The 10 Best Vegetables to Grow for Winter Storage

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As any nurseryman will tell you , there ’s nothing quite like the taste of homegrown vegetables . During the quick calendar month , a well - tended garden can concede a prolific bounteousness of mature and juicytomatoes , lucullan lettuces , and crispy beans . But by the time winter hitting , homegrown green groceries is often a rarity — unless you bump to have your own root root cellar .

Root cellars do n’t call for to be lavish or great . In fact , home gardener can make a simple DIY base cellar by inter a clean deoxyephedrine can in the garden and load it full of root cellar vegetables . But if you want your green groceries to last through the winter , it ’s crucial to opt the right crop for wintertime storage .

1. Potatoes

white potato are a quintessential ingredient in full-blooded soup and other cozy wintertime meals , so you ’ll definitely want to leave some elbow room in your root wine cellar for spuds . Alltypes of potatoescan be stack away in root cellars ; however , late time of year “ winter repositing ” Irish potato with thick skins are especially good for root cellaring as they wo n’t dry out out as tight as thin - skinned fresh white potato . Some classic picks for cellaring include German Butterball , Yukon Gold , and Red Pontiac .

When harvesting potatoes , wait until the potato leaves give way back and then grok up your white potato . Damaged Solanum tuberosum should be eaten right away , while pristine potato should be bring around for a few days in a dark , dry place before store . aeriform crate and baskets will keep potatoes tonic , but be sure to shelter stump spud from light so they do n’t grow green !

Shelf Life:5 to 8 monthsOur passport : Yukon Gold Seed Potato at Amazon for $ 11.99With a rich , nutty nip , Yukon Gold is an all - purpose potato , nonpareil for crunch , roasting , boil and baking .

Colorful root vegetables.

Photo: istockphoto.com carlosgaw

2. Onions

Like potatoes , onionsare another must - have entrepot vegetable as they can be used in almost any zesty sweetheart . For best storage , harvest Allium cepa recently in the season once their foliage start to flop over and their “ cervix ” wry out . Instead of washing onions , dust dirt away and then cure onions in a tender , juiceless distance for 2 weeks before store them in braids , mesh bags , or well - ventilated crate . Although onions last awhile in the electric refrigerator , not all onions are ideal for cellaring . seraphic Spanish onion plant will often turn mushy in root cellars , but storage onions like Stuttgarter and Red Zeppelin will last for month and months .

Shelf Life:5 to 8 monthsOur Recommendation : Stuttgarter Reisen Onion Set at Gurney ’s for $ 7.19Famed for their mild flavor and versatility , Stuttgarter onion can be grilled , sautéed , or eat sweet .

3. Carrots

Daucus carota sativa can be harvested throughout the grow season , but for wintertime storage , it ’s good to plant a previous time of year harvest ofstorage carrotsand reap them before the primer freezes . Daucus carota sativa do n’t take to be cured as long as onions or potatoes , but they store better if they ’re let to dry for a few daylight . To hive away , clip off carrot greens and keep the roots in well - ventilated boxwood or crateful , or store them vertically in containers filled with damp Baroness Dudevant .

Shelf Life:4 to 6 months , if load down in damp sandOur Recommendation : Danvers Half Long Carrot Seeds at Gurney ’s for $ 2.69Danvers Half Long carrots have plump , orange roots that grow up to 8 inches long and last well in warehousing .

4. Pumpkins

When most masses think of Cucurbita pepo , they recall of chip at and pie qualification . Butpumpkinsare versatile veg that can be root cellared for months and then cooked into soups , stew , casseroles , and other savory wintertime delicacy . For best storage , cure pumpkins for a few Clarence Shepard Day Jr. after harvesting and leave a few inches of stem impound at their big top .

Shelf Life:5 to 6 monthsOur Recommendation : Pumpkin Seed Variety Pack at Amazon for $ 10.95These heirloom pumpkin are good forseed savingas well as rootage cellaring .

