Temperature of the root cellar plays an essential role in the longevity and quality of food stored there. An ideal storage temperature should be below freezing; however, this may not always be practical depending on where you live. If an underground root cellar is unavailable to you, an alternative could include creating an underground cold room in your house with straw bales, wood shavings or insulating materials to mimic its effects; keeping vegetables cool, dry and well ventilated are keys to successfully storing food as this prevents ethylene gas released by some produce from becoming stagnant enough to spoil other food types – helping maintain food freshness while also minimizing potential issues such as stagnating and spoilage caused by certain produce emitting its emissions into other products that otherwise spoiled other food types.
Root cellar temperatures should remain relatively consistent between seasons. To accomplish this goal, “borrowing” cold from the earth by opening night air vents during fall and spring or using an ice-cooling system may help. In certain instances an artificial source of cold such as a refrigerator or freezer may also be necessary.
Some foods require higher humidity than others and you must experiment to determine the ideal conditions for your root cellar. For instance, onions and potatoes need to be stored for several weeks after harvesting to allow their skins to become papery and their roots to shrink – this process requires high moisture conditions that would not work with carrots, popcorn and dry beans which should instead remain at lower humidity.
Most vegetables produce food through photosynthesis during the day and recycle that energy at night and during storage. Cool temperatures slow this process while high humidity speeds it up further – for optimal results a root cellar should maintain temperatures between 32-40 degrees Fahrenheit with 90 percent or greater humidity levels.
Root cellars are best utilized in areas with cold winter climate, although they can also be effective if your soil is deep enough and sufficiently insulated. In these situations, an above-ground root cellar would be most suitable rather than digging down into the earth to access your root storage needs.
Temperature requirements for root cellars will depend upon your climate and region; to get an accurate picture, it is wise to consult a hydrology map which can show soil temperatures 4 feet down in your region.
Your root cellar can be created easily in any part of your home – by creating a partition in the garage, using a decommissioned fridge as insulation or even using an empty one to form an insulated box. To maintain optimal conditions for growing vegetables quickly and safely. Temperature and humidity must remain close to ideal in order to achieve success – fluctuations outside this range could cause vegetables to mold and rot faster. Luckily, many of us already have an ideal spot in our homes, sheds or garages that would serve well for an above ground root cellar; just ensure that any exterior doors don’t block access so as not to interfere with creating ideal conditions!