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| Looking into our root cellar |
We built a root cellar under our front porch. Typically, if you’re building new your porch floor is formed out of a concrete slab, you need to put a foundation wall under it anyway, so why not put this area to good use? Even if you can’t deal with (or don’t want to deal with) traditional root cellaring (storing vegetables and fruit), you could use the space as a wine cellar, gun cabinet, place to brew beer, a battery room for your PV/Wind system or simply more storage. I highly recommend including a root cellar as part of your emergency preparedness planning if you can, as it’s a great low-cost, no-energy way to store food and extend the shelf life of fresh produce.
Our root cellar measures about 8′x8′, which provides plenty of room for our stash of root veggies, plus gives a nice sized porch above. We have simply shelving along the east wall (opposite the door) composed of rough cut 2″x8″ boards and cement blocks. Produce that likes drier conditions (like onions, garlic and potatoes) is stored in trays on the shelves for better ventilation. This way, if an onion or potato starts to go bad, they can be spotted and removed immediately before they spoil the whole batch. My mom used to store hers in mesh sacks, but many times one bad roots would spoil a large number of those around it. I cover the potatoes with burlap or landscape fabric or whatever else is handy to block out the light (and prevent green potatoes) but allow ventilation. A few cabbage go on the top shelf, and apples go out in the garage. Pumpkins and squash go on the floor of the canning pantry because they like it a little warmer and drier.
I store vegetables that need more moisture in buckets, bins or boxes packed with lightly dampened leaves. For us this usually means beets and carrots (I overwinter parsnips out in the garden). I tried packing these vegetables in sawdust and in sand, but prefer the leaves. For me, sand stayed too moist and led to rotting, plus it made a terrible mess. Sawdust was also very messy, but better than sand. It really liked to cling in all the little root hairs. The leaves provide moisture to keep your roots from shriveling up, but are easy to brush off with much less mess. They can be recycled into the garden during the next planting season to enrich to the soil. (I like to mix mine with the dirt I use to back fill my potato planting holes. Leaves add acidity to the soil, which helps prevent scab on potatoes.) Do use fresh leaves each year to prevent potential pathogen buildup.
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| View to the left |
Locating the root cellar outside the footprint of the home permits the root cellar to maintain cooler temperatures more easily than a cellar located within the house, but even if you have a pre-existing home you may be able to section off a portion of your basement with good results. Using an exterior grade door (preferably insulated) on your root cellar also helps to maintain proper temperature (both in the root cellar and in the house). If you are building new, consider putting the root cellar door in the back of an unheated storage room so that the temperature difference is less. You can use this room to store veggies that require somewhat warmer and drier storage than a root cellar provides, as well as canned goods and whatever else you may need to stash.
Root cellars must have ventilation! This is one of most common mistakes that people make when designing/installing them. Proper ventilation moves the ethylene gas that causes spoilage away from the produce, increasing your storage time and the quality of the items in storage. It also slows down molds and mildews and other fuzzy things that thrive in dark, damp, still environments. You need the equivalent of a low and high 2” PVC pipe, preferably placed so as to bring in fresh air low on one side and to vent stale air out high on the opposite side. Don’t skip the vent pipes if you’re building new, or at least their penetrations, even if you’re not sure you want to use the space for a root cellar. You can always cap them off and they’re much more difficult to add later.
The root cellar should have no “standard” heating or cooling, other than a way to introduce outside air to cool the space. A “finished” floor is optional, and in fact a simple gravel floor is probably your best option for controlling humidity. Root cellar produce keeps best with high humidity and cool temperatures. A gravel floor introduces ground moisture and allows you to sprinkle the floor to add moisture when needed. A single incandescent light (switched on exterior) should provide adequate lighting (unless your room is really huge) and, if for some reason your storage gets too cold, you can always use it to introduce a little heat.
