STORING VEGETABLES WITHOUT A BASEMENT AND CELLAR

Some summer residents have not yet managed to acquire a cellar, while others do not consider it necessary to equip permanent storage for vegetables and seams. But the question arises: where to keep supplies for the winter?

Therefore, keeping these points in mind, you can prepare a more reliable storage facility.

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In a shaded but high area of the site, dig a hole half as deep as the height of the prepared barrel. Fill the bottom with 25-30 cm of a mixture of sand and small stones (1:1). Install a wooden or metal barrel. Place a strong basket at the bottom or place a wooden shield (slightly smaller in diameter than the barrel) with a rope tied to it or the basket, the edge of which is brought out. This design will become a kind of elevator, helping to get products lying at the bottom out of the barrel.

Cover the inside of the barrel lid with a thick layer of insulation, such as polystyrene foam. Secure the outside with a waterproof material, such as thick film. Make sure it seals the storage area tightly. Impregnate the inside and outside of a wooden barrel with any composition that prevents wood from rotting (sold in hardware stores). Wrap the outside with film as well. Mark the place where you dug the mini-cellar with a peg so as not to lose it in winter. When frost arrives, lay straw on top.

THE OLD fashioned way - STORE VEGETABLES IN A BARREL

This method used to be particularly popular. Villagers dug several deep holes at a distance of 1-2 m from each other. They dug a wooden barrel into each and filled them with vegetables of the same type. Covered with lids and sprinkled with 20-30 cm of soil. The top was covered with straw.

The method is good, but there are some nuances.

Without ventilation, vegetables often rot and quickly become unusable.

If the barrel is not buried deep enough, the soil may freeze and part of the crop will be frozen.

During thaws and early spring, melt water can get into the barrels, which will also lead to the destruction of supplies.

TIP: Instead of a barrel, you can use a wooden or iron box. Plastic containers are not suitable for these purposes: they are too fragile and will collapse in the first winter under the weight of freezing and thawing earth.

SIMPLE OPTIONS

If you don’t have a suitable barrel or box at hand, you can store the crop in a trench or pile.

Dig a trench along the length of the bed, 50 cm deep for the southern regions and 1 m for the northern regions. Line the bottom with wooden boards so that the crop does not come into contact with the ground. Place vegetables of the same type (for example, potatoes or beets) in the trench. Cover with a layer of soil (5-30 cm), then with straw (40 cm) and again with soil (50 cm).

On the higher part of the site, clear the platform and line it with branches. Place a mound of vegetables on top. Cover with a thick layer of straw (up to 1 m), install shields of brushwood or poles on top at a slope of 40 degrees. Cover with film. Such a storage hut is good because during thaws it is quite easy to arrange ventilation (otherwise the straw under the shields will become damp and the crop may rot).

AND THE MOST RELIABLE OPTION FOR STORING VEGETABLES WITHOUT A CELLAR

Dig a hole of suitable diameter, 30-40 cm deep. Make a ventilation groove at the bottom, cover it with mesh or wooden blocks. Along the edges of the groove, without touching the ground, install plastic pipes with a diameter of at least 8 cm. Take them outside the pit. At a distance of 30-40 cm from the collar, dig shallow grooves to drain rain and melt water. Line the bottom of the hole with dry straw. Then pour vegetables of the same type in a heap, cover with old blankets, burlap or mat on top, and film on top.

Just before the frosts, spread straw on top of the film in a layer of 1 m at the base and 50 cm at the ridge. Sprinkle earth on top (20-30 cm). In winter, during severe frosts, throw snow on the storage area.

It is best to keep beets, potatoes and carrots (separately) in such storage. It is important that the root vegetables are completely healthy, without cracks or scratches.

Reference by topic: 3 ways to save your crops if there is no cellar