Page 178 - The Lost Ways

In-Garden Storage

First of all, not only is it okay to leave your root harvest until the last minute but it’s

actually desirable. You will want to wait until the ground has cooled completely before
you mulch over your garden. If you do it too soon, you will only trap the warmth and
promote the composting and decay of your treasured roots.

You will need to harvest carrots before the temperature gets too low. They are damaged
when frozen. However, kale is a champion fall green and will do fine out there through a
few frosts. So will leeks and onions. Cabbage, cauliflower, and celery are pretty cold hardy
as well.

Speaking of vegetables that tolerate the cold, turnips, parsnips, and horseradish actually
improve when left in the ground for a light freeze. Just be sure that you don’t let the
conditions get to where your bounty is under a few feet of snow and you can’t break
ground any longer! It might prove best to go ahead and dig them up while you can and
store them in containers outside for a while.

Insulation

While it’s difficult to make absolutely sure that your root cellar stays the right
temperature with the perfect amount of humidity, it is really easy to provide them with a
little extra support via insulation. What sort of insulation you use is up to you.

Simply line the bottom of your container with an inch of insulation and layer in your
produce, leaving a quarter inch between each layer.

Although root vegetables can touch each other slightly (as opposed to apples), you must
be sure to leave one to three inches on each side between your produce and the
container.

❖ Shredded paper
❖ Newspaper
❖ Sawdust
❖ Peat moss

Things That Do and Do Not Belong in Your Root Cellar

While the root cellar is the perfect place to store raw fresh produce, unless you have dual
compartments, it is a terrible idea to store your canned or boxed foods there!

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