What Can You Store in a Root Cellar?

Optimum Conditions

• Use a thermometer and hygrometer to measure the temperature and humidity inside the root cellar. Temperatures and humidity levels will vary depending on the location of the cellar in your home and where you live in the country. For storing the greatest variety of vegetables, the cellar should be between 32 and 40 degrees Fahrenheit. The humidity should be high, between 90 and 95 percent. Keep open bowls of water or a humidifier in the cellar to keep the atmosphere moist and prevent foods from drying out.

Root Vegetables

• Root vegetables, not surprisingly, store best in a root cellar. Beets, rutabagas, turnips, carrots and parsnips can be kept in a root cellar if the conditions are cold and moist. Beets, carrots and turnips will last four to six months. Leave a 1-inch stem on beets, a 1/4-inch stem on the carrots and parsnips and bury turnips and rutabagas in moist sand. Onions require a dryer storage environment with humidity between 50 and 60 percent with cold temperatures. Dry the onions for two weeks before storing them for up to eight months.

Potatoes

• Potatoes, when first harvested, have a thin skin. To thicken their skin and increase the length of time for storing them, they must be cured in a warm, moist environment. To cure potatoes, place them in a spot with constant temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit and high humidity. Leave the potatoes there for seven to 10 days to cure. Stack the cured potatoes in dry storage boxes at 38 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit in a moist root cellar where they will keep for up to eight months.

Above-Ground Crops

• Crops grown above the surface, such as broccoli and Brussels sprouts can be stored in a cold, moist root cellar for up to two weeks. Cauliflower will last up to four weeks, and cabbage heads can be kept for three to four months in a root cellar. Hard winter squash and pumpkins can be kept in the root cellar, if there is a warm spot, for up to six months with temperatures between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit and humidity between 60 and 70 percent.