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Under the spring sun amid a cool breeze you are probably looking over your garden at the many small sprouts or purchased plants that are in the ground. It might seem like you are years away from harvest. The truth is Spring is the time of rapid harvest.

Spring plants come up quick and they can be very prolific. When you start to think about it you might start considering a simple easy cellar for your spring harvest.

Some of the first plants to harvest are things like English peas and radish. They are both unique because they do not can or preserve well. If you have a generous harvest of these, you might be interested in a means of storing them long term. Radish being a root vegetable means they are great stored in a root cellar.

Garlic, new potatoes, asparagus and turnip greens are all things that have very short season to harvest. If you planted your garlic in the fall you are gonna be into a serious harvest of garlic in a hurry. Sure, you can store that harvest in your cabinets, or you can create a simple root cellar to store that garlic for months.

How Much Space for this Cellar?

The best part about building a cellar is that you can do it any way you’d like. Basically, you can build your root cellar the size you need to be effective. Are you going to use this cellar just for food storage, that’s a great idea!

Roots like carrots, potatoes and turnips can last over 6 months if you have built your root cellar properly. They are that effective.

Even small urban homesteads can section off enough land to make an easy root cellar. It also doesn’t have to be incredibly expensive.

If you have a harvest to store its in your best interest to consider a root cellar.

Don’t forget, you have summer harvest right around the corner.

What About That Summer Harvest?

Maybe you’re not intimidated by that spring harvest. Perhaps you just eat all that fresh food and you don’t have much left. That could be the case. Some people are wild about those baby greens like arugula.

That said, once those zucchinis, squash, pumpkins, tomatoes and cucumbers start popping up things get crazy in a hurry. We are all guilty of leaving the zucchini plant for too long and then returning to find a blimp of a vegetable waiting for you.

The summer gets out of hand in a hurry. Before you know it, you are giving bags of produce away and you are sick of eating all that great food you grew.

That is because you haven’t a place to store that food long term or even a place to store all that canned ratatouille and tomato sauce.

Don’t forget, a root cellar is not only a great place to store root vegetables but also canned foods. Storing your canned tomato sauce and pickles in the root cellar will both save you space inside and give a new space for storing other things.

How About Even More Storage?

Don’t just start digging a hole. Get yourself some proper instruction. This guide is filled with tips on how to build an underground root cellar and even an emergency bunker!

This resource is designed for those of you who are looking to take the first steps in building and managing their own root cellar. There are also some other perks.

  • How to effectively store your food supply for 3 months to prevent them from spoiling.
  • How to effectively store water to enable your family to have access to clean water for months.

Don’t forget, this storage situation also means that you are going to be able to store even more things in your root cellar. If you are considering a root cellar maybe you also have dried food storage. Well, no one has room for all that dried food storage.

A root cellar keeps a nice consistent temperature and is a great way to store that long term food storage. What other preps can you store in a root cellar? Well, its up to you.

Now is the time to take action and get these building projects under way. The beauty of this root cellar is that your walls and floor is made for you already. Aside from some framing you have most of the cellar built for you by nature!

Conclusion

We all know that there are several reasons to grow more of your own food. From price to pesticide there has never been a better time to expand your food sourcing efforts. You will be amazed at the difference a few fruit trees; 6 chickens and an expansion of that garden can have on your life.

But what’s the point of all that if you don’t have a means to store all that extra food? Learning how to can, preserve and having a place to store that extra food is a crucial part of the process. That is where this root cellar comes in.

Even if you don’t live on 20 acres it doesn’t mean you wouldn’t benefit from a little more climate controlled storage space. With a little help on the DIY build you can make that happen in your own yard or on your property.

Once you get the go ahead, you are going to be on your way to some serious storage space and a more self-reliant lifestyle.

Let me know how that worked for you.

A root cellar keeps a nice consistent temperature and is a great way to store that long term food storage. What other preps can you store in a root cellar?

The American pioneers had to be very clever about food. The United States government was offering up 160 acres to the brave souls that migrated out west. That is a massive expanse of free land that took a lot of work to manage.

The important thing to remember is that there were no supermarkets or anything else out west in 1862, when the Homesteading Act written into law. That meant the pioneers had to get the most out of every scrap of food they raised.

One of the tools they used to achieve this goal was the root cellar. The root cellar is an underground storage area used for storing things like garlic, potatoes, dried grains and even fresh vegetables. The temperature is regulated by the dirt that surrounds the small space. This means you have a storage space that doesn’t freeze in the winter or rot food in the hot summer.

