The taste and storability of fruit and vegetables from one's own garden are influenced not only by the variety, fertilization and the course of the season, but also by other factors - including the right time for harvesting, which in the case of apples, for example, can be seen when the first (healthy, i.e. not worm-eaten) fruits fall from the tree. Stored vegetables should remain in the bed as long as possible, because the longer they can ripen there, the fuller their flavor in the end and the better they can be stored. For many fruits - such as apples, nuts or quinces - airy storage on wooden grates is optimal. Potatoes stay fresh longest in a dark, cool storage place with high humidity.

Vegetables such as carrots, beet, turnips, celeriac, salsify and radishes remain edible until the following spring if they are placed in layers in wooden crates or other containers and covered with moist sand. Again, a cool, humid room is recommended as the location for the containers. One task then remains - that of regularly checking the stored fruit during the winter for pressure and rot and removing those that are affected.