How to Hang Vegetables Upside Down in a Root Cellar

Purchase root cellar rocks or install sturdy twine or cable and hooks to hang your crops.

Separate vegetables from any fruits you're storing in the cellar. Vegetables should be stored in an area with a different ventilation than stored fruit, otherwise keep them on opposite sides of the cellar. Individually wrap fruits to keep the odor and gasses from affecting your hanging vegetables.

Clean the soil from the vegetables with a dry brush. Don't wet the vegetables before storage because it encourages rotting and bacteria growth.

Gather the tops of root vegetables. Cut off most of the greens and cook them or put them in a compost pile. Hang the roots on a hook, or tie a long piece of twine around the top, and hang up the string.

Place bulb roots like garlic and onions in mesh bags to allow for air circulation. Close the bag and hang it from a rack, sturdy twine or a secure structure in a cool, dry area of the cellar. Keeping the onion stalks, braiding them together and hanging them without a bag also works well.

Hang cabbage by removing it from your garden with the roots intact. Clean the cabbage as you do the other vegetables and gather the root bundle together. Hang it upside down by the roots. This keeps the outer leaves from falling off and, as they dry, they protect the head's inner layers.

Store tomatoes by pulling them out of the ground before frost, roots intact. Clean and hang them upside down by the root stock. They ripen over time.