Storing Raw Beetroot

[WestHamRon]

I've got some beetroot which is taking up space and the leaves appear to be dying off. If I lift them can I store them in bags of old compost? I don't want to cook them yet.

[Monika]

Can you dig them up and then just "heel" them in at another place? They will keep like that for weeks or months.

[realfood]

Today, I have been storing beetroot in a big plastic bucket.
First, roughly wash the beetroot to remove excess soil, bugs etc. Then twist off the tops, leave the roots and layer in damp compost or sand. Make sure that the container is firmly covered to prevent mice or squirrels gaining access, and place in the coldest part of your garden.

[WestHamRon]

Can you dig them up and then just "heel" them in at another place? They will keep like that for weeks or months.

That's a new one on me. What does it mean ?

[WestHamRon]

Today, I have been storing beetroot in a big plastic bucket.
First, roughly wash the beetroot to remove excess soil, bugs etc. Then twist off the tops, leave the roots and layer in damp compost or sand. Make sure that the container is firmly covered to prevent mice or squirrels gaining access, and place in the coldest part of your garden.

Thanks, I wasn't sure if the compost should be damp or dry.

[The Mouse]

I layer mine in boxes like realfood, but I don't wash them first (I make sure that any soil on them is dry), them I use dry compost, just like I do for my carrots. It works for me
Good luck

[Monika]

"Heeling in" is to bury things in the ground without actually "planting" them.

[WestHamRon]

"Heeling in" is to bury things in the ground without actually "planting" them.

Thank you,Monika.
So putting them in bags of old compost will work the same,

[Primrose]

i've just picked mine, twisted off the leaves and stored them unwashed but with the surplus mud brushed off, in a big bucket in between layers of dry compost taken from a half-used Grow Bag.
And we ate the leaves for lunch - first time I've ever tried cooking them. They were tender and delicious - just like spinach and didn't taste of beetroot at all. (They were Chioggia variety. Have never grown beetroot before which produced such lush green leaves).

[Colin_M]

....I use dry compost, just like I do for my carrots.

I've seen Johnboy make the same recommendation.

So far, I've left my recently dug carrots with residual soil on in a potato sack in an outside shed. Are they going to suffer like that - would I be better putting them into something? Not sure I have any *dry* compost at the moment!

[The Mouse]

....I use dry compost, just like I do for my carrots.

So far, I've left my recently dug carrots with residual soil on in a potato sack in an outside shed. Are they going to suffer like that - would I be better putting them into something? Not sure I have any *dry* compost at the moment!

Hi Colin,
The honest truth is that I don't know - so if you leave them like that I will be keen to know how they do!
The first year I grew carrots, I dried them off and left them out in my little pvc 'greenhouse', without even putting them in a bag or box. Because the weather wasn't hot enough to shrivel them or cold enough to freeze them, they were perfectly ok. They tasted great, too; even though they had been lifted, they seemed to get sweeter as time went on. However, I didn't have very many, so they were all used up by Christmas, and I'm not sure how they would have fared if left all winter.
I'm tempted to think that by surrounding them with compost, they are less likely to go mouldy, as any moisture coming out of them has something to absorb it. However, if all your carrots are dry and sound, there's probably every chance that they will store ok without compost, just like potatoes do. I would certainly do that rather than use damp comopost!
Good luck - let us all know how you get on!