CHART • Cold Storage Recommendations for Vegetable Crops
Summer heat breaks down freshly picked crops fast, so cool and store them promptly to keep their looks, flavor and nutrition. This chart is a quick guide to cooling methods, temperatures, relative humidity and roughly how long each vegetable will keep.
The numbers are approximate, and the methods are simply the ones commonly used in the U.S. in warm months, so adapt them to your conditions. Remember that while sun, wind and heat in the field or greenhouse can quickly harm a fresh crop, temperatures below the ideal storage range can cause chilling injury, in some crops even at
Cooling Methods
- Room cooling (RC): Pulling field heat out of freshly picked produce in a closed room with mechanical cooling, such as an air conditioner.
- Forced-air cooling (FAC): Using fans to draw cold air through freshly picked produce to take the heat out.
- Hydrocooling (HY): Cooling freshly picked produce by immersing or showering it in ice water.
- Icing (IC): Cooling with ice, packed into containers or spread over the top of a load.
| Summer vegetables: cooling and storage chart | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crop | Kind | Preferred cooling | Target storage temp | Temperature that causes freeze or chill damage* | Relative humidity | Typical storage life | |
| Artichoke | Globe | RC or FAC |
>32°F (0°C) | 30–31°F |
95% RH | about 14–21 days | |
| Asparagus | HY only | 32–36°F |
30.9°F (-0.6°C) | 95–100% RH | about 14 days | ||
| Beans | bush, pole and snap | FAC only |
|
31°F (-0.6°C) | 90% RH | about 7–10 days | |
| Beans | lima, butter and fava beans | HY best; FAC also works | 37–41°F |
31°F (-0.6°C) | 95% RH | about 5–7 days | |
| Beets | baby beets and greens Full-size beets: see the |
FAC, HY or IC | 32°F (0°C) | 30–31°F |
95–98% RH | about 7–10 days | |
| Broccoli | standard, leaf, raab and sprouting | HY or IC | 32°F (0°C) | 31°F (-0.6°C) | 95–98% RH | about 10–14 days | |
| Brussels Sprouts | See |
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| Cabbage | fresh-market, early, main-season and Chinese cabbage Storage cabbage: see the |
RC or FAC | 32°F (0°C) | 30°F (-1.1°C) | 95–98% RH | about 10–90 days | |
| Carrots | early and main-crop Storage carrots: see the |
RC or HY | 32°F (0°C) | 30°F (-1.1°C) | 95% RH | about 28 days | |
| Cardoon | HY only | 32°F (0°C) | 31°F (-0.6°C) | 98–100% RH | about 14–21 days | ||
| Cauliflower | HY only | 32°F (0°C) | 30–31°F |
95–98% RH | about 14–21 days | ||
| Celery | Stalk Celeriac: see the |
HY only | 32°F (0°C) | 31°F (-0.6°C) | 98–100% RH | about 30–60 days | |
| Chicory | endive, escarole, radicchio and Italian dandelion | HY or IC | 32°F (0°C) | 30°F (-1.1°C) | 95–100% RH | about 14–28 days | |
| Collards | RC, HY or IC | 32°F (0°C) | 30°F (-1.1°C) | 95% RH | about 7–14 days | ||
| Cucumbers | FAC or HY | 45–50°F |
31.1°F (-0.5°C) | 90% RH | about 14 days | ||
| Eggplant | RC or FAC | 50–54°F |
30.6°F (-0.8°C) | 90–95% RH | about 7–10 days | ||
| Fennel | Bulb | RC or HY | 32°F (0°C) | 30–31°F |
95% RH | about 21–28 days | |
| Greens, Leafy |
arugula, Asian greens, mustards, pac choi, sorrel and specialty greens | HY or IC | 32°F (0°C) | 30°F (-1.1°C) | 95–100% RH | about 7–21 days | |
| Kale | HY or IC | 32°F (0°C) | 30°F (-1.1°C) | 95–100% RH | about 14–21 days | ||
| Kohlrabi | Fresh Eating Storage kohlrabi: see the |
RC, HY or IC | 32°F (0°C) | 30.2°F (-1°C) | 90–100% RH | about 60–90 days | |
| Leeks | See |
