The optimal temperature in the cellar for storing vegetables
Zero degrees is considered the optimal temperature for storing vegetables, but when laying food in the basement, it must be borne in mind that each type of vegetable and fruit requires its own temperature and humidity conditions (table 1).
Note: Traditionally, it is considered that at zero temperature, humidity should be maintained at the level of 70-95%. If the temperature is lower, the vegetables may freeze slightly, and if it is higher, they will begin to rot.
Table 1. Optimum storage temperature for various vegetables in the basement
If you plan to use one room to store the entire crop, be sure to equip the supply and exhaust ventilation system and insulate the walls and floor. This will help create an optimal microclimate and prevent the development of bacteria that provoke rot.
Potatoes and carrots
Before laying these vegetables for storage, you need to carefully inspect the crop and remove all damaged and rotten fruits. If this is not done, during storage, affected specimens will cause damage to the rest.
For long-term storage of potatoes, do the following (Figure 5):
- Remove the remnants of the earth and dry the tubers in a dark, cool room;
- The temperature is maintained at +2+4 degrees at a relative humidity of not more than 90%;
- All tubers are sorted into large and small and poured into separate boxes or baskets with holes located at some distance from the floor. Do not allow the boxes or the potatoes themselves to come into contact with the floor or walls. This will impair air circulation and shorten the storage time.
Figure 5. Ways to store potatoes and carrots in the cellar
Carrots can be stored in several ways, but first of all, the tops are cut off, and the root crops themselves are slightly dried. In the future, carrots can be laid out in layers in boxes, sprinkling each layer with sand or coniferous sawdust. You can also store carrots in open plastic bags. But, if you have a small crop, each carrot can be dipped in a clay solution and allowed to dry.
Beets and cabbage
To keep the beets longer, you also need to cut the tops from it and hold it in the open air for several hours so that the roots dry out (Figure 6).
Note: The main condition for the successful storage of beets is coolness, so it is imperative to equip the basement with ventilation and regularly monitor the humidity level.
Beets are best stored in wooden crates with gaps between the slats. But they should not be installed on the floor, but on a small wooden elevation at a distance of 15-20 cm from the floor and walls.
Figure 6. Options for storing cabbage and beets in the basement
Keeping cabbage in a conventional cellar is quite difficult, since this vegetable requires a relatively high humidity - 90-98%. It is best to hang the heads of cabbage by the root in a draft immediately after harvesting so that they dry out. When frosts come, cabbage can be transferred to the basement, but it is better to store it in the same limbo.
Storing onions and garlic
Onions and garlic are stored in a dried state. They can be woven into braids and hung on the walls. But you can do it differently: cut off the tops, place the heads in an old stocking and hang them on the wall (Figure 7).
Figure 7. Ways to store onions and garlic
It is impossible to lower onions and garlic into an underground storage, as the elevated temperature of the room will cause the vegetables to rot quickly.
Features of storing various vegetables in the basement are shown in the video.
Influence on the microclimate and standard values
Building a cellar is a rather complex task that requires an integrated approach.When erecting it, it is necessary to take into account a huge number of factors and focus on building codes, otherwise it is unlikely that it will be possible to obtain a high-quality building. The main criteria that affect the safety of food are humidity and temperature. It is these two parameters that are the main ones and must be maintained at a certain level.
According to the regulatory documentation, the optimal conditions in the cellar are:
- humidity within 85-90%;
- temperature around 2-5 degrees.
Such a ratio of the main indicators is the most favorable for extending the shelf life of the crop. At the same time, it must be observed all year round, regardless of external factors. The imbalance instantly affects the microclimate of the room.
Increased humidity in the cellar leads to a shift in the dew point inside the room. At the same time, under normal conditions, it should be outside of it. The consequence of this process is the formation of condensate, which covers all surfaces and contributes to the development of dampness. Mold, musty air, food rotting, and shelving rusting are just a few of the problems that excess moisture can cause.
An increase in temperature makes the air drier, which also does not bring anything good. A sharp decrease in moisture levels and an increase in thermal indicators have a negative effect on products, drying them 2 times faster. Therefore, the temperature and humidity in the cellar must be constant, and also be within the limits provided for by the technical documentation.
