Harvesting and Storing Home Garden Vegetables
The reason most people grow vegetables is so they can pick and enjoy their fresh vegetables at their optimal flavor. But when is the best time to harvest your vegetables? How do you store your vegetables if they all reach optimal size all at once? What are the best conditions to store all of your homegrown vegetables?
Harvest
Treat your veggies with care as you harvest them. Be careful to not break, nick or bruise them to allow them to last longer in storage. Poor quality, or rotting produce, does not keep for long and can spread disease to other stored vegetables.
Storage
Depending upon the vegetable depends on the storing condition it requires. You can expect shortened shelf-lives of your vegetables if storage temps are not optimal. There are three combinations for long-term storage:
- cool and dry (50-60°F and 60% relative humidity),
- cold and dry (32-40°F and 65% relative humidity), and
- cold and moist (32-40°F and 95% relative humidity).
To learn more about the different storage methods for specific commonly grown vegetables, visit University of Minnesota Extension