# Root Cellars - Who Has one .. and how do you use it



## grakita (Dec 13, 2013)

Morning All. Spring is trying to arrive here in NE and with spring all thoughts turn to GARDENING. So I finally opened my root cellar back up (after 10 years)and want to get ideas on how to use it. It is an enclosed room off of and below my actual basement measures 9.5 x 6.5 feet rectangle (entry is from the actual basement so no need to go outside). Has shelves and vent pipe(large 4" PVC-how do I keep it from raining in?) to the outside. Total concrete block enclosure. Now I am sure I could store my canning in there however when I think of root cellar I think more of potatoes, apples, cabbage etc. Problem is I have NO IDEA of how to store such things, but I can learn. I would assume you don't just drop them on the shelves and leave them. We will be trying to put up food for 5 people 3 adults 2 kids


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Depending on the temperature and humidity, it CAN be as easy as just putting them on the shelves or in the bins. Potatoes really don't need much care at all.

Our preferred method for most root crops these days though, is bins of sand. The sand works as a temperature and moisture moderator, keeping things moist to avoid wilting but never damp enough to promote molding. We pack the veggies in one layer at a time, so that they are not touching each other, and each one is completely surrounded by some sand. Beets for instance have lasted over a year with this method. 

It does take some time (though really not as much as it sounds), and it really isn't necessary for a lot of things. For years we just dumped potatoes down a chute in a pile and it worked fine.


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## grakita (Dec 13, 2013)

Thank you. So for the sand are you talking about the play sand you put in a kids sand box or something else? And since you mentioned beets, which I never thought of for a root cellar, I always canned them, what things can go in a root cellar? I know potatoes, onions, apples, carrots, rutabaga, winter squash like acorn, but what other goodies can I keep there? This could be fun . I know some things people "store" in the ground for over winter, but since I really really really don't like cold I would prefer to keep them where I can access them without a snow shovel...


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## TheLazyL (Jun 5, 2012)

grakita said:


> ...large 4" PVC-how do I keep it from raining in?.


Mushroom Vent Cap: http://www.amazon.com/Jones-Stephen...&qid=1429125119&sr=8-4&keywords=roof+vent+cap

Umbrella Roof vent cap: http://www.amazon.com/Speedi-Produc...&qid=1429125119&sr=8-2&keywords=roof+vent+cap


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## grakita (Dec 13, 2013)

LazyL Thank You, I think I should have known this, but for some reason wasn't "seeing" it as a vent pipe.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

grakita said:


> Thank you. So for the sand are you talking about the play sand you put in a kids sand box or something else? And since you mentioned beets, which I never thought of for a root cellar, I always canned them, what things can go in a root cellar?  I know potatoes, onions, apples, carrots, rutabaga, winter squash like acorn, but what other goodies can I keep there? This could be fun . I know some things people "store" in the ground for over winter, but since I really really really don't like cold I would prefer to keep them where I can access them without a snow shovel...


You can buy "garden sand" pretty readily, we are lucky enough to have several places on our land where the glaciers left some nice fine stuff. We wash it out or replace it periodically but don't worry about it too much. It is better if you don't wash veggies before storing them this way, you can rinse off excess dirt but scrubbing will reduce their lifespan and create more work for you because you will wash them before use anyways.

Pretty much any root vegetable seems to keep well in the sand (it is pretty much what they are made to do, but with sand instead of dirt). Some of them will require higher levels of humidity to keep from wilting or softening, so if your cellar is dry, controlling humidity is key to long term storage. Carrots and parsnips are a couple examples that also store well. The sand bins must be able to "breathe" to avoid any type of mold or mildew, but water can be added to the sand judiciously for particularly wilt prone veggies.

Now, onions are a bit of a different situation, they will probably store fine, but they have different optimal conditions than most veggies (dry).

I know I have seen some charts online of the different storage conditions but it doesn't come to mind right now, maybe others will have it.


