BLOG POST #4: Seed Crop Plan: Are any of your chosen crops biennials?

For some crazy reason I have decided to attempt to grow two biennials!  Luckily carrots and beets have similar storage requirements and are from a different species, so I don’t have to worry about any cross-pollination.

Both carrots and beets require 3 months of cool temperatures around 1-3 degrees Celsius and a high humidity around 90-95 percent. I have a root cellar that cools to 4 degrees around the beginning of October when I need to have the root crops out of the ground due to snow.  It quickly drops to 1-3 degrees within a couple of weeks after harvest.  The humidity hovers around 95 percent so I have to worry about too much humidity at times.  My preferred method for storing carrots and beets is in the heavy plastic bags with holes punched in them.  One main difference between the seed carrots and market carrots is that I won’t be washing the seed carrots to preserve the beneficial microbes in the soil intact. I am going to try throwing in a few handfuls of sawdust in each bag and see how that helps keep the moisture more even.  We will need to store the roots from October until the beginning of May.


At harvest I will prepare stecklings of both carrots and beets by trimming off all the green mass made up of the petioles, being careful to leave the apical bud intact.  I want to make sure to harvest the roots when the soil is dry and can be easily knocked off the root. 

Comments

  1. Patrick SteinerMay 22, 2018 at 9:17 PM

    Hi Lisa; It's great that you have a root cellar that so closely meets the requirements for good storage. This is a huge benefit to you! Storing the roots in plastic bags with holes is very effective, and I also like your idea of putting in some slightly damp wood shavings. Wood shavings is preferable to sawdust if you can manage that. Two large handfuls per 25 pound bag is what I have used in the past.
    All the information you've outlined here will work, good job. :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. mary brittainMay 31, 2018 at 12:25 PM

    Hi Lisa - great blog! I can't add anything beyond what Patrick has said except to agree that wood shavings have worked well for me in the past.

    Regards,

    Mary

    ReplyDelete

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