Storing vegetables

News Column

John Wilson

Extension Educator

September 13, 2013

Storing Vegetables

We enjoy fresh vegetables during the summer, but with proper care, we can still have fresh vegetables later this fall or even on into the winter.

Let’s start with tomatoes. They can be left on the plant until the threat of a frost. At that time, cover the plants to protect them from a light frost or harvest all tomatoes that are mature or have started to turn color. If you have some large green tomatoes, they can be harvested, too, and brought inside to store or mature. Wrap green or pink, not-quite-mature, tomatoes individually in newspaper and store them in a single layer in boxes or trays. If you want them to ripen right away, store them at normal room temperature and humidity.

If you want to store them, place the wrapped tomatoes in an area with a temperature around 45-50 degrees and relative humidity 80% or higher. Green tomatoes can be stored up to 6 weeks and pink tomatoes about 10 days before you need to bring them to normal room temperatures to finish maturing. Take a peak every few days to see if they are mature and ready to eat or can. If any tomatoes start to spoil, remove and discard them.

Next let’s consider potatoes. Late season varieties of potatoes generally store longer than early season varieties. These are best harvested after the vines die completely and when the soil is dry. Dig and handle the tubers carefully to avoid bruising. Place the tubers in a cool, dark location for 10 to 14 days to cure them; then store potatoes in a dark, humid area with temperatures around 40 degrees. Brush off excess dirt, but do not wash potatoes as this will shorten their storage life.

Winter squash, pumpkins and gourds are ready to harvest when you can no longer easily puncture the skin with your thumbnail. These fruits must remain on the plant until they are mature or their eating and storage quality is greatly reduced. Now is a good time to pinch off smaller fruits that won’t have time to mature before frost. The plants energy can then go into maturing larger fruits.

When harvesting vine crops, avoid scratching or bruising the fruit and leave one inch of the stem attached. Mechanical wounds increase the chance of storage decay. After harvest, cure the fruit in a warm dry place for 10 days and then store them in a dry location at 55 degrees Fahrenheit.

Onions are harvested after their tops die down. If the tops have not died down by late fall, harvest them before the ground freezes; taking care not to bruise the bulbs. Bruised onions and onions with thick necks should be used promptly rather than stored.

Onions must be cured and allowed to dry until the outer skins are papery and the roots are dried to reduce storage rot. Hold them in a warm, dry location spread out on newspaper or an old screen up off the ground to dry. Once dry, the tops can be cut off and the bulbs stored in mesh bags; or, the tops can be braided together and the onions hung and stored at 32 degrees Fahrenheit.

Root crops, like carrots and beets, can be left in the garden until just before the soil freezes; or even into winter. A few good frosts will improve their flavor, as long as they are not over mature. Planting later in the season helps avoid over maturity or when the root becomes large and woody.

When you do harvest, cut the tops to one inch above the root and dig carefully to avoid damage. Pack the roots in sawdust or other packing material and store them at 32 degrees Fahrenheit in a humid location. If you wish to leave root crops in the ground into winter, place a one foot layer of mulch over the rows to keep the soil from freezing. Pull the mulch back and dig as needed.

For more information on vegetable harvest and storage, contact your local UNL Extension office.

John Wilson