Have you ever wondered exactly what happens to all those potatoes and carrots that we harvest from the allotment in autumn time? The potatoes go into strong paper sacks and are stored in the garage. We’ve done this for a long time now and the potatoes remain in good condition through winter and into spring. By March they are usually beginning to sprout new shoots and begin to turn soft and are of no use for eating.

We’ve tried different methods of keeping carrots through the winter. We’ve left them in the ground, covered with straw to protect them from frost but this way proved to be very hit and miss depending on the weather. A wet winter would see them rot in the ground. A more successful method was to store them in used compost in large tubs kept in the greenhouse over winter. However, last autumn when the carrots were dug up I didn’t have any tubs or used compost available and decided to try storing them in paper sacks and old compost bags.

Some beetroots were also stored in paper sacks.

You can decide from the video whether it’s been a success or not.