Storing vegetables in a root cellar is one option survivalists have if they lack the ability to can or freeze vegetables in winter. Root cellars have been around for at least 200 years and were primarily used in areas that got too cold in Winter to protect vegetables growing in the ground.

Root vegetables store particularly well, but so do many colder weather vegetables.

The stable temperatures underneath the frost line makes it possible to store vegetables throughout the winter months without worrying about much spoilage.

In parts of the American South and Midwest, root cellars have also doubled as storm shelters, primarily as protection against tornadoes.

You do not have to construct a large root cellar with structural support and room for several people to fit in, however.

On the next page, we show how to build a much smaller root cellar at much less cost and energy.

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