Root Cellar Old School

[skunknchatter]

Does anyone have a dugout root cellar? I really want one. I have a dugout basement under my 50's home so I know that I can prob did a cellar on my property without running into water problems. Just wondering if anyone has done this. I need a place to store garden goods and I've always wanted an old school root cellar. Is this a worth while project or just not worth the time??

 

[RichnSteph]

Since you already have a basement can you not use it for veggie storage? I'd love to have a root cellar here but it's just not going to happen unless we dig the hole and line it with concrete blocks. Our soil is all sand.

RichnSteph

 

[skunknchatter]

I wish I could use it. The problem with the existing basement is the furnace and ductwork for the whole house is down there. This causes it to be one of the warmest places in the house... grrrrr...

 

[RichnSteph]

Ouch. Yeah it'd probably be more time and trouble than it's worth to gut all the furnace piping and and install a newer central heat and AC system just to use that as a root cellar. I don't know Utah very well but am guessing that you could dig a root cellar and either line it with block or pour concrete walls and then use the fill you dug out to cover it over. Maybe run the block/concrete up 8-10 feet and have multiple storage areas then put the fill in around the above ground structure to help insulate it. Down south where we are a root cellar just isn't an option as far as I can tell. I'd sure love to have one though.

 

[alldembirds]

i dont know a lot about root cellars but to keep from having problems with water in underground shelters you dig the whole much wider than the structure, you should have about three foot of work room around your structure to put up a vapor barrier and backfill with sand and crushed gravel, than all the water will go right around your building not into it, also you have to dig about 10 foot down for temperature stability.

i'm sure more will come to me

 

[OkanaganPeppers]

Not sure if mine will be considered old school, but it's reall simple.
To start.... I have it outside under the porch area so no rain or snow run off fills it but still keeps enough moisture in the ground area to give some humidity. It will hold 100 lbs of potaoes.

I might add my first one was a barried wooden box that started to rot after I think the 2nd or 3rd year so I replaced it with a plastic toute with holes drilled in bottom and the lid for venting. It's been great no problems with my spuds being in there for the winter (5 months) the coldest being -4 F for a few days. My toute size is 18" wide x 31" long x 16" high

I used I think 2.5" or 3" black PVC pipe to raise the toute off the ground



my toute with drilled bottom



my toute with a few spuds =)
I finished it off by adding sand around the edges and putting a wooden frame at the top so dirt doesn't fall in.
The top of the toute sits about 5 - 6" under the ground (as by the brick shown in this pic.



and lid with drilled holes. I also place a 2" peice of styro foam insultation on top of the plastic lid and then a plywood/wood lid/cover
sorry no photos of this part of it at the moment.



Hope this will help to give some ideas and inspiration

 

[alldembirds]

i like it