know how to store carrots in your garden so that you can enjoy the fruits of your labor for weeks or even months.

Carrots are one of the most interesting vegetables! Both adults and children love to eat it, and they are very satisfied when picking it. It can be eaten raw or cooked, and there are various rainbow colors.

And carrots are stored quickly and easily, so there isn’t really a problem with too many carrots. At least in our home, it’s like this!
I picked carrots in the garden of Zone 5 until December, stored them using the method described below, and continued to use them fresh in April and May of the following year.

That’s over 6 months of storage time!
If you have a bountiful harvest this season, don’t worry, you don’t have to send out all the beautiful carrots (unless you want to…), you can follow the steps below to collect carrots in your garden.
You don’t have to say ‘I planted too many carrots’ anymore.

How to plant and harvest carrots in the garden

Planting carrots in spring

Many gardeners start planting carrots in early spring. Carrots are a frost resistant vegetable that can be planted about four weeks before the average last frost. I usually plant in Zone 5 during the first or second week of April.

The growth time of carrots varies depending on the variety, and it takes 60 to 100 days to harvest, so carrots planted in spring are usually harvested in summer.

Planting carrots for winter storage

Autumn Carrots

You can keep growing carrots until 10-12 weeks before the early frost in autumn. This is called succession planting, and carrots are ideal candidate plants for summer planting.

The last time carrots are planted in my garden is usually in mid to late July. I planted a lot of onions and garlic, so after the harvest in July, I will fill some empty spaces with carrots.

I like to plant autumn carrots because they can stay in the garden for a long time – even during the winter in Wisconsin. The cold weather and frost make them sweeter, so the taste is very delicious.

And autumn doesn’t grow fast because the days become shorter during this season, so you can keep them in the garden for a long time without worrying about them growing too dense and woody.

In fact, most years I put carrots in the flower bed until the ground is almost frozen. If the ground is frozen, they will turn into a paste, so it is necessary to harvest the entire flower bed before that. I usually dig out the last carrots through the thin snow in the garden in early December.

You can pick them as needed for cooking and consumption, but the rest can also be left in the garden flower beds.

If you are still confused about your method, you can learn more about how to grow carrots.
Freshly dug carrots for winter storage

How to harvest self grown carrots

You can pick carrots of any size. If you like small carrots like those in gourmet restaurants, then dig out carrots of that size at will. I prefer the larger size, but not so big that it becomes woody.

To confirm if carrots can be harvested, you can walk to the flower bed and use your fingers to dig at the junction between the top of the carrot and the soil to see how big the carrot roots have grown.

If it looks like the harvest is about to begin, you can pull out one or two to see their size. Please remember that the time required for different varieties to grow to maturity size varies.

Carrots are easily broken when picked. I suggest using a digging fork to gently loosen the soil around the row until the carrot can be gently pulled out of the ground.

If you are willing, you can slowly harvest the carrots while preparing to eat. If left in the garden (unless it is mid to late autumn in northern regions), they will continue to grow, so be careful not to leave them for too long, otherwise they will grow huge roots!

Women harvest carrots in the garden
Instructions on how to store carrots from the garden
Whether it’s summer or autumn, here’s how to store carrots in your garden when you’re ready to harvest.

Step 1: Harvest

Pick carrots of all mature sizes. Remember, you can leave the baby carrots in the ground to continue growing unless the ground is about to freeze.
Brush the excess soil back into the flower bed. I like to put my fish in boxes for easy transportation.

Step 2: Collect Supplies

Bring a pair of gardening scissors or pruning shears, and some plastic bags. You can use plastic tote bags, vegetable and fruit bags, or any plastic bag you have on hand.

Step 3: Remove green leaves

Use a pruning shears (my favorite!) to cut the carrot leaves from the edge of the carrot roots.
Winter storage of carrots

Step 4: Save or compost green leaves

Carrot leaves are edible, although I have to admit that I usually just compost. You can try Love and Lemon, carrot green leaves, Chimichurri, or carrot sauce.

Optional steps: Air dry the carrots

If your carrots are wet and muddy, it may be due to recent rain or heavy soil, and you may need to level them out and dry them before storing them.
Lay newspapers or waterproof cloth in places that are sheltered from wind, rain, and cold, such as heated garages or basements. Spread the carrots in a single layer and air dry overnight, then continue with the remaining steps.
Don’t leave it for too long, otherwise it will soften!

Prepare carrots for winter reserves

Step 5: Put it into a bag

Transfer the carrots to a plastic bag with soil. This is an important step! Do not wash carrots before storage. Many vegetables have a layer of wax protection, and if you wash it off, it will affect their storage life.
If you only store a small amount of carrots, you can rest assured to clean them thoroughly.

Step 6: Open the pores

Poke a few small holes on the bag to allow moisture and dampness to escape. I found that this can make carrots drier and last longer when stored.

Step 7: Store Carrots

Make some space in the back corner of the refrigerator and transfer the carrot bag there. I usually place the harvested carrots in the lower back layer so that they won’t get in the way.

The question I often get asked when discussing this topic in workshops is’ Do you have two refrigerators? ‘I don’t. There is enough space in my refrigerator to store vegetables. In fact, apart from a few seasonings, there are only these in our refrigerator. If your refrigerator is running out of capacity, it may be time to clean it up.

I have found that a minimalist refrigerator can help me avoid food waste while keeping the ingredients in the fridge safe so that I can use them up. And there are only two people in our family, which has been a great help.

Step 8: Clean as needed

When you need carrots, take a small piece from the bag, put it in a water bowl, wipe it clean, and then use it. I usually pour dirty water into the compost pile instead of pouring soil into the drain. it ‘ s a piece of cake!

Step 9: Check the carrots in storage

The final key step in learning how to store carrots in a garden is to remember to regularly check the carrots to ensure they are not rotting or infecting other parts of the bag. This situation will soon become very bad. Have you smelled a bag of rotten carrots? Uh.

How to store carrots in the garden

How long can carrots be stored?

I use this method to preserve carrots until April or May of the following year. In late winter or early spring, sometimes carrots will sprout again from the top. This is not good because it means that green leaves absorb energy from their roots during growth. Now is a good time to start making plans to use up the remaining carrots.

If you want to know how to store sugar beets, you can use a very similar method.

The man is holding fresh carrots from the garden in his hand

If you enjoy having your own local, healthy, and organic ingredients to cook with throughout the season, I strongly recommend a variety of easy to store vegetables (such as carrots) that can be used in various recipes.

Since you know how to store carrots in your garden, you can expand your knowledge and focus on other easily preserved foods, such as storing your own grown onions, drying garlic, collecting potatoes, and keeping sugar beets fresh. Throughout the winter, you can save a lot of trouble going to the supermarket and also save money.