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Garden Gate:  Anyone have a root cellar?  |
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lovelady
True Blue Farmgirl
533 Posts
Toni
Indiana
USA
533 Posts |
 Posted - Apr 16 2009 : 11:30:09 AM
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If so, what is it like? Does it work well for you, or what would you change about it? What do you keep in it? What do you put the food in? How do you keep out rodents/bugs?
I would really like to make a root cellar and was just wondering how anyone else likes them. I think our basement would work well for some things, I just really need to read more about it. But all cellars are kinda creepy to me, so I have to get over that first... |
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JessieMae
True Blue Farmgirl
702 Posts
Jessie
Raleigh
North Carolina
USA
702 Posts |
Posted - Apr 16 2009 : 11:52:52 AM
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I live in an old house that came with a root cellar. It IS kind of creepy. Mine is pretty humid and clammy, which gives it a dungeony feeling. And I have a fear of bats, which I suspect live in the rafters and are just waiting to swoop down when I reach for the lightbulb chain to swoop down and infect me with rabies....
But anyway, I think all a root cellar has to be is really cool and kind of humid. Are you thinking like a storm cellar kind, or something simple like the trashcan method?
Jessie Mae
Farmgirl Sisterhood #134 |
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lovelady
True Blue Farmgirl
533 Posts
Toni
Indiana
USA
533 Posts |
Posted - Apr 16 2009 : 12:35:02 PM
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Hey Jessie, you aren't really helping me out on the creep factor of cellars!!! Mwahaha! Swooping bats aren't my thing!
I am thinking probably in-between the two, but closer to storm cellar I guess...We live in a pretty old house, too, and our basement is generally fairly dry. It has a sand floor if that makes sense. I just really don't like going down there, but maybe I could sweet talk my husband into putting in more lights to help out, like at the top stair... I guess I need to set up a thermometer down there to see how cold it gets, and check the humidity. I tend to read too much on a subject and get bogged down in details that really are simple. |
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DaisyFarm
True Blue Farmgirl
1646 Posts
Diane
Victoria
BC
Canada
1646 Posts |
Posted - Apr 16 2009 : 12:55:20 PM
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On a (sort of!) humorous note, my city-living brother likes to send me redneck pictures. He sent me one of an outdoor root cellar. These guys had buried (to the roof) an old short-style school bus. At the end they had dug it out and cemented in stairs for access to the back emergency door. At first I laughed, but then I started looking at it. It's virtually all metal and shatterproof glass, so leak and critter proof. I thought the idea was brilliant! LOL
Di |
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Bellepepper
True Blue Farmgirl
1207 Posts
Belle
Coffeyville
KS
USA
1207 Posts |
Posted - Apr 16 2009 : 2:56:38 PM
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| Our celler is 10' X 10' with 7' celing. It is below ground except for 2' or so that is above ground. The walls and celing/roof is 8 inches of concrete. Bad part--- The cement roof heats up in the summer and it is never more than 10 degrees cooler in the celler than outside. That means 90 degrees in the summer. And does not cool much over night. We have put styrofoam insulation and a deck on top of the celler to try and keep it cooler. Now it is 80 degrees. Now down on the floor it is cooler but not much. So when we harvest the potatoes and onions it is way too hot down there to store stuff. I did store some apples last fall and they did well. It never freezes. We store a lot of canned goods on the lower shelves and store "stuff" on the upper shelves. Still a good hidie hole in case of a tornado. But not much of a root celler. Main thing if I were to do it over again is to have it deep enough to cover the top with soil or build a building on top. |
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JessieMae
True Blue Farmgirl
702 Posts
Jessie
Raleigh
North Carolina
USA
702 Posts |
Posted - Apr 16 2009 : 8:16:50 PM
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Belle...hidie hole in case of tornado? That's funny. Our family calls them "fraidy holes."
Jessie Mae
Farmgirl Sisterhood #134 |
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prariehawk
True Blue Farmgirl
2914 Posts
Cindy
2914 Posts |
Posted - Apr 16 2009 : 9:17:39 PM
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My grandma had a root cellar under her sun room, which was off the kitchen. I was only down there once or twice--it was dark, cool, and clammy. I don't remember what she kept in there, it was so dark. I just knew that it was the first place I'd head for if I ever spotted a tornado (fortunately, I've yet to see an actual tornado). What scared me most about it was the possibility of spiders lurking in the dark--ugh, I'm getting chills just thinking about it!
