Most vegetables do not want to be in the fridge. That is the single most useful thing we tell people at the till, and it surprises a lot of customers who have been refrigerating their tomatoes for years. Different vegetables want different conditions, and once you know the basics, you waste a lot less.

Tomatoes: room temperature, always

Tomatoes lose flavour and texture in the cold. The cell walls break down faster below about 12 degrees, which is why supermarket tomatoes often taste of nothing: they have been chilled in transit and storage. Keep them at room temperature, stem side down to slow moisture loss, away from direct sunlight. Eat within four to five days of buying. If they are getting too ripe, roast them slowly rather than refrigerating them.

Courgettes: cool but not cold

Courgettes are happiest somewhere between 10 and 15 degrees. A cool larder or the bottom of the fridge (not the coldest drawer) works well. They will keep for five to seven days. If you cut one and only use half, wrap the cut end in a damp cloth rather than cling film, which traps moisture and speeds up deterioration.

Salad leaves: cold and damp

Unlike tomatoes, salad leaves do want to be cold. Wrap them loosely in a slightly damp piece of kitchen paper and put them in the least cold part of the fridge. They will keep for two to three days after cutting. If they start to wilt, a ten-minute soak in cold water will often revive them. Do not dress them until you are ready to eat.

New potatoes: dark and dry

New potatoes should not be washed until you are ready to cook them. Keep them in a paper bag or a cloth bag in a dark cupboard. Plastic bags cause sweating and speed up rot. They will keep for up to a week this way. Do not refrigerate them: the starch converts to sugar in the cold, which changes the flavour and makes them go soft.

Fresh herbs: treat them like flowers

Cut herbs last longest when you treat them like a bunch of flowers. Trim the stems, stand them in a glass with a little water, and keep them on the counter away from direct sun. Basil in particular hates the cold and will blacken in the fridge within a day. Parsley and dill can go in the fridge in a glass of water, loosely covered with a bag, and will keep for up to a week.

None of this is complicated, but it does require a small shift in habit. Once you stop putting everything in the fridge by default, you will notice the difference in flavour pretty quickly.