How to properly store cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, and carrots? Gardener advises

Gardener Dmitry Kastrytsky told ONT in what conditions it's best to store cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, beets, and pumpkins.

Yes, low temperatures are suitable for cucumbers. The ideal temperature is that maintained on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator — there is constant coolness there. The gardener advises putting cucumbers in a fabric or paper bag that breathes (not a plastic one, where condensation accumulation will lead to spoilage).

High humidity is also appropriate. With it, the fruits will not lose their firmness and will not become wilted. However, proximity to fruits like apples and bananas is dangerous due to the latter releasing ethylene gas, which accelerates the ripening and spoilage of vegetables, writes "Komsomolskaya Pravda".

Tomatoes, however, do not like cold. Storing them in the refrigerator will lead to a loss of aroma and the appearance of a "cottony" taste. For tomatoes, a good room temperature of about 20-22 degrees Celsius in a dry, well-ventilated place, without direct sunlight, is suitable.

If we are talking about tomatoes grown on your own plot, Dmitry Kastrytsky recommends harvesting the fruits for storage at the brown ripeness stage. That is, when they already have a characteristic color, but have not yet become completely soft.

«In this state, they will gradually ripen and keep for up to a month».

The storage method is in boxes in one or two layers, but so that the tomatoes on top do not press on their neighbors below. Of course, it is worth checking the harvest from time to time and removing fruits that are beginning to spoil, so that rot does not spread to everything grown.

A cellar or basement is not suitable for pumpkins and zucchini due to high humidity, which leads to the rotting of these vegetables. They require a dry, well-ventilated room with low humidity and a temperature close to room temperature.

The gardener's advice is to store pumpkins and zucchini not on the floor, but on shelves or racks. And in such a way that the fruits do not touch each other.

As for potatoes, a good storage option is a cellar with a temperature of 6-8 degrees Celsius.

«This is the golden mean: at higher temperatures, potatoes begin to sprout, and at low temperatures, they spoil and become sweetish, — says Kastrytsky, also pointing to the need for moderate humidity: — Too damp — tubers rot, too dry — they wilt».

The gardener advises storing potatoes in boxes or in bulk with good ventilation (meaning the boxes should definitely not be placed flush against the wall), and also not to forget to sort through the harvest, removing rotten tubers.

Proper storage of beets is also related to potatoes.

«Beets are conveniently stored in bulk directly on top of potatoes. A fascinating effect works here: potatoes evaporate excess moisture, and beets absorb it. As a result: beets don't dry out, and potatoes don't get damp and rot. This is a simple but very effective solution, proven over the years,» — says Dmitry Kastrytsky.

Carrots are also demanding of moisture. There should be enough of it so that the vegetables do not wilt. Carrots are best stored in slightly damp sand or sawdust.

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