Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
all vegetables as well, except for late potatoes, which do best
at 35 degrees F to 40 degrees F.
So, in general, cold storage requires an environment that is
humid, dark, and close to 32 degrees F without going under.
The real question becomes how to create and maintain such
an environment in homes that were not designed with root
cellars.
If you have a cellar of any sort, a portion of it can be turned
into a root cellar simply be walling off a corner, insulating the
walls thoroughly, providing some sturdy shelves up off the
floor, and installing some ventilation that will allow cool air
to enter near the floor (PVC pipe is good for this) and warm
air to exit near the ceiling. You'll want a thermometer so you
can keep an eye on the temperature and shut off or limit
ventilation if it starts to sink too low. (This may or may not be
a problem depending on where you live.) If humidity is
insufficient, you can add a humidifier.
Most produce should be placed in open-weave baskets and
kept up off the floor and shouldn't be piled deeply as the
pressure from the weight of produce on the lower layers could
cause premature rotting. Fruits should be stored only one
layer deep and, if possible, individually wrapped in tissue and
not touching other fruit. Carrots and parsnips should have the
tops snapped off and then be buried in dampened clean sand
in a box sitting on the floor.
If you don't have a basement, you could bury a drum in the
ground or build an external root cellar. For more details on
how to build root cellars, check out the topic Root Cellaring
by Mike and Nancy Bubel.
