Good afternoon, my reader. The selection of beetroot or carrot root crops in order to ensure long-term storage requires attention, since the quality of the crop depends on this stage. It is necessary to follow the basic rules so as not to lose the grown crop of vegetables during the winter.
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Terms of harvesting root crops
To ensure long-term storage of vegetables, you need to know the timing when you need to dig up beets and carrots. They are guided by the weather conditions and the characteristics of these crops.
Beets must be harvested before the first fall frost. If you allow it to freeze, then the shelf life will be significantly reduced. Pay attention to the beet tops. At the stage of full maturation, it turns yellow and dries out almost completely.
It is recommended to keep carrots in the garden until the first snow falls. These root vegetables, after a cooling period, become more juicy and store better than carrots dug in warm weather.
It should be borne in mind that these recommendations should not be followed if heavy long rains begin. After absorbing excess moisture, root crops are susceptible to rot and may not survive until spring. Cleaning in a similar situation starts earlier.
Organization of storage of beets
At the stage of harvesting beet root crops, it is important that there is no rain, and the soil retains a loose and crumbly structure. For this purpose, stop watering 15-20 days before the start of the harvest.
Gently dig in the roots and pull them out of the soil. The tops must be cut, leaving a petiole up to 15 mm long. Spread over for several hours to dry the peel. You cannot wash vegetables. Carefully remove the dirt by hand without damaging the integrity of the skin. Then the beets are sorted. Only high-quality fruits are left for storage, and damaged specimens are discarded.
Beet storage
The optimal conditions for long-term storage of beets is a temperature of about 2-3 degrees. Juicy vegetables require a fairly high moisture content. Beetroot root crops do not have a dormant period, so they begin to germinate as soon as the temperature rises to 7 degrees.
Storage methods:
- Place the beets in the cellar on the potato heaps, performing 2-3 layers. This allows the beets to get the moisture they need from the tubers.
- The popular storage method is in drawers without holes. Root crops are laid in layers, sprinkled with slightly moistened sand. They keep it in the basement or put it in the cellar.
- You can put 15-20 kg beets in large enough plastic bags. They must first be tied tightly. When condensation appears on the inner surfaces, the bag is opened, leaving a small opening on top to allow excess moisture to evaporate.
- In areas with mild winter conditions, beetroot crops are successfully stored in piles directly in the garden. A pit is prepared, observing a depth of about 40 cm. Prepared root crops with a height of about 1-1.3 m are laid out in the form of a prism.Then they are covered with straw, the layer of which should be thick enough so that the total height turns out to be about 2 m.All this structure is sprinkled on top with soil, and in winter they throw in more snow.
It is recommended to pollinate beets with powdered chalk before laying. Consumption rate 200 g / 10 kg of fruit. Such varieties as Mulatka, Incomparable A-463, Saladnaya are well kept. Red ball, Bravo, Detroit does not lose its commercial characteristics for a long time. Recommended Podzimnyaya A 474, Bordeaux 237, Nosovskaya flat, etc.
Organization of storage of carrots
It is necessary to stop watering the carrot beds a month before the planned harvest. Harvest in dry weather, gently digging in the roots. They are taken out of the ground and laid out for 4-6 hours to dry the skin. Then the residual soil is manually cleaned. The tops are cut almost completely (you can leave a tail a few millimeters long).
Storing carrots
It is more convenient to keep the harvested and sorted crop in the cellar. Carrots do not retain moisture well. She needs a temperature of 0-2 degrees, as well as high humidity, which allows the fruit to remain juicy. With a slight increase in temperature, young shoots appear, which reduce the marketability of vegetables.
Storage methods:
- Use plastic bags. About 5 kg of prepared carrot roots are placed in each. The bags must be tied tightly.
- Larger bags can be used, which can hold about 20 kg of carrots. But in this case, it is recommended to lay wet sawdust with a top layer to a height of 8-10 cm.
- The proven method of storage in drawers remains popular. First, you need to pour sand on the bottom, then put carrots and sand again, repeating these steps several times. Root crops with this technique should not touch each other.
Carrot varieties such as Nantes 4, Monanta, Mango F1 show themselves best during storage. Gribovchanka F1, Nandrin F1, Nevis F1 are recommended. Chance, Typhoon, Samson do not lose their juiciness. Good keeping quality is demonstrated by Nerac F1, Canada F1, Rosal. Stored until spring Valeria, Moscow winter, Incomparable, etc.
It will be possible to preserve the taste and marketability of carrots with beets if you organize their storage correctly. The timing of harvesting is also taken into account.
Do you know how to properly store carrots and beets?
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Read about growing beets in the following article:A few mistakes you shouldn't make when growing beets