Wilted lettuce and mushy carrots are usually a storage problem, not a freshness problem. Store each vegetable the right way and most will easily last two weeks.
The Two Rules of Vegetable Storage
Rule 1: Cold and humid for most vegetables. The fridge crisper drawer is designed for this — high humidity keeps leafy greens and vegetables from drying out. Use the high-humidity setting for vegetables.
Rule 2: Separate the ethylene producers. Some fruits and vegetables release ethylene gas, which speeds up ripening (and rotting) in neighbors. Keep onions, bananas, and tomatoes away from potatoes, leafy greens, and carrots.
Vegetable-by-Vegetable Guide
Leafy greens (lettuce, spinach): Wash, dry thoroughly (a salad spinner is worth it), wrap loosely in a dry paper towel, and store in a container or bag in the crisper. The towel absorbs excess moisture — the main cause of slimy greens. Lasts 10–14 days.
Carrots and celery: Trim the green tops (they draw moisture out), place in a container of water in the fridge, and change the water every few days. They’ll stay crisp for 2–3 weeks. Alternatively, wrap in a damp towel inside a bag.
Herbs (parsley, coriander): Treat like flowers — trim the stems and stand them in a jar with an inch of water, loosely covered with a bag, in the fridge. Lasts 2+ weeks.
Potatoes and onions: Store in a cool, dark, ventilated place — NOT the fridge (cold turns potato starch to sugar) and NOT together (onions make potatoes sprout faster).
Tomatoes: Keep at room temperature until ripe, then refrigerate. Never refrigerate unripe tomatoes — cold kills their flavor permanently.
Mushrooms: Store in a paper bag in the fridge, never plastic. Plastic traps moisture and makes them slimy within days.
The Paper Towel Trick
For almost any vegetable, a dry paper towel in the storage container absorbs the condensation that causes rot. Change the towel if it gets damp. This one trick alone doubles the life of most produce.
The Bottom Line
Vegetables rot from moisture, ethylene gas, and wrong temperatures — not from age alone. Dry them, separate the gas producers, use the crisper properly, and two weeks of freshness is completely realistic.