Found out that I can keep carrots in the ground over winter here in Upper Michigan

[Kaleva]

I didn't get all the carrots harvested last fall. Just a few days ago, I went to the raised bed that I had the carrots in to get it ready to become a bed for the strawberries I had ordered and I dug up carrots. Most looked good so I set them aside and after the work on the bed was done, I brought them in and washed them off. Some had tops that were blackened that I attribute to being exposed to the cold which I cut off.

They were crispy and sweet tasting. My wife tried one and she agreed they were good.

I had read about keeping root crops in the ground over winter as a way to store them and one digs them us as needed but I wondered if that would work where I live here in the north. It works!

I may do this in the future but only in raised beds as the ground is quite wet in the spring and I'd heavily mulch the crops to give them more protection from the cold.

[Kaleva]

1. My FIL told me his grandparents left cabbage in the garden over winter

They would cut it at the base, turn them upside down and rest them on a board. Over the winter, they'd dig up out of the snow what they needed.

[WestMichRad]

2. Have been doing this for years in southern MI

Good to know it works in slightly colder places too. The keys are, as you note: a thick layer of mulch, and decent soil drainage for when the ground thaws.

Just don’t wait too long to use the overwintered carrots: when the begin new growth in their second year, the roots get woody pretty quickly.

Garden fresh carrots in early spring taste great!