The Year-Round Harvest

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Step Five. Make forms to support the poured concrete roof. The roof should be reinforced with crossed and tied reinforcing bars as shown in the diagram. The bars should be embedded in the bottom half of the poured concrete roof. If they're too close to the surface they don't do much to strengthen the roof. The pour is made di rectly on plastic-covered 3/4" plywood, which is supported by joists resting on beams, which are held up by 4 X 4 posts. You'll also need a form running around the roof perimeter to hold the concrete ceiling until it dries and hardens. Make this form out of 2 X 6 lumber and attach supports at the corners and at least every 4' along the sides. Without these supports, the weight of the concrete is likely to bulge the forms and then drip through the gap. Why cover the keep water out of the cellar but to prevent pressure on the rear wall of the root cellar from expansion due to frozen wet soil.

Backfill with gravel above the pipe. If filling in manually, you can place a board behind the pipe and gradually fill in soil behind the board, pulling the board out every few inches.

Step Seven: Finish backfilling around the cellar sides. Later you may need to fill in with more soil as the dist urbed ground settles.

Step Eight: Using construction cement, attach rigid two-inch sheets of urethane or Styrofoam to the exterior surface of the root cellar roof. Step Nine: Spread a sheet of six-mil polythylene over the insulation. Step Ten: Cover the root cellar with two to four feet of earth. Plant grass on the roof to hold the soil so it doesn't run off when it rains. Step Eleven: Spread gravel on the root cellar floor (optional). Step Twelve: Make shelves. Be sure to leave that two-inch gap between the shelf and the wall to allow for air circulation. Brace the shelves with scrap wood as shown. Better not to make the shelves too deep, 16 inches should be plenty. Step Thirteen: Insulate a standard door with 2 X 2 lumber nailed all around the edge on the inside. Fit two-inch Styrofoam inside this frame. Cover the Styrofoam with Aspenite or similar paneling. If you can maintain between 32 and 40°F, you have an excellent storage place.

In our own experiments with storing live winter vegetables, we discovered a pleasure akin to the contentment of dressing by the warm fire on a cold morning.

Other Keys to Root Cellar Success Now that you know how to construct your root cellar, a few hints on how to make the most of it: Accessibility: The more convenient your root cellar is, the more useful it will be to you. A root cellar that is close to the house, easy to clean, well lit (a bare light bulb is fine), and handy is the most satisfying.

Canned goods: Don't keep jars of canned goods in your main vegetable-storage area. The level of dampness you need for your root crops will rust the lids.

Cooperative Root Cellaring: As we discussed earlier, a space of 8' X 8' should be plenty for the average family. But consider setting up a cooperative root cellar, with maintenance tasks shared by several families. Building the cellar could be a joint effort, too. Or one owner could accept produce and charge a small rent or accept barters. Darkness: An electric light is a big help when you go to plunder your store, but between times the root cellar should be dark. Light deteriorates some storage vegetables. If you ventilate a basement room by raising an outside window, be sure to shade it.

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