The best resource we have found on root cellars is the book Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits & Vegetables by Mike and Nancy Bubel. No matter what your location or how much space you have, the Bubels are likely to have a root cellar option that will work for you. It contains detailed explanations of how to store vegetables and fruits without electricity with specific temperature and humidity recommendations for each variety. There are also good photos and diagrams, which I really like.
Links
Yakhchal – Ancient natural refrigerators – who knew?
Keep Your Ice Cream Cold Without Electricity – Nifty article on a home built refrigerator substitute that uses no electricity or fuel.
Build a Basement Root Cellar by Steve Maxwell – Article from Mother Earth News
A Root Cellar for Your Homestead by Victoria Ries – Some basic information on the cellar, more information on the proper storage of the fruits and veggies themselves.
The University of Missouri Extension Office suggests the following guidelines for storing food in root cellars:
Root Cellar storage requirements
Apples
- Cold and moist
- Do not store with vegetables
- 32 to 40 degrees Farenheit
- 80 to 90 percent relative humidity
Beans, dry
- Cool and dry
- Home and commercially prepared foods also need a cool, dry storage place
- 32 to 50 degrees Farenheit
- 60 to 70 percent relative humidity
Beets
- Cold and very moist
- 32 to 40 degrees Farenheit
- 90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Brussels sprouts
- Cold and very moist
- 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
- 90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Cabbage
- Cold and very moist
- 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
- 90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Cabbage, Chinese
- Cold and very moist
- 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
- 90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Carrots
- Cold and very moist
- 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
- 90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Cauliflower
- Cold and very moist
- 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
- 90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Celeriac
- Cold and very moist
- 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
- 90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Celery
- Cold and very moist
- 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
- 90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Endive (Escarole)
- Cold and very moist
- 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
- 90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Garlic
- Cool and dry
- Home and commercially prepared foods also need a cool, dry storage place
- 32 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit ideal
- 60 to 70 percent relative humidity
Grapefruit
- Cold and moist
- Do not store with vegetables
- 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
- 80 to 90 percent relative humidity
Grapes
- Cold and moist
- Do not store with vegetables
- 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
- 80 to 90 percent relative humidity
Horseradish
- Cold and very moist
- 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
- 90 to 95 percent relative humidity
- May be left in the ground undisturbed until needed. Digging can be done unless the soil is frozen hard. A thick layer of mulch may extend your harvest season.
Jerusalem artichoke
- Cold and very moist
- 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
- 90 to 95 percent relative humidity
- May be left in the ground undisturbed until needed. Digging can be done unless the soil is frozen hard. A thick layer of mulch may extend your harvest season.
Kale
- Cold and very moist
- 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
- 90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Kohlrabi
- Cold and very moist
- 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
- 90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Leeks
- Cold and very moist
- 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
- 90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Onions
- Cool and dry
- Home and commercially prepared foods also need a cool, dry storage place
- 32 to 35 degrees Fahrenheit ideal
- 60 to 70 percent relative humidity
Oranges
- Cold and moist
- Do not store with vegetables
- 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
- 80 to 90 percent relative humidity
Parsnips
- Cold and very moist
- 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
- 90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Pears
- Cold and moist
- Do not store with vegetables
- 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
- 80 to 90 percent relative humidity
Peas
- Cool and dry
- Home and commercially prepared foods also need a cool, dry storage place
- Airtight container
- 32 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit
- 60 to 70 percent relative humidity
Peppers, hot dried
- Cool and dry
- Home and commercially prepared foods also need a cool, dry storage place
- 32 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit
- 60 to 70 percent relative humidity
Popcorn
- Cool and dry
- Home and commercially prepared foods also need a cool, dry storage place
- Airtight container
- 32 to 50 degrees Fahrenheit
- 60 to 70 percent relative humidity
Potatoes
- Cold and moist
- Do not store with fruits
- 38 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit ideal
- 80 to 90 percent relative humidity
Potatoes, sweet
- Warm and moist
- To keep sweet potatoes from spoiling in warm and moist storage, do not let temperatures drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit
- 80 to 90 percent relative humidity
Pumpkins
- Warm and dry
- 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit
- 60 to 75 percent relative humidity
Radish, winter
- Cold and very moist
- 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
- 90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Rutabaga
- Cold and very moist
- 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
- 90 to 95 percent relative humidity
Salsify, oyster plant
- Cold and very moist
- 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
- 90 to 95 percent relative humidity
- May be left in the ground undisturbed until needed. Digging can be done unless the soil is frozen hard. A thick layer of mulch may extend your harvest season.
