Last Updated on September 18, 2026
Vegetable Storage Chart: Temperature, Humidity and How Long
Home-stored vegetables fall into three groups: cold and moist (32-40°F, 90-98% humidity) for most roots and leafy greens, cool and dry (32-40°F, around 65% humidity) for onions and garlic, and warm and dry (50-60°F, 50-70% humidity) for winter squash, pumpkins and cured sweet potatoes. The most common mistake is putting everything in the refrigerator: a fridge crisper matches the cold and moist group, but it is too cold and too humid for onions, garlic, winter squash and sweet potatoes, which need to stay warmer and drier.
The three storage groups
University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension groups stored produce by temperature and moisture need. Most vegetables want it cold and moist, thin roots and leafy vegetables lose water fast. Onions and squash-family crops are the exception: UAF notes they “prefer dry storage conditions and tend to mold when the moisture is high.” SDSU Extension gives working numbers: onions at 32-40°F and 65% humidity, labeled cool and dry, and pumpkins and winter squash at 55-60°F and 65% humidity, labeled warm and dry.
Vegetable storage chart
Numbers below come from University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s reprint of a Kansas State chart built on USDA Agriculture Handbook 66, plus SDSU Extension and Handbook 66 itself for garlic, potatoes and winter squash. Crop names link to that crop’s square-foot spacing page. Filter by whether a crop needs curing first, or print the list.
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| Crop | Cure first | Temperature | Humidity | Storage life | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garlic | Yes | 32°F | 65-70% | 6-7 months | Not chilling sensitive; very low ethylene (USDA AH-66). |
| Onions | Yes | 32°F | 65-70% | 1-8 months | Sprouts above 40°F; low ethylene, sensitivity low (UGA). |
| Potatoes | Yes | 38-40°F | 90-95% | 5-10 months | Below 38°F starches turn to sugar (USDA AH-66). |
| Sweet potatoes | Yes | 55-60°F | 85-90% | 4-7 months | Below 55°F: decay, pitting, hard core when cooked. |
| Winter squash | Yes* | 50°F | 50-70% | 1-6 months | *Skip curing acorn types (USDA AH-66). Chilling injury below 50°F. |
| Butternut squash | Yes | 50°F | 50-70% | 2-3 months | Weight loss above 15% brings on hollow neck (USDA AH-66). |
| Pumpkins | Yes | 50-55°F | 50-70% | 2-3 months | Moderate ethylene sensitivity, high production (UGA). |
| Cabbage | No | 32°F | 98-100% | 5-6 months | Late-season heads keep longest (Maine/Kansas chart). |
| Carrots | No | 32°F | 98-100% | 7-9 months | Ethylene sensitive; keep away from apples and pears. |
| Beets | No | 32°F | 98-100% | 4-6 months | Store topped, not bunched, for the long months. |
| Turnips | No | 32°F | 95% | 4-5 months | One of the longer-keeping roots in this chart. |
| Leeks | No | 32°F | 95-100% | 2-3 months | Keep roots on and pack in something moist. |
| Celery | No | 32°F | 98-100% | 2-3 months | UAF says to lift with roots attached and replant in moist packing. |
| Broccoli | No | 32°F | 95-100% | 10-14 days | Extremely high ethylene sensitivity and production (UGA). |
| Cauliflower | No | 32°F | 95-98% | 3-4 weeks | Short keeper; use it before the roots and squash. |
| Brussels sprouts | No | 32°F | 95-100% | 3-5 weeks | Wrap loosely so it does not dry out (UAF). |
| Kale | No | 32°F | 95-100% | 2-3 weeks | A cold, moist leafy green; use it fast. |
| Lettuce | No | 32°F | 98-100% | 2-3 weeks | Highest humidity band in the chart. |
| Spinach | No | 32°F | 95-100% | 10-14 days | Extremely high respiration rate; eat it soonest (Maine/Kansas chart). |
| Peas | No | 32°F | 95-98% | 1-2 weeks | Ethylene sensitive (SDSU); best fresh or frozen. |
| Beans | No | 40-45°F | 95% | 7-10 days | Warmer than most of the cold-moist group. |
| Cucumbers | No | 50-55°F | 95% | 10-14 days | Chilling injury below 45°F: pitting, water-soaked spots, decay. |
| Peppers | No | 45-55°F | 90-95% | 2-3 weeks | Chilling injury below 45°F: pitting, seed darkening. |
| Tomatoes | No | 55-70°F | 90-95% | 4-7 days ripe | Moderate ethylene sensitivity, medium-high production (UGA). |
Sources: Maine Cooperative Extension, Bulletin #4135 (a Kansas State chart based on USDA Handbook 66) · SDSU Extension · UGA Extension, Circular 1205 · USDA Agriculture Handbook 66 · Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension.