Should you consider your own small root cellar?

Store Fresh Produce for Months

By layering sand and fresh produce in wooden barrels the pioneers were able to keep that produce for months after it was picked. This worked best with root vegetables like carrots, turnips, rutabaga, beets and sweet potatoes.

The temperature in the root cellar and the insulation from the sand meant that these vegetables could be kept moist and cool for most, if not all, the time.

The modern root cellar could be used in just the same way. However, we could even store backup long term food storage in a modern root cellar. This is important because it takes up less space in our home and offers us that security of having food on hand.

Having extra food on hand is not about paranoia. We are experience devastating floods in the Midwest lately. Nations around the world are at war and places like Venezuela are experiencing the realities of an imploded economy.

But storing food does not have to be about serious disaster either. What happens if you lose your job or get sick? These things happen everyday in our nation. You have life insurance, but many don’t have things like water and food insurance. That is where long term food storage comes in to play.

DIY Root Cellar

Building your own root cellar is well within your scope. We are going to look at two ways to get this done on your own property.

No matter which method you choose you are going to do some serious digging. It’s probably worth considering your method for that up front. This could be something you suffer through by hand or you might be interested in renting machines to make it easier.

In most cases you are going to want to go 15’ down! But it depends on your area so do the research on your local area.

Wood Framed Root Cellar

The wood framed root cellar is the classic version and its basically like building a shed underground. Your build will have a wood roof and wood frame. But the wall will be dirt and the room can either be tiled or you can reinforce it and bury it entirely.

You can keep a dirt floor in your root cellar. There is really no reason to pour concrete or do anything but just keep the natural ground.

Earthbag Root Cellar

Earthbags are an extremely cost-effective method for building. Some people live in earthbag homes! The earth bag is basically a sandbag and these bags are stacked on barbed wire, in rows, to create layers. Each layer is built upon another with barbed wire in between and these layers can be stacked into all sorts of shapes for several different structures.

The bags are coated and smoothed with a stucco finish and there you have it! Earthbags are very cool!

To build a basic rectangular earthbag root cellar would be very simple and would cost less than using wood and nails.

Covert Root Cellar?

As we mentioned earlier, you can bury a root cellar completely. In terms of security and privacy a covert root cellar might be just what you are looking for. Fortified, it could also double as a storm shelter.

I must imagine that if you are considering a root cellar you must also be thinking about living a more prepared and self-sufficient lifestyle. If you want to explore these topics even further The Doomsday Book Of Medicine is the reference on preparedness.

The Doomsday Book Of Medicine covers all the basics of preparedness including growing and storing your own food. It lays the base and you will get a comprehensive look at self-reliance and independence.

Don’t be fooled, The Doomsday Book Of Medicine is a guide to a better life, it’s not a guide to surviving the end of the world. Growing food, learning first aid and home security are tools to use each day.

No matter your motivation behind this root cellar it’s a step in the right direction. And before you start digging, you should check out this offer coming straight from our Easy Cellar partners. Read about the benefits of building one the Easy Cellar way, and then decide for yourself. That’s all I’m saying.   

Conclusion

Right now, we live in an age of excess. We have food everywhere and we waste about 50% of it!

What is the quality of that food? We all shudder at the thought of pesticides and other contaminants in our foods. It seems like we see a new rash of recalls each day!

Now is the time to seek out food independence and you can do this with your own actions, like building a root cellar, as well as, getting a little help from a resource like The Doomsday Book Of Medicine. The beautiful thing about self-reliance and independence is, its all up to you.

The important thing to remember is that there were no supermarkets in 1862, when the Homesteading Act written into law. That meant the pioneers had to get the most out

I would lie if I said that I don’t envy all those wonderful homesteaders who managed to put a couple of bucks outside for the root cellar. Yeah, those things are really great (if you have them, of course) and not to mention very useful during any kind of shit hits the fan situation – a hole in the ground, some stones, a couple of shelves, and you’ve got yourself a gigantic fridge capable of storing veggies, legumes, pickles, and whatnots.

Ingenious, that’s what it is! However, if your home doesn’t come with a root cellar, building one from scratch takes a lot of time, energy, and, yes, a shit-load of money.

Fortunately, there is a way to tap into Mom Nature’s icy powers without the need to fork over too much cash. Being a very determined guy, I have searched high and low for ways to recreate a root cellar without actually having to build one. Sounds crazy, right? Not in the least, as you’re about to see.

