Not every summer resident has two cellars for separate storage of vegetables and fruits. Meanwhile, how long the vegetables will last depends on this - will they dry out or rot.
Believing that this circumstance is mainly influenced by temperature and air humidity, these gardeners are deeply mistaken.
In addition to the fact that the cellar must be treated against possible fungus and other pathogenic microflora before storing the harvest for the winter, it is necessary to provide for the possibility of separate storage for fruits and vegetables.
The reason is ethylene gas, which is released by certain fruits and vegetables during storage. These are apples and pears, peaches and persimmons, melons and bananas, as well as tomatoes, peppers, and potatoes. When this gas is released, the ripening of fruits and vegetables is noticeably accelerated and turns into rotting.
Apples and pears grown in the country should be placed in a dark and cool place, which would also have good ventilation. The air temperature in the storage should be about 1-5 degrees, and the humidity should not be higher than 90%.
Be sure to keep tomatoes and peppers away from other vegetables and fruits. If these are still green vegetables, they are stored at a temperature of 10-12 degrees and humidity up to 85%.
Ripe fruits should be kept in a room with an air temperature of 1-2 degrees. In this case, peppers and tomatoes should be stored separately.