How long can a fall crop of beets and carrots remain in the soil in Southern Maine?

Question:

How long can a fall crop of beets and carrots remain in the soil in Southern Maine?

Answer:

Jonathan Foster, Home Horticulture Outreach Professional

Per MOFGA’s nice resource page on storing vegetables, both beets and carrots can remain in the garden late into the fall under a nice layer of mulch, but should be harvested before the ground freezes hard (which varies by location, soil type, and exact set up in the garden, but typically occurs when you have a run of roughly 5 days of subfreezing temperatures). And I would recommend taking them out before much snow falls or you’ll have to dig down to reach them.

Happy gardening.