I am working on my first veggie garden this year and have been thinking about what to do with my harvest. I was planning on trying some canning but after reading a book on root cellars, that sounds like a good idea also. I was thinking either later this year or depending how much I have on my plate maybe next. I was wondering how many of you have one? A concern I have is pests. Even with covering the air vents, you still would be going in and out the door. Are insects a major problem? How about rodents? Something I have even more concerns about are black bears that like to hang around here. I've seen them do some pretty incredible things to get food. I guess I could could put electric fence up around it, but what if the power goes out or a SHTF situation where there is no power for extended periods of time? I have had situations already where I heard something banging around on our front screened in porch, in the middle of the night, only to find a black bear helping himself to a crate of apples only a few feet away. I would hate to corner one of these guys in a root cellar even with a gun in my hands. Do any of you have any issues like these happen to you?
I have had a root celler for about 10 years. I have a good metal front door that is sealed. The vent hole is sealed with bug screen as is the water drain. The entire enclosure from floor to ceiling is concrete. I also place bay leaves here n there for good measure. Keep it sealed, keep it dry, keep it closed.
sounds like you have a great root cellar, did you put a waterproofing material around the outside walls? I am drawing some plans for one and wasn't sure if thats the way to go or just not waterproof.
Root cellars are good for much more than "just" storage. Also good as storm/tornado shelters and even a fallout shelter if 3 or more feet of dirt on top.
I have an underground shelter that I mainly use for storage such as for canned goods, guns wrapped in plastic etc. etc. I call it a deep underground cabin/bunker.
I should try to seal it more perfectly for rodents, especially mice can get in. But I mainly have canned food and nothing that rodents can get into.
We had centipedes and crickets. We put a bar of Irish spring in the corners of the room and that took care of pretty much all of the pests(Except the mice, who we had traps for).
And IF you get a bear, think of it as a new winter coat and a LOT of dinners!
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Survivalist Forum
11.6M posts
167.1K members
Since 2007
A forum community dedicated to survivalists and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about collections, gear, DIY projects, hobbies, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!