How to Build a Root Cellar Kit

If you want to ensure vegetables stay fresh for as long as possible, a root cellar is an economical way to do just that. Use it to store harvest from your garden as well as grocery store foods; additionally use it for homemade pickles, stews and soups with long shelf lives that need long term storage.

Root cellar kits can help you build one, or you can do it yourself. What matters most is making sure that it offers optimal temperatures and humidity levels to store food properly.

Diggers of all levels will find this project time-consuming and tedious. A proper vegetable cellar requires digging a hole for storage purposes – providing natural temperature regulation by the earth’s cool temperature to preserve your crops naturally and sustainably. However, this project does require lots of elbow grease!

Alternatives to digging a hole include using a basement, old cooler or cold storage room as storage locations. These solutions work best in warmer climates where soil temperatures remain more consistent.

Your root cellar must be adequately insulated and sealed depending on its size, to prevent warm air from escaping and cold air from coming in, which could potentially harm vegetables stored there.

Build an affordable root cellar using cinder blocks or concrete blocks; recycling used tires makes an effective option; or wood designed specifically for underground use is also great option; both materials will help control temperatures in your cellar while being durable enough for daily use.

If your root cellar will be located underground, footers will help ensure its walls stay level over time. In addition, a french drain should be added for drainage in case of heavy rainfall.

Masonry root cellars offer a more permanent solution. Masonry walls provide extra durability and insulation properties that help maintain an ambient ground temperature for increased freshness inside your root cellar.

Building a masonry root cellar requires using a combination of cement and sand to lay down an even foundation, as water and soil can penetrate masonry walls over time and seep in. Drainage should also be considered when planning drainage systems within your cellar.

Before installing walls, it’s essential to prepare the site by clearing away any weeds or debris, adding insulation and adding vents so airflow is smooth. Once this process has been completed, framing the walls with insulation can protect from the warm air in the rest of your basement, before installing doorways with insulation to block it off further from entering. In order to properly ventilate your cellar you’ll also need vents allowing cold air into and warm air out – make sure they close when temperatures become too cold or your crops may become damaged from freezing conditions!


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