I am planning on storing my carrots and beets in damp sawdust in my root cellar this winter. Do I need to wash the dirt off before I put them in storage. I brushed off the clumpy stuff, but I do not relish the ideal of spending hours washing them if I don't have to. Hoping someone out there has experience storing them in this manner. We have always stored them in the ground, but hubby hates digging them out in subzero temps. So, we decided to give this a try this year. Also, does anyone know how long they will keep this way?

-- Tiffani (cappello@alltel.net), October 31, 2001

Answers

You don't need to wash them before you store them, but let them sit out of the ground to dry off for a bit (at least an hour) before putting them in the sawdust. We usually store our beets for 3-4 months. Our carrots we've less reliable success with, but one year they lasted 5 months. One year they only lasted about 2 weeks! Deborah

-- Deborah (jlawton@kaltelnet.net), October 31, 2001.

The sawdust should be dry not damp, it will draw some moisture over time but if it is damp to start with it is likely to rot, I have used peatmoss this same way many times in plastic bins, and you can mix the layers so that as you work your way down every thing is used up evenly.

-- Thumper (slrldr@yahoo.com), October 31, 2001.

Funny you should ask that because I had just decided to do the same thing, except I had read that I should use sand. What are people's experiences? Is sand better or sawdust better? (I have plenty of clean sawdust and no clean sand, so this would be a much easier solution.)

-- Sheryl in Me (radams@sacoriver.net), October 31, 2001.

Tiffani & Sheryl, I'm in Maine and we've had great success in storing carrots and beets in sand...really clean, dry sand! The carrots will start to grow fine roots after a few months, but they still taste great!! Lately though, we've been canning the beets and just storing the carrots. Takes up less room in our cellar...and I personally hate canned or frozen carrots :-)!

-- Marcia (HrMr@webtv.net), October 31, 2001.

Dry Sand - acourding to the great John ( John Seymour )

IMHO damp / wet sawdust will probably promote rot not prevent it.

-- Julian (Julian_young@nl.compuware.com), November 01, 2001.

Hi - I have already taken in a root crop put in sand I got from the hill above the swamp - looks good so far - happy to be part of this discussion in future if anyone wants to know how it went for me :) Helen

-- Helen, in WI (applebake@cybrzn.com), November 01, 2001.

I mostly use peatmoss becuase I can use it for the garden the next year, and I am in town so it is convenient, I have also used news paper with sucess,(I like to use the 18 gallon rubbermaid bins) Tiffani's cellar may be dryer than mine, which is all dirt, I even painted the underside of the trap door and the beams over the cellar room to protect from the moisture, my last cellar was lined with wood and it rotted out in one year.We plan to finsh this one off with cement pavers inside.

-- Thumper (slrldr@yahoo.com), November 01, 2001.

I alsways use damp sand. A few inches on the bottom then a layer of carrots or beets. I keep them from touching. Continue to layer sand and beets or carrots having the top layer of sand about 2 inches thick. Kept carrots from fall to spring. Some will rot but on the whole will do well.

Mine were kept in the old cistern so was good huminity and temp. Don't know yet where I will keep them in the new place.

You can also replant celery if you have grown that. Dig up with roots attatched and plant into five gal. buckets. Kept those til Christmas. Wonder if you could do the same with brussel sprouts.

-- Cordy (ckaylegian@aol.com), November 01, 2001.

Cordy, I have heard that you can just whack the brussel sprouts stalk off and hang it upside down in your basement. I have saved brussel sprouts and cabbages in my basement, but I took the sprouts off of the stalk. My one suggestion is that when they start to go bad, chunk them quickly!... ...PEEEEEUUUUUUUW! They lasted about 2 months maybe. I have had better luck freezing my brussel sprouts after I parboiled them. The cabbage type plants really make your house stinky when one of them goes bad!

-- Nan (davidl41@ipa.net), November 03, 2001.