# Crawlspace storage



## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

It has it's good and bad points. 

We've got a 3/4 basement and a pretty good sized (floor to ceiling wise) crawlspace. I can stand up in about half of it, the other half is around 4 feet floor to ceiling. 

Since we now have the woodburner going in the basement cold storage of produce has become an iffy proposition. While the crawlspace is by no means secure and it is very drafty since both ends are open (big heat loss under the house, I know. Trying to remedy that with insulation) it does have the potential for storage besides my stash of scrap. I had thought about using the space for potted tulip bulbs and other bulbs for forcing in the late winter. But then I thought it might with a little work make a good "root cellar" storage place. It rarely freezes down there and the draft on the front side could be eliminated by putting a bale of straw over the hole. The opening in back needs something bigger to close it up, I do have some ideas I'm kicking around. 

Anyways, the potato issue popped up today. My spuds in the garden were a sad sorry series of bad coincidences and poor planning. I plan on covering the survivors with a thick layer of straw and leaving them to produce a crop for next year. So what to do for potatoes this winter and spring? Kroger has them on sale, 5 pound bags 10 for $10. A good deal without a doubt. Mice and other critters can get into the crawlspace so I thought I could get a plastic storage bin and keep the potatoes in that. I've done quite a bit of reading on root cellaring and most sources say that many crops can be kept packed in straw or sand. Dried leaves can also be used and would have been an option if it hadn't rained all day yesterday. I took the plastic bin into the crawlspace along with a bundle of dry clean straw. I spread a layer of straw on the bottom of the container, put in a layer of potatoes after I checked to make sure they had no bad spots. Added another layer of straw followed by a layer of potatoes and so on until the last layer of potatoes which did have a few with healed over nicks. Those were topped with a layer of straw and I put the lid on the box. I got one of those bins with the latches so I don't have to worry about critters taking the lid off. If I can get even one end of the crawlspace closed off I shouldn't have to worry too much about the bin freezing but even so I left some potatoes in an unheated house last year and they survived our frigid winter just fine. I will have to check the potatoes occasionally just to make sure none are going bad. The few bad ones need to be used up within a couple weeks. 

There is the potential to store other crops this way. Carrots, cabbage, leeks, apples, and parsnips all can be stored in a root cellar. This is a work in progress. Other than the big bin of potatoes my grandparents kept in the back room of their cellar I have no experience with this kind of cold storage. If it works and I can get the area more secure from mice and rats I plan to use it a lot more next year.


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## 7thswan (Nov 18, 2008)

Sounds Good. You could even put small holes in the totes if you needed. I store my potatoes in paper boxes that have holes in them with newspaper. Once in a while mice have gotten in the pantry thru the dryer vent. They have never messed with the potatoes. I've never tryed to store leeks tho. You don't want to store your apples neer other cellar foods tho.


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## momof2birds (Aug 14, 2010)

We have a crawl space the full length of our house and would like to dig up our potatoes to store there. I, too, am worried about mice getting in to them. I think heavy plastic bins would be the way to go. We use a shrink wrap system for storing fruits and vegetables in a closet storage area and wonder if that would work for the potatoes in the crawl space. Or would it just be best to let them winter deep in the garden soil where they are?


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

I'd leave them in the soil. At the first hint of warmth, I've found that potatoes either sprout or rot. No way would I store a large bunch of potatoes together either - too much chance of one with rot infecting the others. If you've ever cleaned up bags of rotten potatoes you may rethink what a great "deal" that 10 for $10 is. If you have access to a lot of dry sawdust, it might work as a storage medium, absorbing the goop from the rotting ones. Sweet potatoes and squash are much better behaved for long term storage.


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> I think heavy plastic bins would be the way to go


Mice will go through plastic in just a few minutes

You need metal containers or a hardware cloth (1/4 inch) enclosure to keep mice out


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## jwal10 (Jun 5, 2010)

Potatoes need cool dry air not himidity and darkness, moisture build up in sealed plastic or metal containers will cause rot. You need something to keep varmits out but also let out humidity. A good cellar is vented for air circulation. Figure out what you use between trips to town and let them store it. Spend your time researching and getting things ready for when you do have a crop....James


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> Since we now have the woodburner going in the basement cold storage of produce has become an iffy proposition


Could you build a wall to seperate the basement from the crawl space?