Cindy |
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5 acre Farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1007 Posts
~~~*Terri*~~~
WA.
USA
1007 Posts |
Posted - Apr 16 2009 : 10:23:35 PM
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Mine is not really a "root Cellar" per say, I call it a fruit room....
It is built on the end of our house, above ground, it is only 8x8' but, the walls are 1 1/2 feet thick(my DH put real good insulation and then that silver covered insulation board and the outside is just plywood), the ceiling also. The floor is cement....... it never gets over 40 degrees or so, and in the summer it can get over 120* where I live......
I had a terrible time with mice, then we put those ultrasonic thingys in there, and voila, no mice............also put the metal screening in the corners(where they were getting in).
It works great! I can keep carrots, potatoes, apples, tomatoes, all of my canned goods(home canning ).and bird seed and cat food.....works great.........
Farmgirl Sister #368
"It is most common for man to value most what has least worth."
My Farm and Garden blog....
http://blogonthefarmandgarden.blogspot.com
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FebruaryViolet
True Blue Farmgirl
4810 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4810 Posts |
Posted - Apr 17 2009 : 08:42:37 AM
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| I am actually going to retrofit our basement for this purpose. I found a book at the St. Vincent Depaul thrift written in the 1970's by this hippie dippie back to the earth guy about the art of root cellaring. Really easy to do, I think, if you have the right spot. I think we do--no bats, anyway :) |
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Amie C.
True Blue Farmgirl
2099 Posts
Finger Lakes Region
NY
2099 Posts |
Posted - Apr 17 2009 : 08:49:56 AM
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My parents' basement was always cool in summer, and it had a little brick-floored room at one end with built in shelves. They called it "the root cellar" but didn't really use it as such.
Now, those of you who find basements creepy may get a laugh out of this: what we did use it for was being the dungeon in our make-believe games. If you go in there today, you may still find rusty swing-set chains, a pile of old burlap "blankets", and piteous notes and cross-mark calendars scratched on the plaster walls.
My current basement has an impressively insulated "root cellar" room. The first owner of the house was a butter-and-egg man, and we think he probably had some primitive cooling equipment installed. Can't use it, though, because my husband has his drums set up right against the door. |
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Suzan
True Blue Farmgirl
659 Posts
suzanne
duncannon
pa
USA
659 Posts |
Posted - Apr 17 2009 : 08:57:23 AM
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| I'd give anything to have a root cellar, have thought that many times! When I was a kid we had friends who lived on a farm and we visited often. They had a root cellar and a springhouse. They had dairy cattle so there was always milk and butter in the springhouse. They had an apple orchard with swings in and violets grew underneath. Aahhh, memories! |
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FebruaryViolet
True Blue Farmgirl
4810 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4810 Posts |
Posted - Apr 17 2009 : 08:59:14 AM
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quote:
Originally posted by Suzan
I'd give anything to have a root cellar, have thought that many times! When I was a kid we had friends who lived on a farm and we visited often. They had a root cellar and a springhouse. They had dairy cattle so there was always milk and butter in the springhouse. They had an apple orchard with swings in and violets grew underneath. Aahhh, memories!
That sounds like heaven!
My Nanny, in Kansas, had a root cellar, too...it was also a "hidey hold" for those crazy Dorothy-style tornadoes they got in Kiowa!
Amie--I'm cracking up at your dungeon games as kids. Hysterical! |
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Mumof3
True Blue Farmgirl
3890 Posts
Karin
Ellenwood
GA
USA
3890 Posts |
Posted - Apr 17 2009 : 09:35:54 AM
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I've been researching them for a very long time. Just cannot get the hubs on board to help me make one. Seems to me I'll just have to do it myself. Thanks for all the helpful hints in your comments!
Karin
Farmgirl Sister
# 18 :)
www.perfectlittlemiracle.blogspot.com
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Amie C.
