Store Your Carrots in Peat Moss, Sand or Sawdust
Learn to store your garden carrots in peat moss, river sand, or sawdust for the winter months.
Carrots will keep fresh and crisp with this age-old method that our grandparents and their grandparents used. Find out more on preserving fresh carrots!
Store Your Garden Carrots
This is an easy-to-follow pictorial blog that shows the most important aspects of how to store your carrots in peat moss, wood shavings, or river sand for the winter.
HARSH CLIMATES:
This post on storing your garden carrots is for people that live in harsher climates where carrots cannot be left in the garden to winter over.
We live in Wyoming at approximately 7000 feet and must pull all our garden carrots and potatoes in September or October.
If your frost line goes down more than 1 inch, then nothing is safe to be left in the garden. You need an alternate method to store your garden carrots.
Packing your carrots in wood chips, sawdust, damp river sand, or peat moss is super efficient and practical. This method does not involve freezing or canning.
It is the simplest way to save your carrots for winter enjoyment.
If you live in Zone 4 or higher, consider storing your carrots in the ground during the fall and winter.
Harvesting Carrots
First, harvest your carrots by pulling or forking them from the ground. Make sure the soil is not too wet, or the carrots will come out of the ground somewhat muddy.
This is not bad, but it is simply more difficult to handle them when they are muddy.
PLEASE NOTE: You may spray them off with water if they are muddy, but it is imperative that you dry your carrots before storing.
After pulling your carrots out of the ground, brush off excess dirt and lay them out for a day or two in the sunshine. If you are not able to lay them outdoors on the ground, then lay them on a blanket or tarp in a dry area.
This step helps to harden the outer skin to prepare the carrots for long-term storage.
ONE THING TO KEEP IN MIND: There are different varieties of carrots, with some having longer storage qualities than others.
We use our early carrot varieties first and save the storage carrot varieties to pack in peat moss for later use.
The Backyard Homestead Seasonal Planner:
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PREPARING CARROTS for WINTER STORAGE:
Simply way to store carrots for winter:
- First, it is advisable to cut the tops off the carrots to prevent any regrowth in early spring.
- The next step is to obtain suitable storage containers for your carrots. We have used plastic tubs with good success.
- The tubs are reusable year after year; they have lids that fit and handles for ease of carrying. Sprinkle peat moss or sawdust in the bottom of your tub or crate.
- Make the first layer about 4 inches deep. Then, start layering your carrots in the tubs with peat moss or sawdust, repeating each layer so that the carrots do not touch one another.
This is a very important step: Make sure your carrots DO NOT touch each other and have either peat moss or sawdust surrounding them.
Your carrots will look something like the photo below.
Layer Carrots in Peat Moss for Winter Storage:
Continue layering your carrots with either peat moss or sawdust in your crate or tub, with the final layer being peat moss or sawdust.
Put on the lid and store your carrots in a cool, dark place, preferably at about 45 degrees. The cooler the better, but make sure they do not freeze.
We keep our stored carrots in our crawl space or in our basement. The peat moss or sawdust will help keep some moisture in your carrots.
You can double-check each month to make sure the packing medium has not completely dried out.
ONE MORE THOUGHT: River sand also works out great as a packing medium for carrots. We used river sand (damp sand) for many years but found the tubs and crates were just too heavy to haul around. Peat moss, wood shavings, or sawdust worked out so much better for us.
But, again, just make sure the packing medium does not dry out.
Pull out your carrots as needed, and remember to check for just a little dampness in the peat moss or sawdust.
These carrots will last until spring. It is so great having garden carrots for the fall and winter months. Plus, they are perfect in this Oven Roasted Vegetables Side Dish Recipe!
After you use all your carrots, consider recycling the packaging. You can add the peat moss to your garden to increase the soil’s pH. Use the sawdust as bedding in your chicken coop’s nest boxes!
Final Thoughts:
- It is really important when keeping carrots fresh for fall storage to only choose firm and unblemished ones.
- Make sure they are clean and dry.
- Store them in a cool, dark place like a basement, root cellar, or refrigerator in a bag that allows airflow.
- Only use clean sand or sawdust to keep them a little moist and prevent spoilage.
- Remember to check your stored carrots regularly and take out any that are rotten to protect the others.
- By following these steps, you can enjoy crisp and tasty carrots for weeks and even months!
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Is it possible that carrots will disintegrate in three months in the Pete Moss mixture but I still have three hole firm solid carrots the rest disintegrate
Hi Nancy, I am very surprised that most of your carrots disintegrated. Several factors could have contributed to this. First and foremost, carrots must be cured in the open air to “harden off” which means they are given time to develop a tougher outer skin. Next, the peat moss needs to be somewhat moist as well as retain that moisture so the carrots do not dry out during storage. (periodically checking for some dampness in the peat moss or wood shavings is advised) Also, the temperature is very important. Carrots need to be kept as cold as possible but not subject to freezing temperatures. While I have not had our carrots disintegrate when stored in Peat Moss, damp river sand or even wood shavings, I have had them start to sprout with new growth towards the end of February or the middle of March which is normal due to the approach of springtime. I found that this sprouting can be stopped by cutting off 1/4 inch below the carrot top prior to storage in peat moss. Thanks for your question.
