Such root crops as carrots and radish, as a rule, differ in high productivity. However each gardener knows that important not only to receive abundant harvest, but also to keep it during the winter.
Storage of carrots
Carrots should be dug out not earlier than the end of September. If to reap the harvest in early autumn, root crops can quickly decay or wither. After excavation of carrots it is necessary to cut off at once tops of vegetable, otherwise it will extend juice from root crops. The tops of vegetable can be added to compost heap or to dry up and use as vitamin gas station for soups and borsches. The cut-off carrots need to be dried and peeled from large lumps of the earth well. Then it is necessary to select the whole root crops and which have cracked and damaged — to postpone for food or conservation.
It is the best of all to lay the carrots prepared for storage densely in strong container and to pour sand. It protects root crops from diseases, prevents moisture evaporation, maintains uniform temperature and promotes carbon dioxide build-up, preserving carrots. Instead of sand it is possible to use pounded chalk. Boxes with the carrots poured by sand should be stored in the cool place — the basement or cellar.
One more good way of preservation of carrots till spring is filling of root crops clay. For this purpose it is necessary to take 2.5 kg of clay and to fill in it with 2 liters of water. Sodden clay has to gain smetanoobrazny consistence. The bottom of box in which root crops will be stored is dimmed by polyethylene film. Carrots keep within on film and are filled in with clay. Root crops at the same time should not concern each other. When the layer of clay dries up, the following layer and so on becomes until the box is filled. The carrots preserved thus need also to be stored in the cool room.
Storage of radish
It is necessary to reap the radish harvest before the first frosts as the root crops collected in early autumn are stored worse. At the same time too you should not hesitate with cleaning of radish too as the frozen root crops will be subject to rotting. Right after cleaning at radish it is necessary to cut off tops of vegetable. Then radish is dried and cleaned from the earth. For storage it is necessary to select only the whole and not affected with diseases root crops. As well as carrots, radish very well remain in boxes with sand. But in comparison with carrots radish differs in higher lezhkost therefore it is quite admissible to be stored in the open way in the cool room with temperature 1-2os. For storage of radish it is convenient to use trellised boxes. Also radish can be stored on wide shelves or even small heaps. When laying radish in heap root crops it is necessary to arrange backs in the middle.