Have you had experience with having a root cellar?

[Tussiemussies]

I've wanted to have a root cellar for some time now but things I've read on it seemed very detailed. Just wondering if anyone here, including Mrs. Hermit, has had one and can explain it. The thing that concerns me is attracting mice...:doh:

[herbgeek]

I don't have one, but I've been in a few. Mice can be a problem unless you can secure the area and make sure the ventilation is covered with screening. The most modern one I saw had a wide pipe open to the north side on the outside that came in and went to the floor to bring the cold air in, and also had a return for the air flow. The root vegetables were in laundry baskets, that were on pallets above floor level to allow air circulation, and in the basket the layers of veggies were separated by leaves. Once in a while, the owner would come in and moisten the leaves to keep the humidity level up. The big thing is to know which things like it dry, and which things like it moist and to keep those 2 separated. Storey Publishing has some good books on root cellaring if you want more info.

[Gardenarian]

Oh - I thought you were going to ask about root canals! Those I have way too much experience with.

Root cellar sounds much better! Could you line it with hardware cloth to keep out the mice?

[Mrs. Hermit]

Lining it with hardware cloth is supposed to keep out the mice. We didn't have any trouble with mice, but our farm's root cellar was completely below ground except for one vent which was covered with metal screen, with the access door inside our basement. We had wooden shelves on 3 sides that we placed the produce in in bushel baskets. Since the floor was dirt, that kept it humid enough for everything (apples, potatoes). We also kept things in an old coal cellar that stayed cool. The things we kept in there didn't require humidity: onions, rutebegas (we learned the hard way not to store these with apples: their smell will actually flavor the apples. We had begs-flavored apples one winter!), pumpkins, squash. We kept cabbage wrapped in newspaper in the dry area, because if we stored the cabbage in the humid area with the apples, the cabbage would flavor the apples! Sweet potatoes just need cool, not moist. We kept these in the basement, on a pallet to keep them off the cement floor. Most things rot quickly if they are in contact with a cement floor.

Here, where it is much warmer, I keep potatoes in a covered metal bin in the uninsulated garage over the winter. I keep apples in a bin, and sweet potatoes in boxes (on bricks to keep them off the cement floor). Celery has kept pretty well in the potato bin for a couple of months. Cabbage keeps well in boxes. I can keep things for about 3-4 months, with sweet potatoes keeping for 6 months.

[Tussiemussies]

Thanks Mrs. Hermit for giving me all this great information, you really have it down to a great system, how did you learn how to do it? Someday I hope to be able to try this out, especially since we grow organic and the issues we are facing with Monsanto. I really want to have my own food supply. :)

[Mrs. Hermit]

I got a lot of information from Carla Emory's book [I]The Encyclopedia of Country Living[I] and the Storey Publishers books. Then we did trial and error. Once you get the basic idea down of temperature and humidity for each veggie, the system kind of works itself out. The first year we had a lot of fails, some of which we could redeem by canning the produce if it was only soft, not rotten. We learned something new every year (like don't store the begas with the apples--and that we don't like rutabega flavored apples). I learned to check everything weekly, to keep spoilage from taking off. What was getting soft in the cellar was often what was for dinner!

We learned from local growers which apple varieties stored best, and learned which ones to use up first. We canned any apples getting soft into applesauce or apple pie filling. We learned carrots stored in plastic buckets (with newspapers for a lid) with sand rotted--the buckets didn't let enough moisture evaporate. So the next year we stored the carrots in the buckets without the sand, but with the newspaper lids, and they did great. The trick about the cement floor we learned the hard way (we lost most of our squash and pumpkins that year). And scrubbing STINKY rotten squash off an unsealed cement floor is no fun, I can tell you!