Pit and foundation
Although the cellar in the garage is underground, it must have a solid foundation and good walls. This will be a guarantee of strength, as well as resistance to various external influences. The first step is to prepare the pit. It must be of the planned depth, and its width and length must be such that it is possible to freely lay the floor slabs. If the garage has already been built, then excavation will have to be done manually, which will take quite a lot of time. In some cases, the best solution would be to rent a small excavator.
When the foundation pit in the garage is ready, the walls and bottom of the future cellar are leveled. The bottom of the pit in the garage is well rammed; for these purposes, it is easiest to use an electric or gasoline rammer. It is necessary to make a sandy embankment on it with a layer of 10 cm. Next, a backfill is made of crushed stone of the middle fraction. The thickness of the layer should be about 10 cm. It also needs to be well leveled. Next, the waterproofing of the future base is performed. For these purposes, you can use roofing material. Its sheets should be laid with an overlap of 10 cm. In this case, it is better to glue the joints with bituminous mastic. Such a layer will be an excellent barrier to moisture. The roofing felt must be laid with an overlap on the walls.
A metal crate is being prepared, which will serve as a stabilizer for the concrete slab. The cell pitch should be cm. The lattice can be single. In order for the solution to fill the space under it and exclude metal contact with the ground, it is necessary to raise it by 5 cm. Also, its size should be 5 cm less than the total width and length of the pit. The next step is pouring concrete. It must be produced in one go to make a monolithic slab. In some cases, it is better to use several concrete mixers. The curing of the poured base will take several weeks. During this time, it is necessary to ensure that the concrete does not dry out.
Advice! In some cases, a mandatory solution is the construction of a drainage system in the cellar of the garage.
It may be a small recess under the floor, which is modeled after a filter consisting of several layers of sand and gravel. Perimeter drainage can also be provided.
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Organization of the internal space
For storing vegetables and fruits in the cellar, it is important to provide for the presence of shelves. In addition to such products, the cellar will most likely also contain various pickles.
The best solution for a cellar would be to install shelving around the entire perimeter of the walls. They can be made from a metal corner, which guarantees a long service life. The levels on the shelves in the cellar are made of wood. On them you can place boxes of food or pickles. Lighting is best done in sealed fixtures. This will protect the contacts from moisture ingress, which could lead to oxidation.
A mandatory attribute of the cellar is a staircase. It can be folding or stationary. The staircase for the cellar can be made of metal or wood. Much will depend on how the entrance to the cellar from the garage will be implemented. A video on the construction of a cellar under the garage is below.
floor construction
The floor of the cellar is made of reinforced concrete.
First step. Level the base and backfill. First, pour about a 15 cm layer of gravel, then a 5 cm layer of sifted sand. Pack each layer carefully.
Second step. Install beacons with a height equal to the thickness of the screed. The optimal thickness value was given earlier.
Third step. Prepare the concrete solution and pour the floor.
How to make a cellar floor
If you want to save time - lay the finished reinforced concrete slab. Also, such a slab can be made independently, but you will have to spend time installing formwork, laying reinforcement and other related work. In this case, laying the floor will need to be done before installing the cellar ceiling.
Planning
An important step in the process of arranging a cellar in a garage is planning. Only through planning can most of the possible pitfalls be taken into account. The garage is preliminarily inspected and measured in order to accurately calculate the dimensions of the cellar and the location of certain elements. It's worth thinking about the following:
- entrance;
- workshop location;
- hatch or door;
- ventilation;
- overlap strength;
- lighting;
- shelves.
The equipment of the entrance to the cellar is one of the important tasks. It should be located in such a way that it is easily accessible. In addition, there is usually a workshop in the garage. The location of the cabinets and tools of the latter should not interfere with the passage to the cellar. If this is not foreseen, then it is easy to get injured or an emergency exit will be difficult. The hatch or door to the cellar must be not only durable, but also hermetically sealed. This will prevent dirt and dust from entering the cellar. If the garage is equipped with a ventilation system, with its proper quality, it can also be used for the basement.
The garage should have a quality floor. Its strength should be enough to withstand the weight of the vehicle and other elements that will be on top. If necessary, the floors can be reinforced with additional supports from the basement side. There must be lighting in the cellar of the garage without fail. Its inclusion should be carried out directly from the garage. The size of the cellar itself should not exceed those of the garage, if there are adjacent rooms nearby.
