A “refrigerator plant” refers to using a refrigerator’s cool environment to store plant materials. This includes fresh produce, plant parts like cuttings, seeds, or bulbs. The primary goal is to extend their viability, maintain dormancy, or prepare them for future cultivation. This method leverages controlled temperature and humidity to manage the biological processes within the plant material.
Why Refrigerate Plants
Refrigeration offers several advantages for preserving plant materials. Cool temperatures significantly slow down metabolic processes within plants, which helps to extend shelf life and maintain freshness. This reduced activity prevents premature spoilage, wilting, or sprouting.
For plant parts like bulbs and seeds, cold temperatures induce or maintain dormancy. This period, mimicking natural winter conditions, is necessary for successful sprouting or growth. Refrigeration also keeps cuttings viable for later rooting.
What Plants Can Be Refrigerated
Many types of plant materials benefit from refrigeration, extending their usefulness or preparing them for planting. Fresh herbs, particularly tender varieties like cilantro, parsley, and dill, stay fresh longer. Hardy herbs such as rosemary, thyme, and sage also store well.
Numerous vegetables thrive in refrigerated conditions. Leafy greens like spinach, kale, and lettuce benefit from a crisper drawer’s cool, humid environment. Root vegetables such as carrots, beets, parsnips, and turnips can be stored for weeks or months. Other vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, celery, corn, and bell peppers also maintain freshness.
Bulbs of spring-flowering plants (e.g., tulips, daffodils, hyacinths, crocuses) often require cold stratification in a refrigerator for proper blooming, especially in warmer climates. This chilling period typically lasts several weeks to months, depending on the species. Seeds from many native plants, wildflowers, perennials, shrubs, and trees also need a cold, moist period (cold stratification) to break dormancy and germinate successfully. Plant cuttings can also be stored to keep them viable for later propagation.
How to Refrigerate Plants
Proper preparation and packaging are important for successful refrigeration. For fresh produce like leafy greens, wash just before use; excess moisture encourages bacterial growth in the fridge. Some leafy greens can be rinsed, dried, and stored with a paper towel. Tender herbs store with stems in water, loosely covered with a plastic bag. Hardy herbs wrap in a damp paper towel in a sealed container.
Root vegetables need leafy tops removed before storage, as these draw moisture. Store them unwashed, with soil brushed off, in perforated plastic bags or a damp towel in the crisper drawer. Bulbs for chilling go in a paper or ventilated mesh bag, away from ripening fruits.
For cold stratification seeds, mix with a damp medium (sand, peat moss, or moist paper towel) in a plastic bag. Ensure the bag is sealed or has small holes for airflow, checking periodically for moisture. Cuttings wrap in a damp paper towel, placed in a plastic bag, and kept dark. Most refrigerators maintain 37°F to 40°F, suitable for many plant materials.
Common Refrigeration Mistakes
Several common errors can lead to premature spoilage or damage. A frequent mistake is washing produce before storing it, as moisture promotes mold and bacterial growth, even in the cold. Wash fruits and vegetables just prior to consumption. Storing produce in non-breathable plastic bags also traps moisture and reduces air circulation, accelerating spoilage.
Another issue is storing ethylene-producing fruits (e.g., apples, bananas, peaches) near ethylene-sensitive plants (e.g., leafy greens, broccoli, carrots). Ethylene is a natural plant hormone that accelerates ripening and decay, causing yellowing or spoilage. Bulbs should be kept away from ethylene-producing fruits to prevent damage.
Overcrowding the refrigerator impedes cold air circulation, leading to inconsistent temperatures and spoilage. Placing sensitive items too close to freezer vents can cause freezing and cell damage.
Not all plant parts benefit from refrigeration. Basil is sensitive to cold and turns brown if stored in the fridge, preferring room temperature. Potatoes and onions prefer cool, dark, dry places outside the refrigerator, as refrigeration alters their texture and flavor or encourages sprouting and mold.