2 weeks plant a new batch, so then the harvest is also staggered a bit. But you can experiment and a lot of it depends on the moisture of your soil as far to how long they will last in the ground as well as the ground temperature.