Garden Talk - Caring for fruits of the garden

Unlike midsummer bounty, the fall fruits of the garden don?t often require much snapping and slicing, canning and freezing ? though certainly applesauce is an exception. However, the majority of the fall harvest is best stored ?as is.?

If your fall harvest includes apples, be sure to store them apart from vegetables as the apples give off ethylene gas, which promotes sprouting. Apples like to be really chilly ? close to 32 degrees - and they want high humidity.

A good approach for small quantities is to place the apples in perforated plastic bags and then put the bags in a refrigerator. Larger quantities may be kept in a cellar or unheated outbuilding but must be moved if temperatures in storage will fall below freezing.

Potatoes are often part of the fall harvest, and their storage requires the intermediate step of curing. A couple of weeks at temperatures between 50 and 60 and humidity in the 85 to 90 percent range is ideal for allowing potatoes to cure.

Once cured, potatoes should be kept as close as possible to 40 degrees but never higher than 50. Humidity should be 90 to 95 percent.

Onions also require two to three weeks of curing in a warm, dry, well-ventilated space. They should be spread in a single layer. Once the tops and necks are completely dry and the outer layers rustle, cut the tops about an inch above the bulbs.

Put cured onions into mesh bags, wire baskets, or crates. Store between 32 and 40 degrees, with humidity at 65 to 70 percent. Possible locations include basements, cellars, or garages, so long as the temperature will not fall below 32 degrees.

Once carrots are harvested, cut off the tops a half-inch to an inch above the roots. Small quantities may be kept in the refrigerator in perforated plastic bags.

For larger quantities, bury in sand or sawdust in a cool, moist space. Ideal temperatures are 32 to 35 degrees, and ideal humidity is 98 to 100 percent.

Certainly a gardener who harvests all of these crops and more will be challenged by the need to balance storage requirements. Carrots are perhaps the fussiest about the need for high humidity; below 95 percent, they will wilt or shrivel. Beyond that, be sure to keep fruits away from vegetables, and aim to please the harvested crops as best you can.