True Blue Farmgirl
2099 Posts
Finger Lakes Region
NY
2099 Posts |
Posted - Apr 17 2009 : 09:55:03 AM
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| Ooooh, a springhouse! Now that's really cool! |
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KayB
True Blue Farmgirl
540 Posts
Kay
Del City
Oklahoma
USA
540 Posts |
Posted - Apr 20 2009 : 09:52:00 AM
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I'm not sure if we have a root cellar, or basement. We have a cement room under our garage with seats or shelves. It stays cool in the summer. We use it to store extra food and that is where I'll be storing the stuff I learn to can this year. I've always been afraid of critters being down there, but so far, nothing, not even spiders. We put some potatoes down there, but they were left in the bag so they didn't survive very well. My hubby put our onions down there spread out on some paper sacks and they are doing very well.
Life's a dance you learn as you go |
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Bellepepper
True Blue Farmgirl
1207 Posts
Belle
Coffeyville
KS
USA
1207 Posts |
Posted - Apr 20 2009 : 11:51:10 AM
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| Amie, your memories of your parents celler/basement reminded me of my parents basement. They first moved to the farm 65 years ago. There was nothing in the basement and the sump pump rarely worked so when it rained there would be a couple of feet of water down there. I always wanted to play in it like an indoor swimming pool but Daddy wouldn't let me. Hummmmmmmm wonder why? Later he did some improvements and his central heat and stuff like that are in the basement. Now my son and his wife live there and the basement is my DIL's craft room with potters wheel and all. Still not an attractive place with all the duct work in the celing. Oh well, there's no water down there so it can be what ever they want. |
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electricdunce
True Blue Farmgirl
2544 Posts
Karin
Belmont
ME
USA
2544 Posts |
Posted - Apr 20 2009 : 5:08:46 PM
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My friends have a root cellar, and it is mostly filled with mold. I have a cellar, , no bats but I have found the occasional salamander down there. When I had some work done on my house qa few years ago I had a pantry built, and there is a door from it to the outside. North side of the house, so it is wicked cold, that works pretty well for me, also what we laughingly refer to as the mudroom, when you first come in, it is not heated and it works great for a cold cellar spot.
I didn't think bats like cellars, but maybe that is just because the bats at my house are all out in the barn. I like to think of them chowing down on black flies and mosquitos so I am a big fan of bats.
Karin
Farmgirl Sister #153
"Give me shelter from the storm" - Bob Dylan
http://moodranch.blogspot.com
http://domesticnonsense.etsy.com |
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nampafarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
494 Posts
Kim
Nampa
ID
USA
494 Posts |
Posted - Apr 22 2009 : 2:57:37 PM
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My neigbors are building one in their backyard. I just watch while they build to see how this will work.
Kim
Farmgirl Sister # 302 |
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Lanna
True Blue Farmgirl
330 Posts
Lanna
A little town in Idaho
330 Posts |
Posted - Apr 22 2009 : 9:50:06 PM
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The book Root Cellaring by Mike and Nancy Bubel is awesome. Lots of neato ideas, what certain crops need for maximum storage life, etc. I love that book.
I have a great place to store canned goods - dry (damp will rust the metal lids/rings) and a constant 65-70* year round since it's underneath my kitchen in the basement.
But a good root cellar? Still working on it.
My idea of burying a dead chest freezer (just a little 4cf one) got shot down by the hubby.
Making a big window egress hole and insulating it would involve tearing out part of a basement wall around an existing tiny window and digging up a lot of dirt there by the house.
Digging and building an underground root cellar with a big wood storage shed at ground level (that could be locked!) that's attached to the laundry room would involve all kinds of madness.
So in the meantime, I drool and live vicariously through others. 
*****************
Lanna, mama to three little monkeys |
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lovelady
True Blue Farmgirl
533 Posts
Toni
Indiana
USA
533 Posts |
Posted - Apr 23 2009 : 04:09:46 AM
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Lanna~ I think I am going to get that book. I keep seeing it everywhere on the internet, I just need to go on and buy it! So can you tell me why your husband shot down that idea? I was thinking of trying that, too. We have an old freezer in our garage that I wanted to try it with. I haven't told my DH about it though...