Squash, winter
- Warm and dry
- 50 to 55 degrees Fahrenheit
- 60 to 75 percent relative humidity
Tomatoes
- Warm and moist
- To keep green tomatoes from spoiling in warm and moist storage, do not let temperatures drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit
- 80 to 90 percent relative humidity
Turnip
- Cold and very moist
- 32 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit
- 90 to 95 percent relative humidity
The length of time that fruits and vegetables keep well in root cellars depends on several factors:
- Early or late crops (late-maturing crops store better)
- Storage conditions (less-than-ideal conditions shorten storage life)
- Fruit and vegetable condition at storage time (proper curing of damage-free produce results in longer storage life).
Vegetables and fruits should not be stored together even though temperatures and moisture requirements are similar. As fruits such as apples and pears ripen, they give off ethylene gas which decreases the storage life of vegetables. This is especially evident with potatoes which sprout early if stored near certain fruits. Also, the odor of strong smelling vegetables, like turnips and cabbage, can be absorbed by fruits and other vegetables. Store them away from other food and where the odor cannot waft into the house.
Do not allow fruits and vegetables to freeze.
Homestead Barn Hop #30 at The Prairie Homestead,
Fight Back Friday at Food Renegade
29 Responses to “Root Cellars 101- Root Cellar Design and Use”
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What are in the red and white buckets?
The red and white buckets have leaves in them, packed around layers of carrots and beets. I have also tried packing carrots in sawdust and sand, but have found leaves to be the cleanest option (very simple to brush off the root) and they also hold enough moisture (but not too much) so the carrots stay hydrated but don't rot.
Because we don't go through a huge amount of potatoes, I lay those out in trays on the shelves along with the onions and garlic. I keep the potatoes as low as possible because they prefer cooler temps. Last fall all shelves and half the floor space was full (this photo is from an earlier season – 2007, I think).
Hi Laurie, I found you on Homeschool Lounge. I've started a garden blog, too, http://www.gardeningtipsandpics.com and am hoping to connect with other homeschooler's garden blogs.
Hi Carol. Thanks for stopping by. I haven't been on THL too much lately – just too far behind in everything! I hpe you had a successful gardening season.
Awesome post! I have been researching this very subject lately. I live in Florida though and have very few Root Cellar options.
Great post!
hmmmm…very different environment. I imagine heat and moisture are the biggest problems. If you figure something out, please let me know. Your growing season goes pretty much year round, no? So even if you were only able to keep foods a bit cooler using earth sheltering it would probably help. Thanks for stopping by.
Laurie, this is so good. I'm trying to be patient as it will probably be at least a year before we can afford to build the root cellar which will go into the side of the mountain behind our house. I'm wondering, can you section off a small area with a wall and put in extra ventilation so as to do fruits such as apples in the same root cellar? I'm also thinking that I could keep some of my dairy cultures in there – especially if the electricity were to go out. What do you think?
Amy – I'd say yes to fruit and veggies in the same cellar, just not in the same bins, especially if you ventilate properly. You've got the book, so you've got detailed recommendations for the type of cellar you're looking at building.
If you hit the temperature range you're looking for, keeping cultures in there should be no problem. Before electricity, a spring house was often the preferred option, but I'm sure folks made due with whatever they had available. The only way to know for sure will be to try it. Mine tends to stay a bit warmer than ideal, so I haven't tried it. Also, there will be an assortment of microbes associated with the food in storage, so they may influence the composition of your cultures.
