Important rules for pruning carrots for winter storage

Carrots are harvested in the fall and stored until warm. To prevent spoilage, the crop must be properly prepared.

Read about whether you need to cut the botka from the root crop, how to properly cut carrots for storage and why to do this, read the article.

Do you need to cut the tops?

Pruning carrots is a must to prolong the shelf life of your vegetable.

The upper green part of the plant must be removed.... Thanks to pruning, all useful substances are retained in root crops, so they will not dry out and rot.

If left on, the tops will actively draw moisture out of the carrots. A vegetable is 80% water, most of which will be taken by greens. As a result, it will remain fresh, and the body of the carrot will simply wither.

In addition to water, the tops take vitamins and trace elements from the vegetable, which are necessary for him to maintain his own life. Therefore, pruning is a way to preserve the benefits of the harvested crop.

If a store carrots is to come all winter, then the tops are cut off completely. At the same time, they capture the head of the root crop, cutting it off by 2-3 mm. It is at this depth that the growth point of greenery is located. Removing it prevents further germination of the vegetable, prevents it from losing its rich taste.

Pros of pruning

Pruning has several benefits:

• extending the shelf life of vegetables;
• preservation of the vitamin and mineral composition in the pulp of root crops;
• "Sealing" moisture inside vegetables;
• preservation of the original taste.

Pruning is a mandatory procedure that cannot be ignored if the crop is planned to be stored for a long time.

What happens if you don't?

If the roots are not cut off in time, they will begin to wither after a short time. Vegetables deprived of moisture reduce their natural defenses, so they become vulnerable to attacks by fungi and microbes.

How is it correct?

Pruning should be done according to the rules. Failure to follow the sequence will cause the vegetables to go bad.

Instructions to be followed:

1. Dig vegetables out of the ground, gently shake off any lumps of dirt.
2. Cut off the main tops, leaving a small tubercle. It should rise slightly above the head of the root crop.
3. Dry the harvested crop in the sun.
4. After a day, you need to arm yourself with a sharp knife and cut off the head from the root crop (at a distance of about 2-3 mm).

If there are ring cracks or other damage in the upper part of the carrot, then they must be removed without regret. In this case, the head can be cut by 2 cm.

It is possible that inexperienced gardeners will be tempted to perform full pruning immediately after harvest. This idea should be abandoned.

Fruits recently removed from the ground are too fragile, so they can break and burst during the pruning process.... Therefore, it is so important to dry vegetables for at least a day.

After removing the head, you need to spread the crop in the sun for 2 hours. This is done so that the cut is dry and covered with a protective crust. After that, you can store vegetables in a cellar or other suitable place.

Where and how to store?

Trimmed carrots can be stored in the following way:

1. In fridge, in plastic bags.
2. On a glazed loggia in wooden or plastic boxes. If the room temperature drops below zero, vegetables need additional insulation.
3. In the basement, cellar in a closed container. You can sprinkle carrots with sand, sawdust of coniferous trees, onion husks.
4. At home, in the closet.

Helpful information

To keep carrots fresh longer the following tips should be taken into account:

1. In addition to the tops, you need to trim the tail. It is from her that the vegetable begins to rot. Trimming is carried out in the place where the tail width is 5 mm.
2. If you plan to store vegetables all winter, you shouldn't leave even small cuttings.
3. Only healthy fruits are removed for storage, without cracks and signs of rot. The cut should dry out and be covered with a crust.
4. Carrot tops do not need to be burned. It is left in the garden bed, sprinkled with a thin layer of compost, manure or earth.

Related Videos

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Conclusion

Pruning carrots is an essential step in preparing them for storage. If you leave the tops on root crops, they will quickly dry out and rot. Therefore, this procedure should not be ignored.