How to Make a Modern-Day Root Cellar

Choose a corner of your basement far away from windows and heat-emitting appliances like furnaces, hot water heaters and laundry machines. If you need to place the cellar near a window, it can be covered with black paper or painted to keep the heat out.

Draw a diagram of the floor plan for two walls and a door to gauge the dimensions of your cellar, laying down base plates, top plates and 2-by-4 supports for the walls that comprise the frame of the cellar. These plates can be fit into place and secured with anchoring bolts that are drilled into concrete or drywall ceiling. A simple door with a hinge can be hung on the frame, which does not require a lock or self-closing spring.

Fit hard foam insulation sheets between the 2-by-4s to form the walls of the cellar. These are flexible enough to slot between the floor and ceiling plates because they need to be able to expand in reaction to moisture or heat, and can be cut to fit. Slats can be cut on either side of the cellar into the insulation for ventilation. Wooden or plastic shelves should be used for the storage of food, so they can be removed or added at will.