That could give you a "root cellar"

Since it wouldn't *have *to be "structural" you *could *wall it off with nothing more than styrofoam panels on a light framework


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

My basement is separate from the crawlspace. There is a block support wall between the two. But the styrofoam panel on a framework is the idea I was kicking around for a "door" between the crawlspace and the outside. I had thought of building a cold room in the basement but there's not enough room for that.

It's not any more humid there than the outside air. It is lit with a couple shop lights. Not total darkness but enough light that stored potatoes would turn green unless they are covered.

The plastic bin isn't the airtight seal type. I do plan on checking for moisture and rot problems on a regular basis. The problem with the store storing the potatoes is the store is about 15 or so miles round trip. When potatoes sit around in the store they do turn green. These were just unpacked and in real good shape. As I said, I checked for any potentially bad ones and those were either eaten last night (oven roasted potatoes with onions, mmmmm) or right on top where I can get to them first. 

There really is no acceptable place in the house to store potatoes for more than a week or two. I like potatoes but not every day. I probably won't fix any more this week.

Sawdust would have been better, but no access to lots of sawdust. Had to work with what I've got. I did store potatoes in plastic buckets last year with no rot. Had them in ds's house which was heated just enough to stay above freezing. Not an option this year. We will be working in there and will need to keep it wamer. Plus the mice were unreal! They didn't eat the potatoes but they did get every single squash I had stored. 

I don't plan to store the potatoes there all winter. I expect most will be gone in a month or so. The ones I grew are still in the ground and I figure they will still be there in the spring. I've got the straw to cover them to keep them from freezing. 

I really don't want to clean up a bunch of rotten potatoes, btdt, not fun. Just threw out a few I had forgotten that were stinking up the kitchen. 

This is a work in progress. I have the potential for setting up an actual root cellar at the guest house. Just trying to see if this could work or be more efficient. 

I appreciate the input and will keep everyone posted as to how this works. I don't expect these potatoes to last much past Christmas. If they are available we eat them too fast.


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## Harry Chickpea (Dec 19, 2008)

Just wondering, since you don't have access to sawdust, I wonder if DRY leaf mulch or leaves could substitute?


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> I wonder if DRY leaf mulch or leaves could substitute?


Hay would work well


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## secretcreek (Jan 24, 2010)

I think wheat straw or oat I guess would do better than hay which has so much more organic-leafy, moldy if moist, kind of flattening stuff...straw is so much more tubular in shape and more airy. Make sense? My vet always tells me not to use hay for my dog, but that straw is much better...he stated the organic material as potentially more moldy... dialogue.

=scrt crk


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## Danaus29 (Sep 12, 2005)

Well dried leaves would work just fine. I've stored bulbs in dried leaves before with no problems. My window for getting well dried leaves is unfortunately past. Shredded cardboard would be good also but I've heard it's expensive. Wood shavings could probably also be used.

Has anyone used cedar shavings to store potatoes? That would keep mice away but I don't know if it would affect potatoes.

What straw I didn't use for taters is covered and stored for use in the rabbit cages and mulch in the garden, if it lasts that long.

I saw in the trash can storage thread the tip about using hardware cloth. That would be a great idea. Build a frame out of wood and staple hardware cloth to the inside of the wood frame. Make a cover too. Set the frame on concrete blocks or bricks so the wood isn't in contact with the soil (I wouldn't want to use treated lumber for this). Then if you have a lining of straw, sawdust or leaves that keeps the potatoes covered enough they wouldn't turn green. A cardboard box or cardboard inside the frame would give enough cover too.

I just got enough straw bales to cover the openings in the front and back of the crawlspace. Needed the insulation anyway. Where it had been stored they either had a huge mouse problem or it's going to be a long nasty winter. There were lots of little hollows (not holes, just areas about the size and shape of half a golf ball) on the top and bottom of the bales. I have never seen anything like that before, but then we always had cats in our barn.


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