BBC Gardeners' World

Four ways to conserve your crops

1 Prepare and store them well

Some fruit and vegetables can be stored with no extra treatment if you harvest them correctly and keep them in the right conditions.

Harvest in dry weather and brush off debris or soil on root crops. Check produce and only choose perfect, unblemished ones to store. Any bruising, damage or disease will accelerate fungal rot. While in store, they should all be checked and aired regularly.

Hard fruits like apples store well. Later-fruiting varieties are best for this and their flavour may even

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from BBC Gardeners' World

BBC Gardeners' World7 min read
Perennial Crops
It will take a few years to establish but, once you’ve got your asparagus bed cropping, you can look forward to an annual gourmet treat that heralds the fact that spring has well and truly arrived. These underground tubers spread and spread so there’
BBC Gardeners' World21 min read
Fruit
These super sweet treats might not make it back into the kitchen at all because once you start snacking it’s hard to stop! Grow as many as space allows, so that some can make it into a pudding or cake. As autumn sets in, so the pear season starts and
BBC Gardeners' World9 min read
The tomato Family
Cordon-grown tomatoes, trained to canes, are a summer labour of love and something of a summer obsession but, if time is tight, grow bush types in pots, which need no pruning or training. An essential ingredient if you eat a lot of Mediterranean food

Related Books & Audiobooks