How well and long the root crops will be stored depends on the choice of the time of harvesting. Dug too early, they do not have time to mature and prepare for winter. They quickly wither, dry out, and lose their taste. And those who sit up in the ground gain autumn moisture, freeze or crack. Such vegetables will not be stored for a long time. Therefore, the correct harvest time must be calculated accurately.
When and how to clean carrots?
The exact date when it is time to remove the carrots from the beds for storage can not be called. In its definition, one must rely on the following factors:
- temperature;
- the appearance of the root crop;
- grade.
Harvesting vegetables should end before the onset of frost. In rare cases, carrots are left in the beds until snow falls. However, in this case, it must be prepared: bend the tops and lay on the bed, even better - cover with covering material.
The optimal conditions for digging are the average air temperature + 3 ... +5 ° C. In this case, it manages to cool, so it is stored longer. Also, lunar calendars are compiled for each year, which can suggest the most favorable dates for digging root crops.
Root vegetables are gathering juices and growing on the growing moon, and harvest should be done in the period of its decrease. Not all varieties are suitable for storage in winter. The early ones ripen quickly, but are suitable for consumption in a short time, in the summer. Late and late will be stored if you create the right conditions.
Early harvesting dates
Early varieties ripen in 80-90 days from sowing. As a rule, the time of their cleaning falls in July. This also applies to carrots, which are planted for the winter.
In mid-July, it is impossible to create the necessary conditions for its storage in the cellar. Therefore, early varieties must be eaten within a few months.
Harvesting dates for medium and late varieties
Vegetation of medium-late and late carrots lasts 110-140 days. Since the time interval is 30 days, it is worth keeping a memo on which the ripening period of planted varieties and the planting date will be indicated. After full ripening, vegetables are suitable for storage until the future harvest.
Signs of maturity of root crops
By the appearance of carrots, its tops, you can determine the level of ripeness and readiness for collection. First you need to look at the tops.
If the bottom sheets have faded, turned yellow and are tending to the ground, then this can be a sign of two facts:
- the summer was arid, root crops did not have enough water.
- carrots are ripe and ready to harvest.
The appearance of these signs on the middle sheets is a symptom of a disease, damage by pests or overriding. For persuasiveness, you can choose a large root crop and pull it out for testing.
If the vegetable begins to be covered with white roots - an urgent need to start harvesting. If the carrots are large, bright orange, crispy and sweet in taste, then it's time to dig it out for the winter.
Proper carrot harvesting
The safety of carrots in winter depends, inter alia, on the method of harvesting it from the garden. If during harvesting damage the thin skin of the root crop, it will not be stored for a long time. Therefore, do not pull it by the tops, scratching it on dry ground.
To assemble correctly means:
- before harvesting, do not water the bed for two weeks, the collection should be carried out before the autumn cold rains;
- dig in clear weather;
- use a pitchfork or a shovel; dig in so as not to damage the root crop;
- digging a little, pull out the tops, holding on to its base.
During cleaning, it is better to sort the specimens immediately not for storage: small, with damaged skin, with spots, with bite marks. Good root crops to send for further training. 
Preparing carrots for storage
Before laying root crops in the cellar for storage, they must be prepared:
- remove the tops;
- clean dirt from lumps with gloved hands or with a dry cloth;
- dry in the shade or in a ventilated area;
- sort through and sort the defective again.
If the last points of the question should not arise, then you need to cut the carrots for storage exactly according to the rules.
Proper pruning of carrots for the winter
If the removal of the tops is wrong, the carrots will begin to sprout, losing freshness and taste. Or rot.
For proper trimming, you must:
- cut with a sharp knife or secateurs; tear off the tops, you can not twist it;
- cut 2 mm above the root crop;
- remove the tops immediately after digging.
When manually removing greens, there is a risk of damage to the root crop itself. Because of this, it will quickly begin to deteriorate. 
Carrots with a green tail of 2 mm will be well stored in the cellar until spring, but only if the air temperature in it is optimal - 0 ... + 2 ° C.
Otherwise, it will begin to sprout, losing quality. If at home it is not possible to create ideal storage conditions, it is worth using a different method of trimming - together with the top of the root crop.
To do this, you need:
| Take a sharp thin knife. | A blunt or thick-bladed tool will make chips and cracks - gates for bacteria. |
| First cut off part of the tops, leaving about 5 cm of greenery. | This is done so that in the future it does not interfere. |
| Make a smooth cut by removing about 5-10 mm of the top of the carrot. | |
| Leave the roots to dry. | You can powder the place of cut with chalk or ash. |
If the carrots are left to dry without cutting, then the greens will begin to draw nutrients and moisture from the root. It will become soft and wither quickly.
When and how to dig out beets for storage?
Harvesting beets for the winter is not much different from other root crops. An important difference with carrots is that if the former, as a last resort, can be harvested even after freezing, then the beets are very afraid of low temperatures. Therefore, cleaning it from the garden is worth doing when it gets colder up to + 5 ... + 7 ° С.
If autumn is rainy, then you can dig up beets earlier. But do not do this for no reason. At a temperature of + 10 ... + 15 ° C, root crops actively continue to grow and gain nutrients.
Early harvest can cut crops by 30-40%. In addition, at the last stages of maturation, beets are preparing for wintering - its skin is rough. Matured vegetables are better and longer stored.
It is better to dig out the beets with the help of a pitchfork, but if the earth is not too hard, you can pull out the tops, holding it at the base. To store beets in winter is best in the pit. It should be a meter deep. Root crops need to be filled up with several layers of straw and earth. In such a collar they retain their fresh look and taste for a long time.