Advice! It will be easier if the lowest point of the cellar floor in the garage is below the ground freezing.
In this case, you can be sure that the vegetables will not freeze in severe frosts. It is also worth planning in advance how the shelves will be placed inside the room.
Before you start building a cellar in a garage, you need to make sure that there are no communications at the depth at which it will be located. The district engineering plan, which can be obtained from the appropriate authority, will help clarify this.If there are any communications at this depth, then there is a possibility of a disruption in the implementation of the project under the garage and you will have to look for a separate place. It would be nice to know the level of groundwater. If they are too close, then inside the cellar there will be not only increased humidity, but there will also be a constant destruction of the floor and walls.
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Basement insulation
The optimum temperature in the cellar is zero, if the requirement is violated in the direction of minus, then the product may freeze slightly, which will affect both its integrity and taste. If the temperature is exceeded, then due to the evaporation of moisture from vegetables and fruits, the humidity can be increased, which will provoke the growth of bacteria.
If temperature fluctuations are possible in the vegetable store, you should take care of high-quality thermal insulation of the floor and walls of the store. As a rule, simple foam sheets are taken for insulation, roll types of materials - roofing material, roofing felt or glass isol. All layers are covered with plywood or fiberboard in sheets.
Before covering the walls with a layer of protective materials, the surfaces must be treated with antiseptic solutions.
The walls are puttied, whitewashed with a mixture of antifungal additives, using solutions of copper sulphate, slaked lime or other chemical preparations. But insulating the walls alone will not help to establish the optimal basement temperature if the floor remains cold and let the cold through.
It is covered with plastic wrap and covered with boards. This thermal insulation is quite enough to adjust the temperature regime of the room.
Preparing the cellar for storing vegetables
How to store vegetables? In autumn, the cellar must be prepared for use in the winter. In early autumn, the cellar must be intensively ventilated. Then you need to disinfect the walls of the cellar from mold, fungus, insects and other parasites. If the walls are made of brick, they must be whitewashed. Whitewash is made on the basis of lime. In the whitewash, you need to add a 5% solution of copper sulfate.
Potatoes in the cellar are stored in open boxes or bags.
The wooden elements of the cellar - racks, shelves, ceilings are sprayed with a 10% solution of copper sulphate. Do this with a garden sprayer. After the cellar has been processed, it must be dried by means of intensive ventilation.
It is useful to burn two sulfur bombs in the cellar. The resulting sulfur dioxide will kill rats, mice and insects if they are wound up in the cellar. Sulfur sticks can be bought at the hardware store, in the gardening department. The checker is placed in a metal container, brought into the cellar and lit. The cellar is closed immediately. After two days, it must be aired.
If the cellar freezes in winter, then its ground part must be insulated.
It is necessary to insulate the part of the walls located at the level of soil freezing. To do this, it is necessary to stick sheets of polystyrene foam on the walls as a heater. For their fastening, you can use mounting foam or special glue. Such insulation will avoid negative temperatures in the cellar, protect vegetables from freezing.
Ceiling
After the floor and walls have gained the required strength, you can proceed to the arrangement of the cellar ceiling in the garage. The easiest option would be to use floor slabs. A waterproofing material in the form of roofing material is laid on the end of the cellar wall. After that, the floor slabs are carefully laid. After laying or before it in one of the slabs, you can make a hole for the hatch in the cellar of the garage. Its dimensions must be at least 80 × 80 cm so that the frame and door can fit into it. When the plates are in place, it is necessary to make additional waterproofing of the cellar ceiling, as well as to insulate it.
Waterproofing the ceiling of the cellar in the garage is carried out using bituminous mastic. While working with it, it is necessary to ensure good ventilation of the cellar, i.e.to. in the composition there is a solvent. When the mastic dries, the ceiling is insulated. In the cellar, this can be done using extruded polystyrene foam or mineral wool. They are fixed to the ceiling with special plastic umbrellas. In the case of polystyrene foam, the finish for the cellar can be plaster. If we are talking about mineral wool, then for ease of installation, a metal or wooden crate can be built, on which the finishing material will subsequently be fixed in the form of lining or OSB sheets.