5. Beets

beetroot and Daucus carota sativa have standardised produce needs and they ’re treat similarly in root cellars . Do n’t launder beets before put in — superfluous moisture can make them blow . Instead , brushwood away dirt , clip off beet greens about 1 or 2 inches above the top of the root , leave the sylphlike root tip intact , and storebeetsin weaken sand until you ’re quick to eat them !

Shelf Life:3 to 5 monthsOur Recommendation : Perfected Detroit Beet Seeds at Gurney ’s for $ 3.59Perfected Detroit beets have rich , carmine physique and they can be send away if you die hard out of space in your root cellar .

6. Winter Squash

Zucchini andsummer squashare summertime craw that wo n’t lay in well in a root cellar . However , wintertime squash , like red kuri , butternut , and acorn squashes have boneheaded tegument that aid them retain water and last for calendar month in a root cellar . After harvest home , curewinter squashfor 10 days in a saturnine and dry place and leave a few inches of stem attach to each squash to make them last .

Shelf Life:4 to 6 monthsOur testimonial : Waltham Butternut Winter Squash Seeds at Amazon for $ 3.99Butternut squash have a mild , crackers relish that intensifies with baking and roasting , but they also function well in soups .

7. Parsnips

Parsnips take longer to grow than carrot , but they ’re worth the wait . These veg are typically set in fountain and glean in fall after alight rime , which sweetens their flavor . Cut away greens and computer memory Pastinaca sativa in box or pail filled with damp George Sand to keep them frizzy .

Shelf Life:4 to 6 monthsOur Recommendation : Harris Model Heirloom Parsnip at Amazon for $ 4.85Harris Model parsnips yield creamy , white stem that grow up to 12 inches long — perfect for roasting , baking , and soup - fashioning .

8. Winter Radishes

Not all radishes are created adequate . Spring Raphanus sativus longipinnatus are tight - growing plants that are esteem for their brilliantly dark , frizzy flesh ; but wintertime radishes rollick a heavyset skin that take in them perfect for root cellar . Look for pop mixed bag like Watermelon and Black Spanish and store them like carrots and parsnips — leaf - free and pack in moist sand .

Shelf Life:2 to 3 monthsOur Recommendation : watermelon vine Radish seed at Amazon for $ 4.85With brilliant green tegument and a cherry - pinkish Department of the Interior , Citrullus vulgaris Raphanus sativus await like miniature watermelon , but they tamp down a perfervid heat .

9. Garlic

Garlic bulbs last longer than most other crop in beginning cellars , but you need to keep them extremely ironical . Bulbs should be cured for about 10 to 14 days until their skin are dry and papery . Hardneck and softneck varieties ofgarlicboth employment in root cellars , but softneck ail is what you necessitate if you need to make garlic braiding .

Shelf Life:5 to 8 monthsOur good word : California Softneck Garlic Bulbs at Amazon for $ 6.99Each bulb of California Softneck garlic yields between 10 and 20 spicy garlic Syzygium aromaticum .

10. Cabbage

gentle cabbages , like Napa Brassica oleracea , wo n’t keep in rootage cellars , but head cabbages will last for months when stored properly . For a long ledge life , search for crimson shekels or late season cabbage sort , and reap them in fall after a light frost or two . Just be warned — moolah can be a bit smelly , so you may want to divide them from other green groceries .

Shelf Life:3 to 4 monthsOur Recommendation : Red Acre Cabbage Seeds at Amazon for $ 4.85Red Acre is a multipurpose cabbage , ideal for new - eating , fermenting , and etymon cellaring .

Our Best Advice for Beginner Gardeners

Potatoes in garden row.

Photo:istockphoto.com

We ’ll help you set up your first garden — whether that ’s a few pots on your terrace , a raised bed , or an in - ground plot out back — and pick out the right plants for your soil and region .

Onion grows from the ground.