Your garden has borne fruit and the goodness you grow has been distributed to relatives and friends. However, stocks are higher than consumption. What to do? You can process some of these products to preserve or freeze them, but some vegetables and fruits cannot be processed this way. Perhaps the time has come to build an underground cellar.
Steps
Step 1. The key elements of a cellar of this type are temperature, humidity and ventilation
These three factors must never be forgotten during construction, no matter which method you decide to follow.
The materials you need are local stone, concrete bricks, cedar logs or tires, and earth for an effective underground cellar. Of all, cinder blocks are the most widely used and are available in all DIY and building material stores
Step 2. Evaluate the “inner chamber” of the cellar
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Glass fiber tank. It can be easily modified and buried.
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Bury a 200 liter plastic bin in the ground.
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Step 3. Cover the base of the "inner chamber" with about 30 cm of soil or other material if you need to store your products temporarily during the autumn
Step 4. Place your basement in an area that is well drained
The ideal would be the north face of a hill with a limited exposure of the opening.
Step 5. Dig a hole / wide access so that all walls of the “inner chamber” are under a layer of 1.22m
If they were 3m even better.
Step 6. Ensure ventilation by installing PVC piping
The inlet pipe opens at the bottom, near the floor to let in fresh air, while the outlet pipe must be connected near the ceiling to let the hot air out.
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The ventilation pipes must be closed with a net to prevent the entry of parasites and to protect the vegetables from the climate that is too cold or too hot. Remember that cold air settles downwards while hot air tends to rise.
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Ventilation ensures the removal of ethylene gases that form from ripe vegetables. Eliminating this gas slows down ripening.
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Step 7. Create an entrance
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The door has a double function: it keeps parasites and unwanted visitors away from your products and keeps fresh air inside.
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Most of the underground cellars have an access door on the surface and another in the "inner chamber". This second inlet guarantees better insulation by creating a gap of cold air.
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Step 8. Cover the basement floor with gravel or granite
In both cases they will need to be moistened to allow the humidity level to rise when you need it.
Step 9. Choose wooden shelves instead of metal
Metal is a conductor of heat and heats up faster than wood. Wood helps keep the temperature constant.
Step 10. Put a thermometer and a hygrometer inside the cellar to keep the values monitored
This helps you understand what levels are effective for storage and how to best maintain your cellar.
Advice
- Go to your Town Hall to make sure there are no underground structures that your works may not be compatible with.
- Check the regulations and regulations of your municipality so that the construction of your underground cellar is perfectly legal. It would be a shame to have to destroy everything just because you don't have permission or didn't follow proper procedures.
