Am constantly looking for something to store them in!

Onions (and presumably garlic too) and potatoes should never be stored together though...

oops... meant to say that it creates a bit of a storage problem since they are not supposed to be stored together... they have to go in different places (in a small kitchen this is difficult...)

Gah, I always forget the Onions/Potatos thing. Have to move my potatos when I get home >.>

Asparagus and cabbage are hardly root veggies and should always be stored in the refrigerator. I've always stored my potatoes, onions and roots in the refrigerator. They spoil, turn green and mold if I leave them out. I've never had off flavors or problems keeping them in the refrig.

What happens if you store onions and potatoes together? I haven't heard about this!

While a lovely looking contraption, and I am sure it would be appropriate from some vegetables, I would not store carrots in this either.

I have been able to put my carrots from the grocery store in suspended animation by removing the greens (if there are any) and wrapping them in a wet paper towel, then into a plastic bag that is NOT sealed, and putting them in the crisper of the refrigerator. We have been amazed that even after two weeks, the carrots are still crisp and tasty.

I think it depends on where you live, too. When I lived in Florida I always kept my onions in the fridge, but here in Ohio my house stays so cold through much of the year that I can leave pretty much any root vegetable in a corner for up to a month. I will even leave cabbage, fennel, and other hardy veggies out sometimes.

Apples, too - don't store near potatoes. Both onions & apples release gas (ethylene, I think? - maybe it's the potato that releases the gas) as they ripen, which hastens the deterioration.

We keep our onions and potatoes in a narrow rolling cart next to the stove. I haven't noticed a problem with the heat from the stove.

It looks like this, but with casters: http://imagehost.containerstore.com/shop/elfa/bestSellingSolutions/drawerSystems?utm_term=k115821&utm_medium=affiliate&productId=10018497&utm_source=google

I really like the design of this. Looks like it'd be pretty easy to make yourself.

I have also heard about keeping potatoes and onions separate, and that traditional types of bins aren't good (i.e. like this one http://www.grampasworkshop.net/potbin.html)

Also, I've heard that its best to keep potatoes as dark as possible, which this box doesn't do (http://www.potatoesnb.com/consumers/faqs.asp#15).

Now that I'm thinking of this, someone needs to produce a definitive guide on vegetable storage (printable PDF to stick on the fridge). I'm constantly forgetting how to store what!

i think this cart is beautiful.

something i keep seeing in old-timey gardening and homekeeping books is storing root vegetables in moist sand in a container in a cold cellar or enclosed porch. i've also seen contraptions for burying root vegetables underground (with lots of air flow) and using all winter. i think that storing things like carrots, onions, and potatoes: cool/dry is what you want. even if you put that beautiful wooden crate in a warm apartment, stuff is going to wrinkle/sprout.

Gardener's Supply has one: http://www.gardeners.com/harvest-storage-rack/20729,38-221,default,cp.html

We have two vintage root vegetable storers. They are made of metal (one's enamel coated). I've tried to find a picture on the net, but can't seem to find anything that matches. There are 3 shelves, each of which dips down where you put the vegetables in. They are open air shelves, with holes in the two support sides for ventilation.

We store ours in a cool, dark spot in the basement inside cardboard boxes. They keep longer if you don't wash the dirt off before storing. Our root veggies are from our CSA so they come to us dirty - I don't know how well it would work with washed veggies from the supermarket. I do like the looks of the rack at Gardener's supply, though!

Love the look, but it lets in too much light.

I'm waiting for those wine bottle refrigerators to show up at garage sales..........they would be perfect for veggies.

http://lovedelivery.com/pdf/Produce_Care_Guide.pdf

When I lived in California, we had a 20's vintage craftsman that had what was called a "California cooler" in the kitchen, a cupboard that had an open bottom (covered with wire mesh to keep critters out) and vented through the roof, with slatted shelves - the idea was to draw cool air from the crawl space to keep onions, potatoes etc cool and fresh. Even drawing the cool air in, it was still too warm to keep them for very long, and they were still exposed to some light, which is not recommended either.

Now that I live in Canada, I have the luxury of a small, dark basement closet that vents outside and stays very cool but not freezing. Each fall we get a 50lb box of potatoes (russets seem to keep better than red or white varieties, and unwashed last better than washed) and ~30 lbs of onions, shallots and garlic which are stored in mesh bags. They generally remain edible until early spring when the temperatures start to rise (if we haven't devoured them yet). Even if the potatoes start to sprout, they can still be used for mashed potatoes or soups.

We have an Ikea Gorm shelving unit, and keep the onions up high and the potatoes down low (mostly because a 50 lb box of potatoes is too heavy to lift very high), and I haven't noticed any ill effects of them being too close together (though I wouldn't keep them in the crisper drawer together or with apples, due to the ethylene gas).

might have to play with an ikea hack for this one...

Anna White at Knock-Off Wood Website:
http://www.ana-white.com
Would be able to design a "Knock-Off" plan for the Root Vegetable Storage: Vegetable Store Box. Her stuff is great.

This would be a totally simple DIY project. I might need to build one just because they look so lovely. I have an outdoor brick shed and a closet in my somewhat cooler hallway to store veggies in; chilly (but rarely freezing) Dutch winters are great for vegetables.

Oh, and ditto on wrapping root vegetables in towels (paper or cotton) to keep them fresh longer in the fridge. It's the absolute best way to store ginger, carrots, fresh (not dried) garlic, and many other things. I usually keep a folded tea towel in the bottom of my produce drawers - also helps a lot.