Hi I'm new and have a question for you. I grew carrots last year and they turned out great but I'm finding by this time of the year they are starting to rot. I stored them in pails of sand and covered over with newspaper so no light would get at them. Does anyone have a solution so I don't encounter this problem again. Pud
My experience: http://xrl.us/rzba Showing storing parsnips, which is the same for carrots. Sand is not a readily available to me so I use peat moss. I slightly dampen the peat moss. This is a bit tricky, because peat moss doesn't absorb water too well, but in a 12 X16X16 sort of standard plastic container from Walmart a layer about one third the volume is slightly damped with a sprinkler and hand mixed. The idea is not to soak the mess but to insure there is a bit of humidity for later. Then fill the container with dry peat moss and sort of mix the slightly damp moss together. The water is sort of in chunks throughout the mixture. Then I use a large paper waste yard bag, and put some dry peat moss in the bottom and add the carrots or parsnips in sort of layers slowly filling with the dampened mixture. I shake the bag periodically and fill it no more than half full. The bag is all paper without the type that has a plastic liner. The reason is to get some air into the bag. Also don't tie the top just fold loosely. I store the bag well off the floor in the unheated garage in Zone 5.The temperature probably reaches freezing sometime, but I find the vegetables don't ever freeze. They will keep for about five months, and the last may be a bit soft, but they are still almost as good as what one can buy in the supermarket. I did use the plastic container for storage, but prefer the bag, since it is easier to remove the vegetables without spilling the peat moss onto the floor. Ideally, one would prefer a constant room temperature of about 10 C, but the garage is probably the best available to most people. The basement is usually too warm. This procedure is for relatively small quantities, which is usually the case for the small plot gardener. I suspect this would work well for potatoes and beets, but have never tried it. My two cents worth. Durgan.
That seems like a good amount of time to keep them without preserving (freezing,canning, etc.) I read once that one could keep carrots in the ground and dig them all winter as long as not allowed to freeze (cover with hay bales or some other heavy insullating material.) Never tried it myself. You don't say where you are or the storage is, but I wonder if the carrots might be drying out in the sand. Then they would lose cellular structure (crispness) and spoil sooner.
This suggestion might be a bit out in left field but if your storage system (sand and newspaper) isn't keeping the carrots too wet and they are stored in a cool area, you could try dipping them in a solution of chlorine and water. I would suggest cleaning all the dirt off them then dip in a solution of chlorine (probably 0.5 - 1.0 % should do), that should help kill any fungus that is lingering on the carrots. Just a thought. Also, if you have a 'second' fridge store them in it in bags that have aeration holes in them. Anne
