Keep harvests for longer

Clever bagging and boxing can help you hang on to your harvests for months, as Bob explains his best-kept secrets

- Bob Flowerdew

AS you grow more of your own, there comes a point when you have too much to keep in the kitchen, and you need a store of some sort. This needs to be cool and dark. A shady shed is good, a proper cellar better – but an unheated room in the house or a cool garage will do (just beware of smelly oils or paints, as these may taint).

Many crops will keep for weeks just resting somewhere like that – and much longer if they are given more preparation. Simply packing in plastic bags (perforated to allow a little airflow) stops apples, cabbages or carrots from withering away rapidly.

Root vegetables can be packed in bags of ever-so-slightly damp compost or sand. An old chest of drawers can be useful to hold these bags and adds another layer of insulation. A set of shelves may be handier for tomatoes, peppers, squashes, pears and so on, though, as these need inspecting almost daily for any ripening.