Funeral what you need to know
By closing them in cold weather and during the heat of summer, you will maintain a more stable temperature in the storage. Each year there are several days of "peak" temperature - when extreme heat or frost exceeds the ability of the shallow cellar system to maintain the optimum temperature on its own. In spring and autumn, for cooling, it makes sense to open the ventilation and even the vault door at night - when it is already colder outside than in the cellar. Do not forget also that condensation is a problem associated with humid air: naturally, it can drip from the ceiling onto the food.
Dampness or rain is not at all a reason to close the vents in the cellar. If it is possible to monitor the thermometer in the cellar every day, then you need to close the passages at + 7 ° C if there are vegetables, and at + 5 ° C if there are only pickles in the basement. The following can be said about when it is better to close the vents in the cellar. If it rains and slush, closing the cellar is not worth it, there is nothing to worry about.
Almost every family has a cellar in the garage, in the house, in the country - you can store it anywhere. The problem is that such cellars are sometimes not suitable for food storage. Housewives often complain that the preserves are not preserved even until the beginning of winter (the lids are torn off), in winter the jars burst from frost, and the vegetables rot. All because the cellar is not properly equipped. Cellar insulation. In severe frosts, it is better to close the ventilation pipes with cotton wool or foam rubber.
Maybe this is a stupid question: tell me when it is necessary to close the vents (ventilation) in the cellar? The cellar is located under the house. And also, when to close the ventilation in the underground (ventilation of the foundation)? For my reasons, the cellar should be closed, because if something is stored in it (for example, potatoes), then it can freeze. (Incorrect cold air will enter through the pipe). Ventilation is a must.
If you shut it up, the cellar will be too damp. Do I need to close them with plugs for the winter or not (the garage is not insulated)? Even if the cellar is completely hermetic (caisson), moisture will still form. You have not yet written how the cellar is thermally insulated from above. Well, I don’t want to make holes in the roof littered with snow, I’ll wait for spring. Moreover, I want to make an extract from the garage itself.
Preparing the cellar for winter. The cellar is a very good place to store preserves and garden vegetables in the winter. Before storing supplies in the cellar, it is necessary to check its readiness. After turning off the tiles, do not go into the cellar for several days. Then leave to air for a day.
Cellar in the garage that can be stored
If the cellar is made correctly: using heat and waterproofing materials, with forced or natural ventilation installed in it, with the construction of special shelves for storing food, then it can be stored in good condition until the end of spring as canned blanks in jars and other containers. and fresh vegetables: carrots, potatoes, beets, cabbage, etc.
In this case, not only the conditions created in the room are taken into account, but also the requirements for the storage of products. Lids should hermetically close jars, potatoes should lie in boxes with holes (if it is dry, then it rots less), it is better to wrap apples and large ranetki in parchment paper, etc.
What does the cellar in the garage look like - photo: 
Advantages
It makes sense to build a basement if the garage is owned and is expected to be used for many years. What are the advantages of a cellar in a garage?
- It is under lock and key. To get supplies for the winter, you must first get into the garage.Therefore, "raids" of dubious personalities are excluded.
- The vegetable pit is located directly under the garage in a warm area, so the cost of thermal insulation is minimal.
- Winter preparations and vegetables are close, they are within easy reach. No need to go somewhere far to the summer cottage, dig out snowdrifts to provide access to the basement.
- The entrance to the cellar can be made directly from the viewing hole. Thus, 2 problems are solved: both the blanks are in the right place, and you can easily repair the car.
- With its compact size, such a room can become a storage for a large number of products.
- As there is no need for a room for storing edible stocks, the cellar can be easily converted into a workshop or pantry for things.
See the photo below for an example of a vegetable pit in the garage: 
Until late spring, winter blanks remain in excellent condition.
But it is worth paying special attention to ventilation. Natural, often consisting of 2 pipes, one of which is displayed above the floor level, and the second - above the ceiling, does not always save the situation
It is better if these are modular systems controlled by a mini-computer. Then the conditions in the basement can be regulated artificially.
Basement refurbishment for vegetable storage
If there is a large underground area in the house, many owners start growing vegetables in the basement, and sometimes growing mushrooms, fish or other products in the basement. But you can use part of it as a vegetable store for products from the site, both fresh and processed.
