Root cellar

[gypsyman]

Still in the planning stage, after 2 years of thinking about building one. Just wondering if anyone here still uses a root cellar for vegetable storage? My aunt out in Idaho has one, and have thought about putting one myself. Gonna require a bunch of work on my part, as it's pretty flat around here, and would need a bunch of digging I think. Trying to talk myself into building one I guess. Too  late this year, but a good project for next spring/summer. gypsyman

[blind ear]

I remember several articles on root cellars in the early days of "Mother Earth News" magazine.

 Everyone has used freezers and canning as long as I can remember. We did dry onions in the shade and then store them in a back room in a dark closet, Had to watch close for rot with goods touching. Same with taters, a few cabbage at times also.

ear

[Cornbelt]

You might keep an eye out for 2nd hand concrete or tile casings from dug up culverts or whatever. They're usually free to anyone willing to haul them off, and wouldn't take too much work to bury flush with the ground. That would let you test system without a whole lot of trouble.

[Rex in OTZ]

Saw a book on rootcellar design in a home steading mag, I'll see later if I can find it.

My relatives had cellars, my folks had storm cellar that was not great, damp & musty, was made of the old tile style blocks (1920's era??)
I suspect this was more storm shelter than for adiquate food storage.
(Cool and Dry)Temprature should be stable, adiquately ventilated, good drainage is evaprative storage
My grandmother had a cellar dug in side of a hill it had a three roll's to play, Cooling short term food storage/ long term storage and tornado shelter(twister belt) on entering the entry door it had a gradual decending arched portico to a main circular chamber, entry was poured concrete with arched ceiling, she had set produce on wood boards off the floor (not direct contact of floor) the entry was wide enough to pass with bushel baskets set  all long one side, length was about round 20 feet, then another wood door "tight fitting" into a circular room with domed ceiling ceiling was little over 6 foot tall as my head brushed the top when standing stooped a mite, reminicent of a bomb shelter, had a 6" roof vent pipe and grated floor drain (keep out mice & snakes)had good drain in floor, was sloped for drainage, as I remember ther was a raised bench like ring 8" high and 20 inches deep, round the room with wood shelving for ball jars of canned stuff.
the concrete floor was wetted in the summer (evaprative cooling) on the poritico steps to keep cases of eggs chilled for the egg & cream truck.

[longwinters]

Don't see many around these days what with freezing and canning (as was previously mentioned).  But the root cellars I've seen in these parts are above ground.  They have dirt floors.  They also have 2 doors; You go in the 1st door and there is enough space to stand there and open the 2nd door.  There is typically an air exchange stack with a screen on the outside end and also a light. I guess also some veggies don't mix well with others.

Long

[Rex in OTZ]

Eggs and cream were big business in the 1930's and 1940's seen quite a few chicken houses on a single farm that support that fact, during WWII farm eggs were important for the war effort, I'd wager that it was important that the eggs were to be kept in ideal conditions in a era prior to REA to make it to there eventual destination, that would have involved the Cooperative Extension service, bet some place in the history of the government (state and Fed) they came up with a 1930's era basic premise of what a good root cellar should be.
never hurts to ask, archived somewhere is those plans.

[Cornbelt]

You might try making a soddy; even straw bales would work.

[bilmac]

I'm gonna make one next summer. I was going to dig it into the side of a hill, but have since decided to build a cabin dug into a hill, so I will make a cellar as part of the cabin. I bought a book called "Root Cellering" by Mike and Nancy Bubel. Tells you most everything you need to know.

Actually, depending on what you are wanting to store there are two different ideal conditions. Root crops like real cool and damp, 32-40deg  90-95%RH. Things like squash, apples onions like it warmer and drier. Sounds like what Rex is describing. The first room is warmer and drier and the second is cooler and damper for the root crops. One thing the book stresses is to have good ventilation. Adjustable high and low airways, screened against varmints. A moist cellar should have a sloped roof so condensation runs to the walls and down. Storage racks are kept away from the walls.   

[keith44]

Root cellar construction and ideas are also covered in "5 acres and independence" by M.G. Kains.  I'm planning on putting one in too, just need to figure out where, and what type.