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Carrots stored
indoors can best be kept in boxes. A layer of dry sand, soil or ashes should
be placed over the bottom of the box or other container, then a layer of
carrots completely covered with sand, and so on until the box is full.
Clamping outside is very simple. Make a level site, preferably in
the shade, and place the carrots, thick end to the outside, in th form of a
ircle. Lay a few carrots in the middle and sprinkle a little sand over them
to level up; then put a second layer of carrots on the top of the first, and
so on. |
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The circular layers get a little narrower each time until the whole heap
builds up into a shapely cone. Cover the cone with a layer of 4 to 6 in. of
straw. Then dig out about a foot of soil around the heap, to get sufficient
to cover the clamp to a depth of 6 to 8 in. Leave ventilation holes at the
top, filling them with twists of straw that show through the soil. Otherwise
cover the whole clamp with soil before severe weather sets in. It may be
necessary later on to add a little more soil to the outer covering, but 8
in. should provide enough protection in a reasonably mild winter. |
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BEETS
Beetroots, too, must be lifted before frost seriously threatens. The leaves
are twisted off—not cut—and the roots taken inside to store. This is better
than trying to store them in clamps in the open. They should be buried in
boxes ore barrels of sand, ashes or finely-sifted soil. Whatever material
you use should not be done dry; while it should be moderately dry, the roots
may shrivel if it is quite dry. The boxes of roots should be stood in a
shed, cellar or store of some kind that is frostproof. A storage temperature
of between 30° and 35°F. is most suitable. |
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The important point to remember is that the beet must be kept free
from frost. During hard frosts, if the store is not frostproof, an
additional covering of old sacks, bracken, straw or something of a similar
nature, should b heaped over and around the boxes. Stored in this way the
roots will keep for many months.
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