Root cellars are a great low-cost, no-energy way to store food and extend the shelf life of fresh produce.

What You Need to Build a Root Cellar

There are four major elements that should be included in every root cellar:

Ventilation

Earth-shelter (Either in the basement of your home or buried outside)

Darkness

Humidity

For those in warmer areas, check out the posts Above Ground Root Cellars and Build Your Own Walk In Cooler with a CoolBot Controller and A/C Unit. You may not be able to store things like we northerners can, but the Above Ground Root Cellar post will give you some ideas of what you can store, plus tips for year round food production so you always have fresh, local food to enjoy. The Coolbot makes it very affordable to use a standard AC unit for chilling a cooler built into a garage or other above ground storage area.