Harvesting Root Crops

• Assess the sweet potato vines and tuber itself for size and any signs of disease.
  
• Dig up the tuber before the vines become frosted. If the vines do become frosted, dig up the potatoes within a day or two. A vine becomes shriveled and brown within 24 hours of a hard frost.
  
• Dig up the tuber using a garden fork to gently lift it out of the soil.
  
• Be careful to avoid damaging the potato when digging and handling--they skin very easily, and the more damaged they are, the less time you can store them.
  
• If the vines are killed by heavy frost, but you cannot dig up the potatoes right away, immediately cut the vine away from the tuber and throw some hay over the rows to protect them from the cold. The potatoes will last longer this way than if attached to a dead vine.
  
• Once they are dug up, gently wipe off any soil and let the potatoes dry on top of the ground for a couple of days. This toughens up the skin, which will help them last longer in storage.
  
• The leaves and vines from your sweet potatoes can be composted (unless they are diseased or show signs of insect infestation like holes in the leaves).
  
• If you dig late in the day, do not leave them out overnight because they may be damaged by cold weather and moisture. Bring them in for the night and then set them out the next day.
  
• Don't wash them after harvest either. Potatoes that are wet are more prone to fungus or mold growth.
  

If your storage space is limited, you can store potatoes outside for several weeks after harvest.

• Make a trench in the garden about 8 to 10 inches deep.
  
• Line the bed with straw or hay and place the potatoes in the bed.
  
• Cover with a thick layer of straw or hay and some soil to hold everything in place.
  
• The potatoes can be kept outside this way until the ground starts to freeze. Once the ground begins to freeze, they will need to be stored inside.
  

Once the sweet potatoes are cured, store them in a cool place. Unlike regular potatoes, sweet potatoes like a cool, slightly moist environment. The ideal temperature for storing sweet potatoes is 55 to 65 degrees F with 85 to 90% relative humidity. Make sure there's enough air circulation so that moisture doesn't accumulate. At these ideal conditions, sweet potatoes can be stored for up to 10 months. Storing also converts some starches to sugars, which enhances the flavor.

• When you find a carrot large enough, grasp the greens at the crown and tug gently with a rocking motion.
  
• If the greens snap off, carefully lift the roots with a small garden fork or your fingers if the soil is loose enough.
  
• If a carrot is damaged, use it right away; don't store it.
  

• When harvesting horseradish, wear gloves because the pungency of the root can irritate your skin.
  
• Don't leave it in the ground for more than a year. It will become tough and taste bad.
  
• Using a garden fork, dig up the main or taproot. Make sure to dig up as many lateral or side roots as possible. Cut off the taproot to use and plant the rest back in the ground to regrow or discard the plant.
  
• If you leave any roots in the ground, they will reroot and multiply very quickly.
  
• Store horseradish roots in a cool, dark place.