Root cellar ideas and opinions wanted

[melco]

We are going to build a root cellar in the corner of our basement. We have reasearched how to build it. Will be doing it over this winter. What I need to start learning about is how to use it. So please let me know what to store, how to store and any other info you feel would be helpful. Thanks.

[Horseyrider]

We have a room sized root cellar under our house. It's accessable from either indoors or outdoors. What to put in it and how to manage temperature, humidity, etc for each item is really a topic the size of a book. So let me recommend a couple. One is Root Cellaring, an oldie but goodie by I think Nancy Bubel. Another more current one is The Joy of Keeping a Root Cellar by Jennifer Megyesi. The photography in the latter one makes it worth the purchase price.

You're really going to enjoy it.

[melco]

Thanks for the recommendations. I will take a look for them.

[Wisconsin Ann]

There are quite a few threads on HT in various places about root cellars. I'm sure you're going to get a LOT of information on them. Mostly, for me, it's about keeping things off the floor so they don't get wet if we get a flood of some sort, and remembering to rotate the items stored. (so they don't get uber old).

Remember to give it some ventilation...usually there is an air intake on the bottom level, and an air vent/out on the upper level somewhere.

[derm]

A great book on the topic in my library is Root Cellaring by Mike and Nancy Bubel.

[woodsy]

Originally Posted by melco

We are going to build a root cellar in the corner of our basement. We have reasearched how to build it. Will be doing it over this winter. What I need to start learning about is how to use it. So please let me know what to store, how to store and any other info you feel would be helpful. Thanks.

Storing Potatoes/Winter Squash/Cabbage here.

I wait as late as possible to dig and store the potatoes, usually end of OCT here when the cold room temp reaches the 50s. Got 44* right now.

I have to reduce the air intake some when subfreezing temps hit but other than that its just a matter of checking in on things couple times a week to make sure nothing is spoiling prematurely and temp is not too cold.
Rotate, look at and bring to the table anything getting soft or suspicious.
Seems to be plenty of moisture from the outside air here to keep the crops good.
We had good potatoes into April last spring.

Good luck !

[melco]

Thanks for the replies. Ordered Root Cellaring, love Amazon. I have also been searching here in regards to root cellars. This is my come to place for any info. Looking forward to learinging and planning, some more, this winter and implimenting next season.

[rowan57]

Most root vegetables will store best at 32ºF and high humidity, so the nearer you can get to that the better. Same goes for apples.

Airflow is important though, otherwise the humidity causes problems.

[Horseyrider]

In my experience though, you have to keep taters a whole lot warmer than 32 because the starches turn to sugars and the taters then taste, well, overly sweet. I like to put those up higher so they're at about 55-60 degrees. Those we put in the area by the furnace, where it's a lot warmer than the root cellar. Also, apples need to go someplace where they're going to be away from other stuff. They give off ethylene gas, which hastens ripening (and rotting) of just about everything. Those I put low, in baskets on flat rocks. I keep a watering can down there so I can fill it up and water the brick floor. That keeps the humidity higher and more even.

There are windows with hinged shutters on the east and west side, so I can adjust the temperature if I need to. Cold will fall right in. There are heat ducts that go through there too; they were added after the house was built; but they're heavily insulated now.

Sounds crazy but I love that root cellar. It was one of the big reasons we chose this house.