A Root Cellar for your Homestead: Part 1
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- SandieKay
- vix1
- Renie_Burghardt
- vix1
- TandAinCO
- vix1
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» SandieKay - ROOT CELLARS
We are missionaries in Romania, we have 3 group homes for handicapped orphans. We also have massive gardens in which we grow much of our own food, we then can and store. We are having problems with too much humidity in the cellars. Since we are not farmers and never had a root cellar when we lived in America, we are wondering if someone could give us some advice on how to dry out our cellars? Running a fan would not be practical. We do have an outlet above ground for air, but just doesn't seem to do the job. sandiekay-- posted by SandieKay
» vix1 - Re: ROOT CELLARS
In response to message posted by SandieKay:Hi Sandie!
I will try to answer your question, as best as I can.
Firstly, you say you have an outlet above ground for air--is this the exhaust, or the intake pipe?
There has to be both pipes present, in order for the exchange of air to take place. How large is the exhaust? I'm assuming you have a six inch pipe installed. You'll need to install an intake pipe, also. If intake is not present, growth of mold and bacteria will take place rapidly.
When you advise it would not be practical to run a fan in the cellar, does that mean you have no electricity to the cellar? Have you tried a small fan, run from a solar panel, or directly from a battery? This would help you a great deal, I believe.
Would it be possible, for you to send me more information on your root cellar problem--also the temperature and humidity of the outside air, at your location? A description of your root cellar would be great!
Thank you for posting, and I hope I can further help you.
-- posted by vix1
» Renie_Burghardt - Root Cellar for the Homestead, Part I
Hi Victoria, what an informative article. I had an underground root cellar at my other farm, and I loved it. However, here I don't have one, unfortunately. That above the ground root cellar sounds great! One year, when I had a bumper crop of potatoes, I piled them in a large, new, plastic garbage can, (or whatever they are made out of these days) which we buried (my son helped there) and putting the top on, I piled hay on top of that, and the potatoes stayed good until spring. I have a basement now, which stays cool, and is good for apples and pears, but it does not have a dirt floor, so it wouldn't work for vegetables. I think I'd like to try that above the ground root cellar. Will look into that.Thank you for an informative article. Looking forward to part 2. Take care now!
Renie
-- posted by Renie_Burghardt
» vix1 - Re: Root Cellar for the Homestead, Part I
In response to message posted by Renie_Burghardt:Hi Renie!
How nice of you to drop by! It's always nice to see you here.
What a good idea for a make-shift root cellar! A garbage can--wonderful--ingenious, Renie! I'll try that method this winter!
You must miss that root cellar, at your other farm--they do come in handy, don't they! I'm sure the above-ground cellar would work just as well, as long as it is well covered and has an insulated door. Good luck with that project!
Thank you very much for visiting, Renie.
Warmest regards,
-- posted by vix1
» TandAinCO - where to put new root cellar
We have a root cellar (which we love) which badly needs completely re-doing. Since it takes up a large portion of our side yard being half above and half below graound, I was thinking of moving it under a portion of our house. The house has a crawl space where I can start digging. Could I dig a root cellar under the side (unheated) mudroom of the house and still have it remain cool enough to act as fruit ,veg and canning storage. My husband says cellars have never been under housing and it must be for a reason. But I see where one suggestion is under a shed. I was thinking of putting in stairway access at a slant from the "mechanic room" or washroom (also unheated but has the clothes dryer)which is lower (slab on grade) than the mudroom, but maybe he is right about temperature problems. So will a root cellar function if located under a raised structure?-- posted by TandAinCO
» vix1 - Re: where to put new root cellar
In response to message posted by TandAinCO:Hi!
Sorry about the delay in replying to your message--I'm usually not this lax!
You and your husband will find that your root cellar will work just as well as it has always done, if located under another unheated room--it shouldn't make a difference at all. Yes, a root cellar will work under a raised structure, and you shouldn't come across any temperature problems whatsoever.
Thank you for visiting--I appreciate your doing so, and hope you will continue to visit on a regular basis in the future.
Good luck with your new construction!
Kind regards,
-- posted by vix1
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