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Lanna
True Blue Farmgirl
330 Posts
Lanna
A little town in Idaho
330 Posts |
Posted - Apr 23 2009 : 5:08:00 PM
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quote:
Originally posted by lovelady
Lanna~ I think I am going to get that book. I keep seeing it everywhere on the internet, I just need to go on and buy it! So can you tell me why your husband shot down that idea? I was thinking of trying that, too. We have an old freezer in our garage that I wanted to try it with. I haven't told my DH about it though...
I checked the book out from the library a few times, and after time #4 decided I better just buy a copy for myself. 
Well, besides digging a 4'x4'x4' hole in our rock yard (the bermuda grass is here for fun between the rocks) for our little baby chest freezer (it's only a 4cf one) and figuring out a little mouse/ant/bug-proof ventilation system, he's not thrilled. Well, and I bet part of it is the three kids we've got underfoot. Just in case.
I think the attempt I'm going to make this year is having him build some food-only shelves in the garage next to our spare fridge (and away from the oil and chainsaw gas) for me to stick onions and winter squash. I had a few butternuts I bought locally in October that I ate in February/March. I just left them rolling around on the carpet in front of the fridge (not directly on concrete), and only had to eat the last one at that point because someone knocked the stem off and it was trying to mold. So if I can get some decent shelves and okay crates to store stuff, that may be a decent inexpensive middle ground...
*****************
Lanna, mama to three little monkeys |
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mommatracy
True Blue Farmgirl
490 Posts
Tracy
My. Olive
NC
USA
490 Posts |
Posted - Apr 23 2009 : 6:10:52 PM
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I remember my grandmothers root cellar in Missouri when I was a little girl. I loved it. She had shelves built in and they were loaded with jars of wonderful goodies. I remember looking around and being totally amazed at all the beautiful colors in those jars. She was a true farmwoman. She made her own soap,canned all of their food, drew water from the well, tied her watermelons and milkcans in the spring that was in the back yard and cooked on a wood stove. We took baths in the creek and in a big galvinized tub on the back porch. I bit into my first fresh tomato in her garden,right off the vine. At the time I thought it was all so primitive. Now... I would give anything to go back to that time, talk to her,learn from her. Walk with her through her garden,her cellar,stare into her spring so full of surprises. Wow, I have so many memories. I should write them down. Excuse me I need a hankie.
www.cottagebythebay.blogspot.com |
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paradiseplantation
True Blue Farmgirl
1277 Posts
julie
social springs community
Louisiana
USA
1277 Posts |
Posted - Apr 28 2009 : 08:00:31 AM
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We have a small cellar (maybe 25 x 12) - which in and of itself is rare, as here in Louisiana we have a real high water table. It's even more surprising that it stays dry. I bought the book Root Cellaring, by Mike Baubel and really liked it. I just get confused, because some veggies require the cool humid cellar and some like it dry. We want to fit ours out with trays and whatever to store our root veggies and apples, but haven't gotten that far, yet. And, no. No bats, no critters so far!
from the hearts of paradise... |
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Gardengal
Farmgirl in Training
19 Posts
Terra
Prosser
Wa
USA
19 Posts |
Posted - Apr 28 2009 : 08:55:08 AM
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I always thought it would be cool to build a root cellar with a low pitched roof that you could grow on top of...like those roof top gardens..from the roof, into the cellar! I think I will work on my husband for this at our new place next spring..
~Gardengal~
It's the little things...
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lovelady
True Blue Farmgirl
533 Posts
Toni
Indiana
USA
533 Posts |
Posted - Apr 28 2009 : 09:47:43 AM
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| I think I may have talked my DH into helping me work on our cellar/basement to try and make it more of a place I don't mind going into. But I still need to figure out how to store things so that they are rodent-proof. We usually have a couple of mice get in our house every winter since we are surrounded by corn/bean fields. They have never really been a problem because we can usually get rid of them quickly, but it seems like having so much food down there would attract mice. Any thoughts? |
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Garden Gate: Anyone have a root cellar? |
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Anyone have a root cellar?
