Carrot Growing Guide | Carrot Harvesting, Handling & Storage - Part 3

The 920 Harvest Broadfork, designed by Eliot Coleman, is built to be easy on both the crop and the grower: nine curved tines across a 20" width loosen the soil and lift the roots gently, so carrots aren't damaged and your back isn't strained.

1. Dig on a cool fall day so the roots don't heat up in the sun.
2. Pull carefully, or loosen the roots with a garden fork or broadfork first.
3. Remove the tops from storage carrots right after harvest, cutting about ¼–½" above the shoulder, and shake or brush off loose soil.
4. Don't trim the root tips or rub off the fine root hairs; wounds invite rot.

After topping, you can store the carrots with some soil still on them, or wash them and let them air-dry briefly first. Advice on handling and storing carrots varies widely: some growers wash before storage and some don't. (See the pros and cons of washing carrotsbelow.) Some store roots in bins of damp sand, sawdust or leaves, while others find no damp medium is needed. Several options follow.

Basics of Storing Carrots

1. Store as close to 32°F (0°C) as you can, ideally no warmer than the mid-30s °F, with relative humidity around 95–100%.
2. Carrots keep for several months if a) the roots are mature and undamaged and b) temperature and humidity stay in the right range.
3. Use the smallest roots first.
4. Every couple of weeks, check for rot and remove any roots that are going bad.

For the commercial grower

Commercial growers commonly store carrots in large bins or crates lined with plastic. Line them so air can still move, entering at the bottom and rising out through the top on its own. This keeps humidity high while providing enough ventilation to limit mold and rot.

For the smaller-scale grower & home gardener

For refrigerator storage, place roots of about the same length in a single layer in gallon freezer bags, press out the air, seal, and stack the bags flat on a shelf or in the crisper.

For an easy small-scale setup, put the roots loosely in food-grade 5-gallon buckets with a few holes about ⅜" across drilled in the bottom, sides and lid, which allows some air exchange while keeping humidity high.

Sandboxes or buckets for storage

You can also pack carrots in clean, coarse, damp sand in 5-gallon buckets, wax-coated boxes, or cardboard boxes lined with plastic bags. Put a few inches of moist sand in the bottom, lay the carrots in it so they don't touch, and keep adding layers of sand and carrots until the container is almost full, finishing with sand on top. Filled containers are heavy, so set them where they'll be stored before you fill them.

Can carrots be left in the ground in winter?

That depends on your climate, the size of your crop, your harvest help, and how much storage space you have.

• Where the soil stays well above freezing, dig the carrots as soon as they're ready and move them into cold storage as described above to avoid losses.
• In colder regions, carrots can stay in the ground with little or no cover until it freezes, as long as the soil drains well.
• Where winters are harsh, protect the bed. Before the first hard freeze, cover it with 12–18" of straw or leaves, or lay heavy row cover such as Agribon+ AG-19 over hoops and top it with plastic, in the field or in a high tunnel, so the soil and roots don't freeze solid. Then pull back the mulch or covers and harvest as needed through the winter. In snowy areas, plan how you'll reach the bed after storms.

Carrot washing at Black Kettle Farm, Lyman, Maine

Most commercial growers wash carrots before storing them, but either way can work, and each has pros and cons. Keep notes on how you store and under what conditions; results can vary by year and by variety.

Washing before storage

Pros

• Carrots pulled from storage for winter sales are already clean and ready to go.
• Washing lowers the risk of soil staining.
• If the wash area isn't heated, washing is far more comfortable in fall than in midwinter.

Cons

• The extra handling before storage can bruise roots, which can cause trouble over a long storage period.
• Washing takes time at a busy point in the season when other crops also need attention.
• Washed carrots must air-dry before they go into storage.

Washing after storage

Pros

• Roots aren't handled until a few days before sale, so any damage has less time to develop before they're eaten.
• Field work on other crops doesn't stop while you wash carrots.
• No drying time is needed because the roots go into storage dry.
• Some growers believe the soil left on unwashed roots preserves surface microbes that help hold back spoilage organisms.

Cons

• You'll have to wash in midwinter (easy enough if the wash station is heated).
• Soil can stain the roots during storage.

Harvest, handling and storage methods differ a lot by region, grower and variety. As long as you minimize damage at every step and keep stored carrots within the right temperature and humidity range, there's room for flexibility. Use these tips to work out the routine that suits you.

Next

• Carrot guide part 4: carrot pests and diseases • article

Learn More

• Storage crops: post-harvest handling and storage guidelines • article
• Growing carrots with Dr. John Navazio • A Way to Garden
• Hygienic, sanitary design for produce farms • University of Vermont Extension Ag Engineering
• Cleaning a root barrel washer: checklist • Cornell Cooperative Extension Vegetable Program (PDF)
• Carrots (growing information)
• Pelleted carrots (growing information)
• Carrot guide part 1: carrot basics • article
• Carrot guide part 2: extending the carrot season • article
• Carrot guide part 3: harvest, handling and storage • article