What not to store together
Some vegetables give off ethylene gas in storage, and others are damaged by it. SDSU Extension: “Carrots, broccoli and cauliflower, cucumbers, lettuce, peas, potatoes and acorn squash are sensitive to ethylene, which may be given off from apples, melons, tomatoes and other fruit, so store them separately from fruit to avoid off-tastes and color.” University of Georgia Extension rates pumpkins, winter squash and tomatoes as medium to high ethylene producers, and broccoli as both an extremely high producer and extremely sensitive to it. Garlic and onions produce very little ethylene and are not sensitive to it, but still need their own dry shelf away from the humid, cold crops.
Where to store vegetables at home
SDSU Extension lists the realistic options for a home gardener: “cellars, attached garages, outdoor banks, pits or mounds,” and adds that “areas in some basements will also remain cool enough (40 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit) during the winter for storing many vegetables.”
- Basement or cellar. Often close to the cold and moist band, especially an unheated corner. Concrete floors run dry, so root vegetables shrivel faster than in a UAF-style root cellar with a dirt floor or pans of water for humidity.
- Attached garage. SDSU lists it as a working option, but it swings with the outside temperature. It can suit the cool and dry group or the warm and dry group in mild weather, but it can freeze solid on the coldest nights.
- Unheated room or three-season porch. Same tradeoff as a garage: fine at 50 to 60°F, risky once nights near freezing. Check it with a thermometer.
- Refrigerator crisper drawer. A true match for the cold and moist group only, roughly 32 to 40°F and over 90% humidity. Too cold for winter squash, pumpkins and sweet potatoes, which pit and decay below 50°F (USDA AH-66), and too humid for onions and garlic, which UAF says “tend to mold when the moisture is high.”
Curing before storage
Curing hardens skins and heals small wounds before the long months in storage. USDA Agriculture Handbook 66 gives potatoes an optimal cure around 60 to 68°F for one to two weeks before cooling in stages. For winter squash and pumpkins, see how to cure winter squash, and skip the cure for acorn types, since curing was detrimental to their skin color, texture and taste (USDA AH-66). Sweet potatoes cure differently; see how to cure sweet potatoes. Garlic is cured before it reaches the shelf; see harvesting and curing garlic for long term storage.
More charts and calculators
See the Vegetable Days to Maturity Chart for when a crop is ready to pull, and the Vegetable Frost Tolerance Chart for what to harvest before a hard freeze. To fit more of these crops in next year’s beds, see the Square Foot Gardening Chart and the Square Foot Garden Calculator.
Quick questions
What are the three vegetable storage groups?
Cold and moist (32-40°F, 90-98% humidity) for most roots and leafy greens, cool and dry (32-40°F, around 65% humidity) for onions and garlic, and warm and dry (50-60°F, 50-70% humidity) for winter squash, pumpkins and cured sweet potatoes, based on University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension and SDSU Extension.
Can you store vegetables in the refrigerator?
Only the cold and moist group does well there: carrots, beets, cabbage, broccoli and leafy greens. A fridge crisper is too cold for winter squash, pumpkins and sweet potatoes, which develop pitting and decay below 50°F (USDA Agriculture Handbook 66), and too humid for onions and garlic, which mold in high moisture (University of Alaska Fairbanks Cooperative Extension).
Which vegetables should not be stored near fruit?
SDSU Extension says carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, cucumbers, lettuce, peas, potatoes and acorn squash are sensitive to the ethylene gas given off by apples, melons, tomatoes and other fruit, and should be stored separately to avoid off-tastes and color changes.
Do you need to cure winter squash before storing it?
Most winter squash benefits from curing, but USDA Agriculture Handbook 66 found that curing acorn-type squash was detrimental to its skin color, texture and taste, and cured acorn squash decayed faster than squash that went straight to storage.
How long do onions and garlic keep in storage?
Onions keep 1 to 8 months and garlic 6 to 7 months at 32°F and 65 to 70% humidity, according to University of Maine Cooperative Extension’s reprint of the USDA-based Kansas State storage chart. Both need to be cured and kept dry, since high humidity brings on mold.
Let the planner place them
Before there is anything to store, there is a bed to plan. Plan My Garden is free to start: enter your zip code, draw your beds, pick the carrots, onions, garlic, squash and everything else you want to grow and store, and it places each plant at square-foot spacing and builds a planting schedule from your frost dates.
Related: How to Cure Winter Squash · How to Cure Sweet Potatoes · Harvesting and Curing Garlic · Vegetable Days to Maturity Chart · Vegetable Frost Tolerance Chart
