[Weston grower]

I've read John & Vals book on storing veg and thought I would try a cross between a clamp and sand box this year. I've stored carrots & parsnip in sand successfully but want to do it on a slightly larger scale - not vast. Thought i'd make a box out of breeze blocks and fill it with sterilized soil & veg.

Has anyone else tried this with any success. Be interested to hear how you went about it.

Regards, WG

[hightide]

When I was a lad in Scotland I used to help my grandad make his traditional clamps for his potatoes, carrots and swedes as the ground got too wet over winter. He never mixed them always three separate pyramids and none of them failed. Down here the only thing I lift is potatoes, these get stored in a slatted box in the garage, parsnip, leeks, carrots and 'neeps' stay in the ground until I need them. In theory your idea sounds fine, the only thing I have doubts about is the sterilized soil; I did once try to store beetroot in damp sand, which was a disaster as they carried on growing produced new leaves and shriveled. Would it not be better to use wood sawdust or play sand?