Are they soft? If not then they're fine. And if they're okay I'd mulch and deal with them later.

Rodney

I agree, I'm betting they are fine. Here in Michigan I have beets, carrots and parsnips still in the ground, I'll get them out when the snow melts, maybe next week. Grandma used to just leave those in the ground and mulch over them, then dig them out when she wanted them in late fall/early winter. You do have to get them up before it really freezes, though, and the tops will be gone, of course.

Annie

The beets still were firm. Yesterday I covered the whole bed about 6" deep with light, dry, white pine needles. I pulled some colorful carrots to take to the grandkids for Thanksgiving (Atomic Red & the dark-purple-with-orange-inside kind - forget the variety name) and will pickle the beets next week when we are back from our trip. I think I'll dig up some parsnips for Christmas!

Weedlady, are those carrots Purple Dragon? That's what I grew, the kids called them "zombie carrots", LOL. My Atomic Red got very tough in the core, I had trouble even cutting them. I was disappointed, but the purple did wonderfully.

Annie

Looked up my seed packet... They are Cosmic Purple. Thought it had a ring to it along with Atomic Red! LOL They are a hit with the grandkids. Here is an interesting article I found: http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2010/04/carrots-used-to-be-purple-before-the-17th-century/

weedlady, I knew that about carrots, but I'll be darned if I remember where I read it, maybe from one of the seed companies? Anyway, I like the purple ones, although they stain my fingers longer than beets do, and I like the white ones, I think they are the sweetest.

And I need to get myself up to the garden tomorrow and get the rest of my beets and carrots out of there. The parsnips can wait until spring or until I get "around to it".

Annie

Got back from our trip to the family Thanksgiving last night. It had rained and I had not yet gotten the plastic cover over the bed. Now I think I'll wait a couple of days and hope the pine straw dries out before I cover things so I do not have to claw my way thru stuck-together frozen mulch in January. :-)