Pimp my root cellar!

[happydog]

Finally (!) I got my new root cellar built. It's 8'x14' and 8'tall.

Now what? I have no idea how to configure the shelving. How tall? How deep? I'll be storing potatoes, winter squash, onions, and LOTS of mason jars. Hopefully apples in the future. Maybe some large buckets of grains.

Do I need space for hooks for hanging things or should everything go on shelves? Confession here, I've never even seen a root cellar in real life. And I've found very little info or pictures online. I'm totally in the dark here.

Any advice about arranging/organizing root cellars? Any tips to make it more useable?

Many thanks!

[Limon]

Congratulations!

Don't store the apples near the potatoes. They give of ethylene gas that will cause the spuds to sprout. Try putting the apples up high and the potatoes down low if you need to store both there. The onions will probably store better in a place with lower humidity than your root cellar. If you do keep them there, give them some good air circulation and keep an eye on them, and use as needed.

Some folks really like wire shelving or other shelves that allow air circulation around vegetables, if that's a possibility. For the shelves holding the canned goods, measure the depth and height of a box of jars, and add a little bit for maneuvering room. If you want to double stack, add enough room for that second row. The main thing is to make sure the shelves holding the can goods are strong - a shelf full weighs a lot.

[Missy M]

This is a book I bought for info. It explains a lot. Root Cellaring - Mike and Nancy Bubel

[PNP Katahdins]

Originally Posted by happydog

Pimp my root cellar!

If you phrased it a little cleaner, you might get more help. Just sayin'....

Peg

[stamphappy]

Wooden slat boxes with space between the slats can be set on the ground. Nice air flow and produce is not touching the cement/dirt floor. Apple baskets---bushel baskets maybe they're called?

Ask at the veggie area of the grocery store for the fancy thingys that the asisan pears come in---they are like little individual nets. You can use them to separate items. Think little air bubbles around items. Many things can also be kept in buckets of straw or in dirt. You'll need to research that because i don't remember off the top of my head which items go in which medium.

Gramma's rootcellar had wooden shelves but they must have been reinforced by Grandpa becaUse they held tons of mason jars = heavy!!

I'm very envious and have fun filling it!!

[Charly]

Ok, how about some pictures and telling us how you did it. I would love to have a root cellar.

[timfromohio]

However you arrange it, please post pics!

[Kazahleenah]

Originally Posted by PNP Katahdins

If you phrased it a little cleaner, you might get more help. Just sayin'....

Peg

LOL! That's borrowed from a TV show (well, a few of them)
Pimp my ride..... Pimp my truck etc.


I do think that pics of the root cellar would help with advice though.

[Freeholder]

Actually, a root cellar isn't a good place to store canning jars. Most of what you store in a root cellar requires high humidity, which will make the jar lids rust.

My dad and grandparents used to grow thirty acres of potatoes to sell, and stored it all in the basement of my grandparents house (the whole basement was a root cellar). They had big bins lining all the walls. But potatoes were almost all that they were storing.The bins were probably thirty inches to three feet deep and wide. (I'm not sure on the exact measurements as I was pretty young and that was a LONG time ago, LOL!)

You could have bins at floor level (but with some air space between the floor of the cellar and the bottom of the bins), with shelves above them. Leave room for some barrels, too.

Kathleen

[7thswan]

Is it a real underground cellar, what are the walls and floor made of?

[PrincessFerf]

Originally Posted by PNP Katahdins

If you phrased it a little cleaner, you might get more help. Just sayin'....

Peg

I thought the post title was hilarious! I knew exactly what you were asking for.

Would love to see pictures, too!

[pheasantplucker]

Originally Posted by PrincessFerf

I thought the post title was hilarious! I knew exactly what you were asking for.

Would love to see pictures, too!

ditto...I'd suggest some tables with low (off the ground ) storage...and shelves above. Also maybe run some eye hooks and stretch some wire between so you can hang stuff from the wires...Wanna see pics.

[happydog]

It's not totally underground. It's attached to our earth bermed house. It's made of ICF walls (8 inches of poured concrete sandwiched between thick slabs of styrofoam) with a poured concrete over steel roof. When it's finished it'll be buried on two sides and the top with earth. The front wall unfortunately faces south (house is passive solar) and it'll have a steel door. It'll have a roof over the front entrance to keep the sun off the front wall.

It's probably overkill and not exactly the best root cellar (I wanted a dirt floor instead of concrete) but I'm doing good to get it slid in with the new house construction, lol.

Here are some pics:

This is the top before they poured the concrete on the roof


The roof's been poured and the waterproofing is attached.


Then they stuck more styrofoam on to protect the waterproofing from rocks when it gets backfilled.


And here's the inside. I'm not sure what to use on the inside. The top will be sprayed with foam insulation. I'm thinking maybe melamine sheets glued to the walls would be cheap, easy, and washable.




I'm really blessed that I was able to work this in with the house construction. I've been wanting this for years and can't believe it'll be ready in time for the potato harvest this year. woo hoo!

[7thswan]

That is Really Great, what a load of work you've put in. My Space for storage has a cement floor, The potatoes and squash types like it near the floor,just not directly on it. I've found that my canning jars(filled) do just fine on shelves at least a foot off the ground. Lower than that the tops of the jars get icky,on the outside.I usually braid my onions and Garlic, and hang on the side of shelves on a screw. But some I keep in a bushel basket-as long as they are nice and dry. Put your potatoes in produce boxes, they have to be kept dark, make sure they are also dry and free from digging damage before packing. Carrots,beets turnips can be kept in sand. I suppose they might also be kept in straw,but they like it moist. That's what you are going to have to figure out with time, the mini atmospheres in your space as different things need more moisture than others. Lucky You, it's a wonderful cellar.