Just wanted to let you know that it is possible to leave carrots in the ground/garden even in cold winters. I live in upstate NY, zone 4 and over-winter my carrots in the garden by covering them with a thick (4”) loose layer of straw. I leave a stake at the beginning and end of the row and when I need carrots I start at one end, move the straw (and most likely snow as well) and dig a bunch of carrots. Then I replace the straw and move the stake to where I left off. Super delicious and sweet! Love you posts!
Hi Denise, I always forget about this because we live at 7000 ft and have long hard winters. Our frost line is 6 feet deep so I cannot leave anything in the ground. But for others without such a deep frost line, this is just great! I will add this information to my post……Thank you so much for mentioning this…..Happy Growing!
how do you dampen the wood shavings if they dry out to much? just spritz them with a spray bottle?
Also. what varieties have you found work best for long term storage?
One of the best long term storage carrots is Bolero. Take a look at our additional information on growing carrots. Here is some wonderful information on Bolero Carrots. Best Wishes for a Wonderful Garden this year!
Hi Taylor, yes, spraying with clean water would work just great. Not to wet but damp. With a lid on your storage container, the wood shavings do not dry out to very quickly but keep an eye on the dampness each time you remove carrots to eat. Thanks for the question!
nice blog keep it
Thanks for reading….glad you enjoyed the post!
My peat moss seems completely dry to begin with. Should I spray it before even putting my carrots in?
Hi Robyn, yes…you must add moisture to the peat moss. It should be damp but not drenched. Make sure to check that the peat moss is damp each time you remove carrots. Thanks for writing, Cathy
Hello and thank you for the information! Is all peat moss created equal? Are they all safe to use in storing food, or do some have additives/toxins? Any specific recommendations on the types of peat moss or wood shavings would be so appreciated. I have the carrots, but discovered the potting soil I had purchased was not safe for storing food. I can’t seem to find any definitive info about types of peat moss. Thanks for your help!
These are all great questions. I am not an expert on peat moss. I would definitely read the label like you did with the potting soil you had purchased. After a quick search, it looks like peat moss is usually dried prior to bagging. It is a natural product. Definitely make sure that the peat moss that you use is not old and that it does not have any mold in it. If you choose to use peat moss, also make sure to wet it prior to using it so as not to breath any dust. As far as wood shavings, we have only used pine shavings. Both the peat moss and wood shaving have been new and clean and have not caused us any problems. Purchase or source your peat moss or wood shavings from reliable sources. But, again, make sure to always read the labels.
Hi, I decided to try storing our carrots this way for winter up here in southern Manitoba! I used what I had which was sand from our sandbox. They’ve been buried in a tub for 3 weeks now and are still nice, but now they are tasting bitter? Do you think it was the sand making them bitter? I also didn’t cut the tops off completely, I just removed the greens, so they have tiny greens trying to grow again. Do you know if carrots trying to grow is what would make them turn bitter? They were nice and sweet when we dug them from the garden. Now I’m wondering if I should go down there to the basement and dig them up again and actually cut off the tops or if it’s too late now. I wish I’d left them in the ground a few weeks because it didn’t end up getting super cold just yet.
Thanks for writing…I am not exactly sure why your carrots are tasting bitter. It is so hard to know what the weather will do so I understand about digging and storing your carrots when you were able. You can try cutting off the green tops and then put them in damp peat moss or wood shavings instead of the sand. Make sure your basement is cold but not freezing. Or, you can also consider processing your carrots and freezing them.
I find that once I dig them out of the sand and put them in the fridge they taste better, it’s just directly out of the sand they taste bitter. Maybe the fridge helps them get sweet again. Next year I think I’ll try the peat moss instead of sand and see if it’s any different. Thanks for the suggestions!
That is wonderful…..so good to hear back from you!!
Hi. I am eager to try your tips for storing carrots. Would it be possible to use coconut coir instead of peat moss or wood shavings?
I have not used coconut coir but I certainly think it would be worth a try!
Is there a reason that my carrots feel soft now? I have let them dry out in the sun, but now they feel soft.
Without knowing the particulars, I am not sure what happened. Fresh from the ground, you only need to let your carrots dry in the sun for a short time to hardened off which means to have the outer skin dry a bit. I would definitely try chilling them to see if they crisp back up before storing them in peat moss, sand or sawdust. Make sure the surface of your carrots are dry before storing.
This is a silly question I’m sure and you may have already addressed it in your article, but can you have multiple layers of carrots in one tub, or are you supposed to have only one layer per tub? I’m completely new to storage.
We’ve always had multiple layers of carrots in each tub. Just make sure to have enough peat moss, sawdust, or damp sand in-between each layer so the carrots are not touching each other. Hope that helps!