When we moved to this house (suburban area) I noticed that the garage stayed about the same temperature all winter, and that it was cool enough for keeping things at least for a short while. So, I started again. It is nice to know that I can buy potatoes when they are cheap at the market, and they will last for much of the expensive time in the middle of winter. Same for cabbage and sweet potatoes. I can't find keeping apples locally for sale, so I don't keep many of them--just bags from good sales at the store. Letting our indoor cat prowl the garage a couple days/nights a week has kept the mice at bay so far. (And the cat thinks she is a mighty hunter on a grand adventure when we let her out there! LOL).

[Tussiemussies]

Hi again Mrs. Hermit, hey I have one of those books you mentioned, which I will have to take some time to read that section. You sure have gone through trial and error. Great that you did a little research with your local supermarket. Do you also grow a garden and keep from there?

[Float On]

My dad built a root cellar completely below ground. You lift the door and walk down 12 steps. I think the room was 10x10. I haven't been down in there in years but sure spent a lot of time in there getting a jar of peaches or green beans, it was also our storm shelter for tornado weather, and our water treatment system was under the stairs (pull water from the big pond for house and yard use - for everything except drinking). They have a lot of clay and the walls and floor dad poured the concrete. I don't remember every having mice in there but we did get down to the bottom one year in a bad storm and looked up and saw a huge black snake was at the back of one of the steps. Dad built it '71 and it's still structurally sound.

My grandmother's that was above ground with soil added on top always had problems with mice and snakes and critters trying to get in.

[Tussiemussies]

Thanks Float On for sharing about your family's root cellars. It's interesting how your dad's underground one you had no problem with mice, did he ventilate it at all? What type of doors did he have to get inside? Thanks!

Christine

P.S. Does your Dad still use it?

[Tussiemussies]

Oh - I thought you were going to ask about root canals! Those I have way too much experience with.

Root cellar sounds much better! Could you line it with hardware cloth to keep out the mice?

Hi gardenarian-- someone else mentioned about using hardware cloth. I think where the mice would come in is where you need to vent it -- so I'm not sure...

Sorry about all of your root canal experience!:(

[bae]

We used to hide from tornados in ours when I was a kid.

[Float On]

Thanks Float On for sharing about your family's root cellars. It's interesting how your dad's underground one you had no problem with mice, did he ventilate it at all? What type of doors did he have to get inside? Thanks!

Christine

P.S. Does your Dad still use it?

It does still get used. He still has the water system set up in there and they only water the gardens with it (without all the household filters so their garden gets that good pond 'fishy poo' water). Its kind of two doors, you lift the top door (well insulated and heavy) and push in the toe door (only about 15" tall). I know we never had any problem with standing water in it so he built it really well. I'll have to ask him about ventilation - there is probably a elbow covered pipe but I'm not remembering one.

Sad story: when he was digging it out to build it we had a big rain while we were in town buying supplies and his prized hunting beagle "Speedy" fell in and drowned. I was only 4 years old, it's the only time I remember seeing my dad cry. So anyone who attempts to build one, put a fence or other safety device to keep pets and children away while its in progress.

[Tussiemussies]

Float On so sorry that your dog drowned. Sounds like you Dad was really buddies with him. It must have been devasting to come back to a scene like that.

That is great though that he still uses it. Does the fishy water make a difference in the garden, do you think?

[Mrs. Hermit]

When we were on the farm, we grew everything we put down cellar or canned except for fruit. We had access to CHEAP organic fruit that were considered "seconds" by the growers. We could get a pickup load of organic apples for $22, and could get peaches, blueberries and strawberries for cheap. Black raspberries were free in the woods. Now, I don't garden much. My lungs object to this new climate, so I have to limit my outdoor time during the growing season.

[Tussiemussies]

That was fantastic Mrs. H. That you had access to all that affordable organic fruit and then your garden.

Sorry to hear that you are unable to garden anymore. :(

[Float On]

Does the fishy water make a difference in the garden, do you think?

Yes it does - their garden is beautiful. I have to water with our shared well treated water and I've noticed the difference.