Harvest Storage Desk: how to cure and store the fall harvest

Each storage crop needs one of five spots. Root crops want cold and moist. Onions and garlic want cold and dry. Winter squash and pumpkins want cool and dry after a warm cure. Sweet potatoes want warm and humid and never the fridge. Peppers, cucumbers, and green tomatoes last only weeks.

Bring squash, pumpkins, sweet potatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and tomatoes in before the first 32F night. Frost-hit squash and pumpkins do not store well. The live desk adds your zone frost countdown, a My Garden filter, and a yearly stored checklist.

Cure and store the fall harvest: winter squash and pumpkins cool and dry, sweet potatoes warm and humid, onions and garlic cold and dry, carrots and beets cold and moist. Temperatures, humidity, and storage times from USDA and extension charts.

Cold and moist: 32 to 40F, 90 to 100% humidity

Where: Fridge crisper in perforated plastic bags, a root cellar, or a mulched bed or buried pit outdoors.

  • Carrots: Cure: No curing. Cut off the tops. Store at 32 to 40F and 95 to 100% humidity. Keeps 3 to 6 months. Do not store carrots with apples or pears. Ethylene makes them bitter.
  • Beets: Cure: No curing. Cut off the tops, leaving a short stub. Store at 32 to 40F and 95 to 100% humidity. Keeps 3 to 5 months. Do not store beets with the leaves on.
  • Parsnips: Cure: No curing. Store at 32F and 95 to 100% humidity. Keeps 4 to 6 months. Do not store parsnips with apples or pears. Ethylene makes them bitter.
  • Turnips: Cure: No curing. Cut off the tops. Store at 32F and 95% humidity. Keeps 4 to 5 months. Do not let turnips freeze solid in the ground.
  • Cabbage (late heads): Cure: No curing. Store only solid, late-season heads. Store at 32F and 95 to 100% humidity. Keeps 3 to 4 months. Do not count on early, softer heads. They keep only 3 to 6 weeks.
  • Leeks: Cure: No curing. Store at 32F and 95 to 100% humidity. Keeps about 2 months. Do not let leeks dry out.

Cold and dry: 32 to 40F, 65 to 70% humidity

Where: Fridge main shelf, or a cold room or garage that stays above freezing.

  • Onions (dry bulbs): Cure: 2 to 3 weeks warm, dry, and airy, until the necks are dry. Store at 32 to 40F and 65 to 70% humidity. Keeps 1 to 8 months, pungent types longest. Do not store onions in plastic bags. Use mesh bags or slatted crates.
  • Garlic: Cure: 3 to 4 weeks in shade with good airflow, until the necks are dry. Store at 32 to 40F and 65 to 70% humidity. Keeps 6 to 7 months. Do not store garlic in a sealed bag or a damp spot. It molds.

Cool and dry: 50 to 55F, 50 to 70% humidity

Where: Basement shelf, a closet in a cool room, or an attached garage that stays above 50F.

  • Butternut squash: Cure: About 10 days at 80 to 85F and 80 to 85% humidity. Store at 50 to 55F and 50 to 70% humidity. Keeps 2 to 3 months. Do not store next to apples, pears, or other ripening fruit.
  • Acorn squash: Cure: Skip curing. Heat and humidity lower acorn quality. Store at 50 to 55F and 50 to 70% humidity. Keeps 5 to 8 weeks. Do not plan on long storage. The rind yellows and the flesh turns stringy.
  • Pumpkins: Cure: About 10 days at 80 to 85F in a well-ventilated spot. Store at 50 to 55F and 50 to 70% humidity. Keeps 2 to 3 months. Do not carry pumpkins by the stem. A pumpkin without its stem does not store well.

Warm and humid: 55 to 60F, 85 to 90% humidity

Where: An interior closet or basement room that stays above 55F. Never the fridge.

  • Sweet potatoes: Cure: 4 to 7 days at 80 to 85F and 85 to 90% humidity. Do not wash first. Store at 55 to 60F and 85 to 90% humidity. Keeps 4 to 7 months. Never refrigerate. A few days below 50F causes hard cores and off flavors.

Cool, not cold: weeks, not months

Where: A cool room or cellar at 45 to 55F (tomatoes 55 to 70F). Home fridges run about 40F, too cold for these beyond a few days.

  • Green tomatoes: Cure: No curing. Pick mature green fruit before frost. Store at 55 to 70F and 90 to 95% humidity. Keeps about 2 to 5 weeks near 55F. Do not refrigerate green tomatoes. Below 50F they do not ripen well.
  • Peppers: Cure: No curing. Store at 45 to 50F and 90 to 95% humidity. Keeps 2 to 3 weeks. Do not hold peppers below 45F for long. Chilling causes pits.
  • Cucumbers: Cure: No curing. Store at 50 to 55F and 90 to 95% humidity. Keeps 10 to 14 days. Do not store cucumbers next to tomatoes, melons, or apples.

Sources

Home storage rarely hits the ideal, so expect the short end of each range.

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