Greenhouse VS Rootcellar

[me&thegals]

How about this, gettinaclue? You could do like one couple I just met who live in an area with -30 F winters. They walled off part of their garage for cold storage. There's a door from this area into their lean-to greenhouse that is attached to the garage. Both worlds!

 

[gettinaclue]

That sounds like a sweet set-up! I reeeealy wish I could do that!!!

Unfortunately, I don't have a garage or basement.

We have a modular and I had thought about the crawl space but that just isn't doable as far as I can figure. Not enough temp control.

Any other ideas or suggestions?

 

[freemotion]

If it is about money, go with the greenhouse. You can store roots in a clamp. Some here wrote about sinking an old freezer into the ground and using that, with the mechanicals removed and holes for drainage. That costs nothing but some digging!!!

 

[gettinaclue]

Freemotion,

I had read about sinking an old freezer in the ground with all the guts removed and I'm definately tucking that away for another day.

Will definately have to go look at finances some more.

I'm in love with the chicken moat link from Mother Earth news and I'm tweaking my layout. The greenhouse will be just to the side of the garden but the root cellar will be on the other side of the yard closer to the house. (There's a steep hill there, perfect for digging it in)

Thanks for everyone's input!

 

[sylvie]

For now I would say greenhouse, even though I do want a root cellar and the hole for that is dug.
I store root vegetables right where they grow in the garden by mulching over them and digging throughout the winter. I can my fruit or buy from the farmers that sell apples all winter. A cellar would be more convenient, reduce the gas used to drive to the market and I'd be more apt to fill it with items that I can't store in the garden.

The greenhouse would be filled with fresh salad greens and with me sitting in it in the middle of winter. Flowers, warm humidity for the skin, starting seeds for spring: I see no downside, lol.

 

[patandchickens]

What part of VA are you in? If it's not the mountains then I guess in your shoes I might go for the greenhouse (make sure you are pricing this out in a way that will be truly functional for your needs, though) because I fear that in central or coastal VA you may have a hard time getting enough cold into (and then, to stay in) the ground to have a 'serious' root cellar.

Also the main function of a root cellar, food preservation, can be accomplished in other ways whereas lettuce in January requires glass of some sort.

Do make sure you are planning a greenhouse that will really behave the way you want it to, though -- it seems like a lot of people buy kits or build things and then are surprised when they overheat during the day and get too cold at night...

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[reinbeau]

Well, you can't have both now, but I'm sure with planning you could do both. I'd do the greenhouse first - to start the plants that you'll need to harvest and store someday in a root cellar.

 

[k0xxx]

I assume, since you are asking, that your land is suited for either. Drainage is a big issue for a root cellar. If my property drained well enough, I'd opt for a root cellar and build a small cold frame for early seed starting.

Since that is not the case, we'll probably purchase one of the Harbor Freight 10x12 greenhouses.They can be bought in the 700-800 dollar range. The only drawback that I am aware of with them, is you need to spend another hundred or so to make them structurally sound enough to survive any more than 30mph winds.

We have a location that will allow us to run electricity to it for supplemental heat on very cold nights. It would probably be used mainly for getting a jump on the planting season, and winter storage of our two small citrus tress that are planted in barrel halves.

 

[me&thegals]

Don't forget vertical growing The folks I heard about were using 3' lengths of house gutter suspended on ropes for an additional 3 levels of growing. The width and depth of the gutters are perfect for growing greens. Then, as they are watered, any drip through waters the greens below.

 

[gettinaclue]

Koxxx - we have seen those kits as well and have been putting some thought into them. I was not aware that they needed to be braced for anything stronger than 30mph. That will definately be a problem come hurricane season.
Pat also brings up an interesting point with temp and drainage. I think we can safely work aroung those with making sure we go 10 ft deep? If I understand correctly, that's the desired depth for someone like me in a warmer area?
Maybe cut in at a small angle up hill to facilitate drainage? We're in Central VA. There are homes here with at least some small cellars, so I know they are "doable", but I don't know anyone around here that actually use them so don't know if they function well.
It also had not occured to me that overheating in the day and cooling at night could be a problem. I had assumed there would be vents in the ceiling that we could open if it became to warm. But I should not assume, it really sets you up for a world trouble later.
I have also thought about just storing in the garden, but that just isn't feasible for me. With all the squirrel (sp), deer, moles, ground hogs, and wild critters of every sort, my crop would be gone as soon as I walked in the house. It's going to be quite a challenge getting to grow, but I'm keeping in mind the old addage "a third to the good, a third to the bad, and a third to mother nature".

I greatly appreciate everyone's input and thoughts. If you should happen to think of anything else, please don't hesitate to post a reply. Lots of food for thought here!

Nikki