How to properly prepare your basement or storage room for harvest

In order for your crops to last as long as possible, it is necessary to store them in conditions that best suit the particular crop, and because summer is the time of harvest, now is the right time to prepare your cellar or storage rooms. Best, if your cellar is under ground or in a slope under your house or cottage. Rooms or cellars built under the ground provide the best storage conditions for fruit and vegetables.

Clean and organized cellar is very important

Even if you use your cellar sporadically as a room “where you just put stuff”, keep it clean as best as you can. No mould! Before storing new crops, you must remove any fruit and vegetables left over from last year’s harvest. All potato sprouts and other plant bits must go. Obviously, this goes for any droppings from various animals. Well, you may find some… To clean properly you should empty the basement first – all boxes and containers, shelves (if possible), hoses… everything.

Photo: Pixabay

What about the last year’s harvest?

You probably can still find some apples in good condition from the last year’s harvest, that is if you provided perfect storage conditions. So, use the good ones if you can and put the bad ones in a compost. You may still have some potatoes left but you don’t have to use them right away. Take them out of the cellar and store them again only after you cleaned the cellar. However, check them and do not store any damaged potatoes.

Wash what you can

All boxes, jars and storage containers need to be washed and prepared. It is also advisable to use a sulphur burner to sanitize them. All shelves must be washed or cleaned. Rule of thumb is, clean or wash everything that can be cleaned because all these parts may carry germs or mould particles. Also use a broom to remove all cobwebs from ceilings and walls and finally, sweep the floor thoroughly. It is also recommended to use a sulphur burner to sanitize the entire basement.

Preview photo: Pixabay