Chip Bubl , a horticulture module member with the Oregon State University Extension Service , call back hearing a tale about a adult male drag a truckload of carrots from Washington to New York . He had a little box ofapplesin the load , and over a few days , the ethene gas pedal from the apples jumble with the carrots . It was not a felicitous marriage . “ He had 40,000 pound of carrot that were completely bitter by the time he got to New York , ” Bubl says .
It ’s an tending illustration of the delicacy of produce , and one that reinforces the complexity that comes with hive away fresh fruits and vegetable together in aroot cellar .
keep a root root cellar is a great way to broaden your harvest and relish your garden produce past the oddment of the growing season . It can save you money , reduce your carbon footprint and give you healthy meal pick . But it ’s more than just setting box of green goods on shelves in a storage distance — it involves careful planning , organization and monitoring .
While there are creativealternatives to the traditional root cellar , some basic tips apply to most root - cellaring try .
1 . Manage the root cellar mood . Temperature , humidity and ventilation are cardinal to your source wine cellar ’s success . Most crops do better lay in at 32 to 40 degrees F , with about 90 percent humidity . Others postulate warmer temperature ( 50 to 60 degree F ) and lower humidness ( 60 to 70 percentage ) .
A basement with a dirt level is an ideal rootage cellar environs because it put up to gamey humidity than a concrete floor . If your space is too dry , you’re able to increase humidity with a humidifier or by setting out Pan of water or dampened burlap bag .
2 . Air out the root cellar . respiration save odors down , slows spoiling by venting ethene gas , and help regulate temperature and humidity . add intake and outlet ventilation pipes can help , but be sure to screen all ventilation opening against rodents .
3 . Turn out the light . Put dark glasses on windows and keep brightness level turned off when you ’re not in the antecedent cellar — light induce some produce to germinate or lose quality .
4 . form storage containers . You’ll demand boxes , bins , handbasket and inflexible containers , along with shelving that can withstand inhuman , dampish conditions . Before you get started , make a tilt of the types of container and shelving you ’re probable to need given the type of fruits and vegetables you want to store . Also notice provision you ’ll desire to keep on helping hand , such as sand , mesh bags or come-on .
5 . Separate green goods . make love which fruits and vegetables to annul store next to each other , and organize accordingly . Apples grow ethylene gas , which will make white potato vine sprout and hasten spoilage for other garden truck . Other ethylene gaseous state producers admit peaches , pears , plums , tomatoes and muskmelons .
6 . Take notes . advert a whiteboard , calendar or notebook in the etymon root cellar that you may use to tag your inventory . Note when crops are harvest , when you need to use up stock list of that particular food item ( based on harvest day of the month ) , what produce you utilise and what ’s left . Check your green goods often , and remove any fruit or veg display signs of spoilage . If you ’re not sure how long to keep an particular , check online for storage template :
7 . Set the temperature just aright . It ’s important that your ancestor basement be cool , but if the temperature drops below freeze , you ’ll need a way to increase the temperature . ending vents and adding a 100 - James Watt light bulb might be enough to keep temperature optimal . ( Keep a thermometer in the coldest part of your root cellar , or supervise a glass of water system for frappe . ) In milder areas , like westerly Oregon , stale , ironic ( the ironic is important ) weather — when you get it — presents an opportunity to draw cold-blooded strain in to cool down the outer space , as long as you do n’t cool off it down so much that you get cold injury ( not too likely with abbreviated exposure ) . You also get a chance to air out out ethylene .
8 . Do inquiry first . You’ll discover on-line imagination about root cellaring , as well as a riches of selective information in books . Two to look for : Mike and Nancy Bubel’sRoot Cellaring : Natural Cold Storage of Fruits and Vegetables(2nd ed . , Storey Publishing , 1991 ) and TheJoy of preserve a Root Cellar(Skyhorse Publishing , 2010 ) , by Jennifer Megyesi .
This clause was excerpt from “ Root of the Matter , ” which appeared in the September / October 2012 issue ofHobby Farm Home .
