Vegetable Gardening

[mudmucker]

This is my new project. I am making a passive root cellar for my vegetables. Well, all root cellars are passive but this one's in the basement. I don't have enough refrigerator space for some of this and I wanted to do this without electricity. This project is pretty fun and easy.

This link gives more description.

I already have an orchard rack where I can put in potatoes, winter squashes, onions, cabbages...and I will put standing wire shelves next to it. The shelves above will have my canned peaches, applesauce etc and the bottom 2 shelves will have wire baskets lined with jute. These bottom baskets will have carrots and beets in stored in sand.

Next to that, not in pictures yet, I am going to make apple storage. I am keeping the apples seperate because the ethylene gas that they give off will prematurely ripen other vegetables that are near them.

To make this all work and have cold air I am going to install pvc piping coming in from the outside. I will have one pipe that is high to pull warm air out. I'll have another pipe low to pull cold air in. All of that will provide a siphoning of air exchange. I'll also put ball valves in each of the pipes so I can close them down for those less than 32 degree days, and for better regulation.

Next is to line the framing with a vapor barrier. Then I'll be putting in 2 inch rigid foam insulation. Over that I'll put drywall. I will have to make the doors because it's not a standard size.