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## Caribou (Aug 18, 2012)

The rain caps that LazyL showed you are also available at your local hardware or heating/wood stove shop. You can also use a tee of the same plastic your vent is made from if you have one laying around.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Our root cellar had twin 5" pipes, we used something very similar to these:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/321501570940

The ones we used were from an International Harvester product - either a 1206 tractor or a 1460 Axial Flow combine - if you have any tractor or combine wrecking yards nearby (you should, it's Nebraska!) then you can get one for dirt cheap. Ask your local farm implement dealer if they have any lying around in the size you need.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321501570940


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## helicopter5472 (Feb 25, 2013)

I might be wrong but I would put a fine screen inside the cap to help keep out the bugs.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

helicopter5472 said:


> I might be wrong but I would put a fine screen inside the cap to help keep out the bugs.


The ones we used are plastic and had smaller holes.

bugs don't like to fly down into cool, dark places....
but spiders don't mind one bit.


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## kappydell (Nov 27, 2011)

Root cellars are my favorite storage for root crops, apples, and the like. Apples emit ethylene gas though, makes the taters sprout, so they work better stored right next to the outgoing vent. Keeping them in poly bags with holes helps too. Cabbages like it next to the vent too....it minimizes interactions with other stored stuff. Carrots & beets (and other root crops) do well in damp sand. If you want to keep canned goods down there, be sure to oil the metal lids with mineral oil to keep them from rusting.
You sound like you have a nice cellar....I'm envious. At my current house I am making do with buried trash cans for root cellared items.


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## grakita (Dec 13, 2013)

kappydell said:


> You sound like you have a nice cellar....I'm envious. At my current house I am making do with buried trash cans for root cellared items.


I have a full basement as well as the root cellar, which is off of the basement. I have shelves in the actual basement that I will use for canning as it is climate controlled. Not as warm as the actual house but not damp like the cellar either. I also have a complete canning kitchen in my basement. Now none of this was my doing it "came with the house" so to speak, but I think it is time I make use of it. If you don't mind my asking, what part of WI? My son and his wife live there, at least for a few more months in Ashland off the lake.


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## gam46 (Jan 24, 2011)

Grakita,

Can't claim genuine envy on several counts although I have long thought that it would be nice to have a good root cellar.

Actually i prefer living further south where root cellars are quite uncommon for some real reasons.


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## Blackdogwinery (May 1, 2015)

*Root cellar*



grakita said:


> Morning All. Spring is trying to arrive here in NE and with spring all thoughts turn to GARDENING. So I finally opened my root cellar back up (after 10 years)and want to get ideas on how to use it. It is an enclosed room off of and below my actual basement measures 9.5 x 6.5 feet rectangle (entry is from the actual basement so no need to go outside). Has shelves and vent pipe(large 4" PVC-how do I keep it from raining in?) to the outside. Total concrete block enclosure. Now I am sure I could store my canning in there however when I think of root cellar I think more of potatoes, apples, cabbage etc. Problem is I have NO IDEA of how to store such things, but I can learn. I would assume you don't just drop them on the shelves and leave them. We will be trying to put up food for 5 people 3 adults 2 kids


I have been working on a 10'x8' root cellar for almost a year now, and am just about done. It was a part of my trying to get set to live without electricity, if things get bad economically. I thought a place to keep food longer, without relying on the grid just made sense. I dug into a hill and built it with cement block, filling the cells with rebar and concrete, and poured the roof. It has one wall exposed, but is covered with dirt on three and the ceiling. I just got the doors and shelving set, and just started storing stuff in it. I haven't put a thermometer in it yet, but it stays way cooler than outside. I'm mostly storing the food I've canned, water bottles, and the wines I've bottled. I was concerned about moisture, so spent a good deal of effort waterproofing outside and sealing the interior. I was thinking about preventing mold, so am not sure I want trays of wet sand in it. I planted a pretty good sized potatoe patch this year, so I'll get to see how well they hold up in it. So far the carrots and beets all get canned. The dark cool space is perfect for the wine. I bottled right at 300 bottles of Concorde and muscadine last fall, so a quarter of the space is dedicated to wine. The beauty of the cellar is it doubles as a storm shelter too. I am trying to find a really strong bottle jack to store in it, as I don't want to get trapped by debris blocking the only exit. I'll store some other emergency tools as well, like extra lights and an axe. As I use and learn what works well in it I'll post any info. I would post some Picts. of it during the build and now, but don't see an option for that.


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