The whole point of growing your own is to be able to enjoy a selection of fresh crops on tap throughout most of the year, but if you grow the sort of veg that is stored to eat in winter, there’s a definite feeling of harvest festival in the air now.
Onions should be ready for storing by now – if yours are still in the ground, lift them carefully with a fork and leave them lying on top of the soil in the sun until the skins are firm and papery and the remains of the foliage is like straw. If the weather is wet, place them where they can be kept dry, cool and in bright light – a cold frame
if you have one. Once they are thoroughly dry, twist off any remaining roots and soil at the base. Then either plait the raffia-like tops together then hang them up in the kitchen, or just cut off the dead leaves and spread the onions out in slatted trays, which can be stacked up in a dry, airy shed or garage.
Main crop potatoes should be left in the ground all the time their foliage stays green, and even after it’s died down. Spuds store very well in the ground as long as conditions stay dry. If there’s a spell of rainy weather, the dormant tubers soon start to grow again, which ruins their quality and means they don’t keep – so when in doubt, dig them out.
You can store spuds in shallow slatted trays, but the best way is using sacks made of paper or hessian (keep them in the dark to avoid sprouting). They’ll be fine in a shed or garage.
Main crop carrots behave in much the same way as spuds. In the ground they stay nice and fresh without drying out, but if the soil turns damp they’ll produce a mass of fine fibrous roots and start growing again.
So, keep a watch on the weather, and when you dig them up, twist the tops off, brush off any loose soil and turn them over so the skins dry out evenly before storing them.
Pumpkins and winter squashes need to be left on the plants until the last possible moment so they can continue ripening, but help the process along by removing any leaves that are shading the fruit. If a lot of the old foliage is looking a little sad and mildewed, it’s worth taking off the worst of that, leaving only fresh, healthy green leaves.
With pumpkins, a week or so before you plan to cut the fruit it’s worth turning them on to their side so the underneath can dry out. When you finally cut your pumpkins, leave them outside for another few days to finish drying off before you bring them under cover.
They’ll store fairly well in a dry, airy shed or garage. However, they keep far better in a cool room indoors where they’ll easily last until March. But watch the weather, because they must be safely inside before the first frost, which will ruin them.
Once all your produce is safely gathered in, you’ll experience the warm glow that goes with a well-stocked larder.
Must-dos for late crops
l Outdoor tomatoes, peppers and aubergines When pepper and aubergine plants have stopped growing outdoors, pick any half-grown fruits since they won’t get bigger, and if left, they’ll start to rot. Then pull out the old plants. Cover tomato plants with horticultural fleece to keep them cosy.
l Autumn veg When it starts to get chilly, cover any late crops of lettuce, baby carrots, baby beetroot and peas with fleece as the trapped warmth keeps them growing and improves quality.