I enjoy pancakes for breakfast. I could eat them every day but do so only on the weekend. Even so, I purchase the large bag of prepared mix and store a small portion of it in a container that readily fits in my kitchen cabinet. When the container is empty, I simply refill it. Too bad storing fresh garden vegetables isn’t as easy as refilling the container.

    Many vegetables need to be either canned or frozen for long-term storage, but some can be stored for several months without preservation. However, the vegetables need to be harvested at the right time and stored under the right conditions.

    Temperature and humidity are the two main factors that determine proper storage conditions. For most home owners, finding the correct conditions can be challenging. Refrigerators, basements, cellars and garages are some likely places home owners may use. Also, certain vegetables should not be stored together because odors transfer from one to the other. For example, don’t store carrots and onions in the same area.

    Depending on the crop, the temperature may need to be in the 32 to 40 degree range or could be as high as 55 to 60 degrees. Relative humidity, which is likely more challenging to control than temperature, may need to be only 50 to 60 percent or could require 90 to 95 percent. For example, potato should be stored at 40 to 50 degrees with 80 to 90 percent humidity while winter squash should be stored at 55 to 60 degrees with 60 to 70 percent relative humidity.

    How long a particular vegetable can be stored also depends on the cultivar (variety) grown. For example, some potato cultivars may store for 6 months without producing sprouts while others may only keep 2 or 3 months. Also, early-maturing cabbage cultivars will not store as long as late-maturing ones.

    Fresh vegetables can be stored long-term only if they’re harvested at the correct growth stage. For example, winter squash should be harvested when the rind can’t be pierced with your fingernail, and the stem is a tan color with a corky appearance.

    Some vegetables need to go through a curing period. Using winter squash as an example again, cure them at 80 to 85 degrees in 90 to 95 percent relative humidity for 10 days before placing in long-term storage of 55 to 60 degrees and 60 to 70 percent humidity.

    As you can see, to store fresh vegetables you need to pay attention to details by harvesting at the correct growth stage, possibly curing the crop, providing the correct temperature, humidity, and ventilation among other factors. For details on storing specific vegetables, see University of Idaho bulletin, Harvesting and Storing Fresh Garden Vegetables at http://www.cals.uidaho.edu/edcomm/pdf/BUL/BUL0617.pdf

    Happy Gardening!

William H. Bohl is Extension Educator with University of Idaho located in Blackfoot, 785-8060 or wbohl@uidaho.edu.