Root Cellars are used to store vegetables because they are underground where the temperature is consistent, cool and relatively humid.

While not everything holds well in a root cellar, they are perfect for root vegetables like potatoes, carrots and onions.

Spring House
Do you have a spring on your property? Springhouses are small structures built for food storage at the mouth of a spring. The running water keeps the one-room house cool and with high humidity. You can place shelves or benches in the structure to store fruits and vegetables.

A Hole Below The Frost Line.
Try digging a hole that is about four feet deep and as wide as you need for your food. Choose a shady spot that is away from tree roots. Line the hole with hardware cloth to keep out rodents and then add a layer of straw. Place your potatoes, carrots and other root veggies on the straw and then cover with another layer of straw. Next, cover your hole with soil and mound up another layer of straw. For added protection, cover the mound with a tarp that you anchor with rocks or logs.

Metal Garbage Can
Purchase or repurpose a stainless steel garbage can as your alternative root cellar. Now dig a hole that is large enough to bury the can so that only three or four inches of the top of the can are visible above ground. Next, dig a small ditch a few inches around the top of the can to divert rainwater or snowmelt.

Place a layer of straw at the bottom and then add your vegetables. Use perforated bags with handles or even small baskets to make retrieving your food easier.

Place the lid on the can securely and then cover the lid with straw. Cover the straw mound with a tarp and secure the tarp.

Wood Box
Build or find a wooden box about 2 feet x 2 feet x 4 feet in size. Line the box with hardware cloth to prevent rodents from getting to your food.

Then place a layer of straw or moss on top of the hardware cloth before adding your vegetables. Place additional straw on top of the vegetables and then line the lid with more hardware cloth before closing the box securely. Place more straw on top of the closed box and cover with an anchored tarp.
Root cellaring is a surprisingly easy and inexpensive way to keep your food fresh throughout the fall and winter.

Root cellars are great for storing root vegetables and for keeping other vegetables fresh as long as you consume them in a timely manner.

In a survival situation, knowing how to build one – elaborate or not – could be the difference between having vegetables in the winter or going without.

To learn more about root cellars, please visit Off the Grid News.