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| Lettuce | HY, IC (not for romaine) | 32°F (0°C) | 95–100% RH | about 7–21 days | |||
| Melons, Cucumis melo |
Netted Varieties | FAC, HY or IC | 36–41°F |
Risk of chilling injury under 35.6°F (2°C) | 85–95% RH | about 5–12 days | |
| Melons, Cucumis melo |
Smooth-skinned Varieties | RC only | 45–50°F |
Risk of chilling injury under 45°F (7.2°C) | 85–95% RH | about 10–14 days | |
| Okra | FAC or HY | 45–50°F |
28.7°F (-1.8°C) | 95–100% RH | about 7–10 days | ||
|
Onions |
bunching, green, mini and specialty onions Storage onions: see the |
HY or IC | 32°F (0°C) | 30–31°F ( |
95–100% RH | about 21–28 days | |
| Peas | snow and shelling peas | HY or IC | 32°F (0°C) | 30.9°F (-0.6°C) | 95–98% RH | about 5–10 days | |
| Peas | Snap | HY best; FAC also works | 32°F (0°C) | 30.9°F (-0.6°C) | 95–98% RH | about 5–10 days | |
| Peppers | FAC or RC | 45–50°F ( |
31°F (-0.6°C) | 90–95% RH | about 14–21 days | ||
| Potatoes | See |
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| Radishes | HY only | 32°F (0°C) | 30.5°F (-0.8°C) | 95–100% RH |
Small: 7–14 days with leaves; 21–28 days without leaves. Large (eg, Daikon): about 42–70 days |
||
| Spinach | HY or IC | 32°F (0°C) | 31.5°F (-0.3°C) | 95–100% RH | about 10–14 days | ||
| Squash | summer (soft skin) Winter squash (hard rind): see the |
RC or FAC | 41–50°F |
31.1°F (-0.5°C) | 95% RH | about 7–10 days | |
| Sweet Corn | HY or IC | 32°F (0°C) | 31°F (-0.6°C) | 95–98% RH |
Standard: 5–7 days; Super Sweet: about 8–12 days |
||
| Swiss Chard | HY or FAC best; RC also works | 32°F (0°C) | 15–20°F |
95–98% RH | about 7–14 days | ||
| Tomatoes | RC or FAC |
For ripening: For storage: |
|
90–95% RH | about 4–7 days | ||
| Turnips | Summer Varieties | HY or IC | 32°F (0°C) |
|
95% RH | 10–14 days with leaves | Watermelon Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus | HY or IC | 45–50°F |
Risk of chilling injury under 45°F (7.2°C) | 85–95% RH | about 14–21 days |
*In some crops, chilling injury can be severe even at temperatures 10–20°F warmer than freezing.
Learn More
For more detail, look to the many good resources from seed companies and from local and regional extension and education programs.
Additional Resources
- Coping with summer heat
- Part 1: Growing practices that protect crops • Article
- Part 2: Helping cool-season crops through summer heat • Article
- Heat-Tolerant Varieties • Products
- Varieties to plant in summer for fall harvest and storage • Products
- Fall and winter storage crops • Storage guide
Sources and further reading
- ATTRA / Western SARE farm internship curriculum and handbook. Field exercise: harvest, postharvest handling and food safety
- Handling and cooling to maintain postharvest quality. University of Florida Extension. PDF
- Maintaining produce quality and safety. UC Davis Agriculture and Natural Resources. UC Davis Postharvest Technology Center
- Postharvest handling for crop quality. Wisconsin School for Beginning Market Growers. Tip Sheet
- Postharvest commodity and technology series. NC State University Biological and Agricultural Engineering. Extension Publications
- Small-scale postharvest handling practices manual, ch. 6: temperature and humidity control. UC Davis. UC Davis Postharvest Research and Information Center
- Texas vegetable growers handbook, ch. 10: harvest and handling. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension. Vegetable resource guides
- Farm cooler checklist. University of Vermont Extension. PDF
