Vegetables form garden.....

[Im a BusyBee]

I actually got round to doing some digging in my garden yesterday and discovered quite a lot of carrots, turnips, beetroot and spring onions that have been in since last summer! They look fine but i just wondered if anyone can confirm that will be nice to eat? I would pickle the beetroot and dont want to go to that trouble if it they will not be nice. thank you.

[Lillymoon]

You are lucky to have some overwintered crops that havent been attacked by slugs and are full of holes!

I grew carrots in the greenhouse over winter one year, they went woody and not nice...carrots are biennial, they grow a tap root the first year then flower the next, then die.

Turnips may be woody, I havent tried them. But you must at least try one and let us know what it was like.

[Clanad]

Here in the western U.S. with out interminable ans severe winters, I leave carrots and parsnips in the ground all winter. They're actually better tasting in the spring... has something to do with the sugars...

Alternately, a neighbor digs up their carrots late in the season and layers them between layers of damp (not wet) sharp sand for overwintering. They're good as well, but tend to spit a little later on in the winter and have to be carefully washed or they're gritty...

[Clanad]

Meant the carrots split or crack slightly ...

[RAV1D]

If you leave the carrots in for the second year they should flower and then go to seed, They don't do this in the first year. You can then keep the seeds and grow them the following year. If you just want them as food take them out now while you can and eat them as they may not be as nice to eat or worth eating after a second season in the ground.

[Barmaid]

I've no idea about the beetroot, but I just harvested the last of my carrots and they were delicious.

[kiki22kiki]

I have them in my garden. You should not have problems with the food quality, since they are grown in your yard. You know that there is nothing wrong whit that land. Enjoy in your food.

[johnk]

They'll be fine, enjoy.