Storing vegetables for the winter

Storing Vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, parsnip and beetroot can be a bit of a headache if, like us, you have grown far too many.

• Hessian sacks are useful, hung from hooks in the garden shed, they even smell good and traditional.
• Generations of gardeners have layered harvested roots in sand or compost in small dustbins.
• We have acquired a large number of tomato crates over the years, and these can be stacked and covered in fleece to guard against frost. 
• Indeed, all stored vegetables should be protected from freezing. 
• It's a question of balance: neither too warm nor too cold. 
• Winter squash can be laid on a shelf but hardy vegetables such as swedes and leeks are best left in the ground and dug as required.