I do keep cultured veggies (my sauerkraut) in small (1 gallon) crocks in my canning pantry. I bring up one crock at a time, put a quart of it in the fridge and the rest in the freezer (to keep it live but dormant). I've still got kraut packed in good condition from last fall. (Which reminds me, I need to bring up another crock this week.)
Thanks for clarifying about the fruits and veggies – that makes sense. I got my book back from my friend and thumbed through it and had seen a plan with a separate room but didn't get to read about it so I began to think it might be necessary to have two areas, but I'm glad to know that separate bins and good ventilation is all that is necessary. If I put the cultures out there, they will be sealed with lids – I'll do the actually "culturing" in the house, but would like to store them out there once they are done.
Thanks for all the help on the root cellar! Happy Mother's Day!!
Ideally separate rooms would be preferred, and since you're building new you may be able to put in a partition at minimal cost, but the ventilation is the biggest factor. If you've got a way to get that gas out you should be okay.
Happy Mother's Day to you, too, and thanks for stopping by!
Another useful post Laurie. We have been teetering on whether or not to stay in our (suburban) home and build a root cellar, add solar or wind backup, or move out to a more remote location that already has these things and a plentiful supply of water, but you make a cellar look so good and easy… Making decision tougher. lol.
Every decision has its good and bad side. My husband and I are debating moving, too. We love our home and our neighbors, but it's really tough being apart during the week (he works in a nearby city two hours away). There are no easy answers, especially in these economically uncertain times.
The root cellar was one of the best and easiest things we included in the house. I love it!
My dream is a root cellar. But alas we live in a very cold climate and the cellar would need to be very deep and then we will have water issues. There is no sloped land on our small lot, and the water table is high. Any ideas?
How cold is "very cold"? Are we talking permafrost? The ground temperature stays relatively constant, no matter what the air temperature. Here's an example: http://www.duanesworld.net/duanesworld.net.sensors.htm
An insulated area above ground will buy you extra time in storage, too, especially in cold climate areas. We keep apples in the garage until it gets well below freezing outside.
You should see if you can find the root cellar book at your local library (If you don't care to buy a copy). They include a lot of different options for storage with minimal energy inputs, above and beyond what we normally think of as "root cellar".
What a fantastic & informative post! I'll be bookmarking it for future use! We'd love to add a root cellar, but first we need to regulate our food production and grow enough to make it worth the while
(Our potatoes were gone before the month we harvested in was out.) But I would definitely love to store more food rather than canning and freezing so much. Thanks!
What a great root cellar…and your photos are awesome…a great list as well. Unfortunately, living on the west coast, root cellars are not common…wish I had one…but too much rain.
Have a great week.
Thanks! Our winters can be rough, but there are some advantages to living in the upper Midwest.
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What do you know about options for root cellars in the south? We don’t have basements because of the water table and my house sits on a slab on the ground, so there is no crawl space. What are my options? I’d love to learn more about this!
Angel – I don’t have any experience with southern conditions and I haven’t been able to find a good resource on the subject (if one exists). You want to use physics in your favor. Even with high heat and humidity, the ground stays somewhat cooler. Possibly not cool enough that you could have a full blown root cellar, but maybe enough to buy you some storage time. If you could build a storage area that was earth sheltered or very well insulated, even above ground, but with a floor that was gravel (not insulated), that storage area should stay cooler. Think old-fashioned spring house, where they had thick walls and a stream running through the floor. You also want to make sure to include ventilation that draws from bottom to top to carry away ethylene gas, which promotes spoilage. It might make sense to have your intake run below ground level (if you can, or have it run through a mound of dirt) to cool the air before it enters, and vent near the top to pull off the warmest air. I haven’t tried anything like this because of where I live, but that’s the direction I would take. Good luck!
Thanks so much, this helps my research!
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