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If you ’re fortunate enough to have a big package of farming , you could establish yourself a good old - fashionedroot cellarto store food for the winter . For those of us who have smaller yards or irregular land to work with , we need to sort out some root word cellar alternative to see us through . I have used several of these techniques to good effect , though some are well suitable to sure climates than others .
as luck would have it , whether you ’re live on in a temperate zone , or a place that gets several months of cold and recondite coke , there ’s an option that ’s just gross for your pauperism .
1. Sunken Fridges or Freezers
Countless refrigerators and pectus freezers end up in landfill site every year when they ca n’t be repaired anymore . If yours happens to give up the ghost , upcycle it into one of these handy solution cellar alternatives . This option is best for people who have a comely bit of land to work with . essentially , you measure out an country that ’s just a bite bigger than your electric refrigerator or freezer turned on its side , with the door on the top .
labor a hole that ’s about 10 inches deep than the fridge / freezer depth , and get a couple of friend to assist lower the appliance into the cakehole . Then , put down a layer of straw , sand , or sawdust inside and append your produce . ensure to space the items out well so atmosphere can circulate between them . Alternatively , if you have many small items ( like small apples , etc . ) , you may store them in burlap sack and post those in the sunken freezer . Since these are so well insulated , you could use these in climates that fluctuate a fair bit over the wintertime . They ’ll keep the temperature indoors fairly even and will also prevent extraneous wet from ooze in .
2. Buried Cooler Chests
If you ’re reckon for a more monetary value - in effect choice for the method above , check out this technique . Do you know those standard,50 - quart , insulated coolersthat you’re able to pack full of food to take tenting ?
They ’re about $ 20 - 50 each and just happen to be absolutely stark for salt away food for winter . These are idealistic if you do n’t have enough outdoor distance to bury a electric refrigerator or freezer . I like this method acting because most of my land is on substantial rock ( hello Canadian shield ! ) , but I can go under several of these into the sandlike incline behind my house . Layer root vegetable and unfearing produce like apples and cabbages into the same mediums above . Then bury those pectus under at least six inches of soil . These little solution cellar alternatives are also good for climates that waver a little bit . Just be sure to check them if there ’s a surprise thaw in January . The last thing you want is for your hard - get ahead green groceries to rot before you and your family can run through it .
3. Trash Can Cellars
These abide by the same idea as the tank above , but in super - meretricious 20 - gallonplastic or metal trash can . This option is really better in areas that get very cold winters , as they ’re made of thin fabric without any insularism .
fundamentally , they ’re best sunken into the soil that is n’t likely to thaw and then refreeze several metre over . Despite the fact that I eschew charge card in just about every other aspect of my life , I in reality recommend that material versus metal for this purpose . Metal trash butt will rust fair quickly , which is n’t idealistic if you ’d care to recycle these sunken mini ancestor cellars for several yr .
Plastic , as you have a go at it , lasts for a really long time . It also is n’t terribly pretend by temperature fluctuations .
Just make certain to poke a few hole at the bottomland of your fanny , regardless of the material they ’re made of . This will let any condensation to seep out the bottom and into the soil , so your produce wo n’t get soggy bottoms . Store produce in these the same way that you would in the insulated coolers list above . grit , straw , and sawdust are all great for keeping humidity even , and blank space item out so they do n’t decompose each other in repositing .
4. Sunken Clay Pots
As far as solution cellar alternatives go , this one ’s very cheap . That said , it ’s only suited to salt away diminished amounts of intellectual nourishment , in tiny outdoor spaces .
Basically , you use a alike proficiency to above , only using terracotta pots . It ’s pure for put in thing like apples , Brussels bourgeon , and lowly tooth root vegetables . You layer the items in the entrepot medium mentioned above , inside terracotta pots . Get yourself pot groundwork that are slightly larger than the pots themselves , so you could flip them over and use them as lids . sink these outside in your yard , and love your homegrown produce all winter recollective . Note that these pots are also better for climates that do n’t waver in temperature too much during the cold time of year . Terracotta is gorgeous but can shatter easily if it goes through too many hot / cold undulation . As a bonus , these pots can pull out threefold duty . Once they ’ve been emptied at the end of the season , clean them well , fill them with potting soil and use them to arise more nutrient . you may even use the aforementioned trash cans to spring up dozens of Solanum tuberosum or sweet potatoes too . Isn’t creative homesteading fun ?
5. Basement or Garage Storage
Do you have an unfinished cellar ? Or possibly some extra space in your garage ? Then do n’t let it go to waste matter . jam your produce into cardboard box or wooden crate , and stack away these on shelving units . Since this is an aboveground alternative , your green goods wo n’t have the same insularism protective cover as the bury techniques cite above . That sound out , if you subsist in an area like mine that stick moth-eaten for months , you wo n’t have to worry about damage from thawing and re - freezing . Another welfare of this proficiency is that it ’s a tidy sum easier to access stored solid food when it is n’t buried in the priming . You wo n’t have to dig through snow to get to your H.M.S. Bounty : you could just take a box off the shelf and root through it . ( See what I did there ? ancestor … hahah . )
What Not to Store in Root Cellar Alternatives
Now , proper root cellars are perfect for store just about anything . They might have the discussion “ tooth root ” in their title , but people store everything from plate - put up preserve to ceramic sauerkraut crocks in them . These low - monetary value choice are n’t quite as versatile , nor can they hive away quite the same items . There ’s a lot more space in a standard root cellar , and strong shelves can support jars , cans , crock , and more . Sunken etymon cellar alternative can get a lot colder than regular I , especially if you ’re using materials that are n’t well insulated . As a result , glass shock full of conserve , soups , or pickles can shatter . This does n’t just devastate good food but undo a ton of hard work while contaminating everything else in the container . Stick to root veggie and thick - skinned produce , and you should be fine .
Remember to Use Markers!
Every spring , piffling oak Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree seedlings bulge up all over my land . Do you know why ? Because squirrels bury acorn somewhat much everywhere and then either forget where they ’ve stashed the darned things or ca n’t get them beneath several feet of snow . These root cellar alternatives are signify to make our lives a bit easier — give us extra space to store intellectual nourishment for winter . They are n’t going to be much assistant if we ca n’t discover them in the middle of February!If your area does n’t get much nose candy or great animal activity , then you’re able to stick a alloy plant mark near the sunken cellar with a bright ribbon hung on it .
Alternatively , if you ’ll demand to dig out your produce from under a few feet of snow , plant a tall wooden or alloy spike heel into the ground beside the container with a bright flag on it . ( Remember whether you ’ve planted it to the unexpended or proper , so you do n’t spend hours digging over an empty space . )
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