How to Build an Underground Root Cellar
In the age of grocery stores stocked with plentiful produce year-round, root cellars seem outdated. However, those out-of-season grocery store fruits and vegetables come at a price. Shipping these foods cross-country, often from artificially irrigated areas, results in a large carbon footprint and environmental disruption. Many environmentally-conscious people are looking to root cellars as a way to have access to nutritious foods year round, while still being Earth friendly.
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Instructions
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Choose a location. You can excavate an area underground or into a hill to take advantage of the ground's natural insulation and temperature regulation. A slightly less labor intensive option is to choose a cool, damp corner of your basement to build your cellar. An area with northern exposure and shade is best.
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Provide ventilation. Your cellar should have two vents to the outside: one at the highest point to allow warm air and gases given off by the stored produce to escape and one that opens to the floor to allow cool air in. You'll need to open these vents in the cool weather of fall and close them before the temperature reaches freezing in the winter. You can use anything that blocks the airflow to close the vents.
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Enclose the area with walls, if your cellar isn't dug into the ground or a hill. Since the cellar should have a high humidity, use moisture-resistant material for framing and enclosing your walls. Use foam insulation between the inside and outside drywall of your walls and be sure to insulate as many gaps and holes as possible to keep the cool air in your root cellar. This includes any gaps around your vents.
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Give your cellar a door. If you build your cellar into the ground, you can either build a staircase and vertical door, or simply secure horizontal door to the opening of the cellar. If you're using a corner of your basement, make sure to incorporate a door into your wall layout. You can use a premade door or just a piece of plywood hung on the studs. Make sure the fit is snug but is easy to open and close.
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Hang shelving. Have an idea of what you'd like to store and give yourself enough room. Keep in mind that the lower shelves will be cooler and more humid than the higher shelves. If possible, build the shelves slightly away from the wall to allow air circulation.
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Take flooring into consideration. This choice depends on what you're planning to store in your cellar. Most produce does best in a humid environment, though some, such as squash, garlic, onions and sweet potatoes, do better in dryer conditions. If you need a moist environment, a dirt floor is best for keeping your cellar moist. If a dirt floor isn't possible, a wood floor with gaps between the boards works, too. A damp concrete floor will also be usable, though it keeps the cellar dryer than the other two options.
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