All work should begin with a partition that will separate the intended storage area from the rest of the room. The typical size of such a cellar for storage is four square meters. Further work depends on the condition of the basement and its features.
You should find out if there is fungus and mold formation on the surfaces, find out if the temperature drops below zero during the cold season, if there is mustiness in the room, which indicates poor or insufficient ventilation, if the stairs to the basement are convenient.
If at least one of the answers is in the affirmative, it is necessary to carry out a series of preparatory measures in the basement before converting it into storage.
Storing vegetables in the cellar
Store vegetables in cellar or cellar in boxes or small bins. Vegetables must be prepared before being packed into boxes. First they need to be sorted. Damaged fruits should be set aside for first use. They need to be put in the box at the very top. If excessive moisture has accumulated in your cellar, then you can place some kind of dehumidifier in the room. You can pour 10 kg of salt into a large plastic tray. Salt will absorb moisture. You can bring a few red bricks into the room
This will also help to get rid of unnecessary importance. First you need to find out for what reason moisture has accumulated, and eliminate the source of its receipt.
Storage of potatoes and root crops.
The best place to store cabbage is in a damp, cool cellar that prevents the cabbage leaves from wilting and losing their fresh look.
Potatoes and root crops after harvesting must be cleaned from the ground, dried and left in the light for two days. Only dry root crops or tubers should be stored for storage. Potatoes must be sorted by size and selected seed. Post it separately. Seed potatoes should be hardened in the light for two weeks. During this time, it produces a toxic substance - corned beef, which gives the peel a greenish tint. Seed potatoes are not eaten. It is intended for planting and growing next year. Such potatoes are perfectly stored and are not affected by rodents or mold.
Food potatoes are stored in separate boxes. It is laid in a layer of no more than a meter.Lay the potato tubers carefully so that they do not get damaged. Small potatoes are stored better than large ones, so small potatoes are placed on the bottom of the box first, and then, on top, large ones. First of all, large potatoes are taken as food. Beets and carrots are stored in boxes with sand. The sand should be slightly damp. Some summer residents store carrots and beets simply in boxes without sand. When harvesting beets, carrots, radishes, you need to leave 2 cm of a green tail. This improves the shelf life of root crops.
Cabbage storage.
Pumpkin does not tolerate freezing, so the cellar needs to maintain a positive temperature.
Before storing cabbage, it is carefully sorted. Heads of cabbage with damage are sent for processing. They can be used in the cooking process or for sourdough. The best heads of cabbage are left for winter storage. No need to remove the top leaves from them. Cabbage can be stored in boxes in several layers. You just have to put it in very carefully.
Storage of eggplant, zucchini and pumpkin.
Pumpkin and zucchini should be stored in a cool place. They can be stored even in a room, provided that the skin is not damaged. Pumpkin and zucchini do not tolerate frost.
Walling
The walls in the cellar under the garage can be made in two ways:
- masonry method;
- monolithic way.
If the choice fell on brick walls for a cellar in a garage, then you need to take care of high-quality waterproofing of the plane before laying. Some craftsmen advise making a clay castle. To do this, clay is laid on the walls in a dense layer. After that, waterproofing with roofing material is performed according to a similar scheme as described above. In this case, the roofing material is laid vertically with an overlap between the individual components, as well as with an overlap on the upper part of the pit. The seams are coated with bituminous mastic.
Part of the roofing material should also go to the concrete base. The next step is standard laying. At the same time, the seam between the bricks is made minimal so that moisture does not seep through it.
During construction, it is important to monitor the vertical level of the walls. If it is planned to lay floor slabs on the brick walls of the cellar, then the laying should be carried out in two bricks, and an armored belt is additionally poured on top, which will strengthen the overall structure
To pour monolithic walls in the cellar of the garage, it is necessary to perform preliminary preparation for waterproofing, as described above. After that, the construction of the formwork from the boards is carried out. It is knocked down in place, because only in this way it will be easier to adjust the dimensions of the boards. Vertical racks are made from a board 10 × 5 cm. From below they are fixed to a horizontally laid inch board, and from above with spacers, which are fixed by pieces of reinforcement driven into the ground. When the formwork is ready, reinforcement can be made according to the pattern described above and concrete can be poured.