The idea to write this short and sweet piece came to me after watching a documentary on National Geographic about ancient food storage methods. Can’t remember the name of the show, but there were these two guys traveling around the world and interviewing homesteaders about how they make food last longer.

In the last part of the show, there was this man from China who was quite a bit of a local celebrity, thanks to his top-notch Kimchi. For those of you who don’t know, Kimchi is Asia’s version of pickled cabbage. However, instead of using canning jars, homesteaders would place the thinly-sliced cabbage inside a ceramic jar, which would later seal with wax before burying it in the Earth.

So, with this in mind, I snooped around the Internet and found a simple and cheap way of making a mini version of the root cellar using only an old metal barrel. Here’s how to whip up a backyard cellar in order to store your veggies.

Gathering the necessary materials

For this project, you’ll need the following:

  • A shovel.
  • A barrel (I would go with a galvanized metal barrel because they’re easier to clean and fare much better underground compared to the plastic ones).
  • Rocks (shape and size don’t matter).
  • Straw.
  • Several pieces of plywood to cover the lid.

Ready with the gear? Neat! Let’s get to work, then.

How to build a mini root cellar in the backyard

Step 1. Find a suitable place to dig a hole. I would advise you to place your barrel\future root cellar in a sunny spot. You should also make sure that there are no water pipes or electrical lines running nearby.

Step 2. Once you found a suitable location, grab your shovel and start digging. The hole will need to take the shape of the barrel. As for depth, it all depends on the size of the barrel. Just be sure that the rim stays on top, with the remaining underground.

Step 3. After you’ve finished digging the hole, remove any deep roots or pebbles from the bottom. Moreover, ensure that the end of your pit is dry.

Test the ground – if it feels moist to the touch, it means that there’s water underneath which is a big no-no. I know it’s annoying, but if this happens, you will need to find another location for your root cellar. Mark the spot in case you’re thinking about adding a well to your property.

Step 4. Fill the bottom with the rocks you’ve brought.

Step 5. Place the barrel on top of the rocks. Ensure that the body of your barrel remains below the freezing line while keeping the rim up top.

Step 6. Place some earth around the barrel to seal it in. Don’t put on the lid yet.

Step 7. Prepare the veggies or fruits for storage. If you’re not sure about the thingamajig’s cooling action, you can try it out on a couple of potatoes.

Step 8. Place a handful of straw on the bottom of the barrel.

Step 9. Place your veggies on the straw. You can add more vegetables if you like. Just remember to put some straw between your veggie layers.

Step 10. Put the lid on the barrel, put the plywood boards on top, and cover with dirt. Congrats! You’ve just made your first backyard root cellar.

Additional Consideration on Mini Root Cellars

Building’s the easy part, but knowing what and how to store – that’s a bit challenging. The first rule of the game is never to mix your veggies with fruits. If you plan on storing fruits, you should consider placing a second root cellar.

The reason why fruits and veggies should never be placed in the same barrel is because of ethylene, a plant hormone which induces ripening in fruits. The same substance that makes fruits yummy-yum-yum will cause your veggies to ripen and rot a lot faster.

A root cellar built in this fashion will allow you to store food at a decent temp (somewhere between 32- and 40-degrees Fahrenheit), with humidity at around 95 percent.

For this reason, you’ll be able to store even short-lived veggies such as cauliflower, brussels sprouts, celery, kale, endive or leaks. If the seal holds, you can look forward to a scrumptious carrot-based dish even after six months. As far as fruits are concerned, you should ensure that your root cellar has a bit of moister compared to the one used to store veggies.

After consuming every veggie or fruit from the barrel, I would recommend giving it a good wash with the power hose and use plenty of detergent. I can’s put my finger on it, but I believe that this kind of contraption can also be used the summer to keep your fruits and veggies cool.

In most cases, the mini root cellar can extend the shelf life of fruits and veggies by at least a couple of months, with one exception – kale. If you’re planning on storing some kale, keep in mind that you can’t keep it in for more than two weeks.

Think I’ve missed something? Have another way of building a root cellar in your backyard? Hit the comments section and let me know.

If you didn’t start digging, you may also want to check out this offer coming from our partners at Easy Cellar. As well as the many benefits of having one in your backyard.

A hole in the ground, some stones, a couple of shelves, and you’ve got yourself a gigantic fridge capable of storing veggies, legumes, pickles, and whatnots.