Gardening in Your Root Cellar

Root cellars are environmentally friendly solutions in storing your garden harvest and farmer’s market finds over the winter. However, did you know you could actually use these cool, damp spaces to garden? Gardening in your root cellar is very different from gardening outside, in a greenhouse or under cover. However, there are a number of plants that will thrive in the environment that you have created in your root cellar.

Sprouts are a simple example of something that you can grow in your root cellar. Sprout seeds can grow and thrive in complete darkness. To grow sprouts you can simply use a Mason jar and the ‘ring’ section of the canning jar. Fit a piece of cheesecloth or nylon window screening snuggly into the ring. Spoon a tablespoon or two into the jar, add some water to the halfway point in the jar, and then firmly screw the screened lid back on. Shake the jar and then pour off the water. Next, set the jar in a corner and repeat the rinsing daily until the seeds sprout. You now have some tasty sprouts for use in salads, stir fry, sandwiches or whatever strikes your fancy.

Micro greens, or salad greens that gardeners harvest just after they sprout, are another item that do well in a root cellar. All that is needed to make these plants happily growing is standard potting soil in a plastic flat. Sprinkle a think layer of seeds over moist growing medium and cover it all with a damp paper towel. You can just let them sit in the dark until they sprout. Once the seeds have germinated, you can remove the towel and set the flat in a nice sunny spot in order to let the sprouts to green up. Trim the sprouts at soil level with a pair of sharp scissors and add the greens to what ever you like.

Mushrooms are an obvious, but tasty, example of something you can get growing easily in your root cellar. Just keep in mind that at a certain point this mushrooms will need to be moved somewhere with light. While mushrooms do not need as much light as other plants, they still need a little light to grow and thrive. You can purchase a kit with everything you will need to germinate and grow mushrooms. There is a vast variety of types available, so choose one or two that you enjoy eating. Never, ever simply dig mushrooms out of your yard or the woods to grow for cultivating and eating. No matter how sure you are that it is an edible variety, you do not know what else it might bring with it. Is the risk becoming ill or introducing a new problem into your root cellar really worth the small savings?

There are a number of other crops that can be started in a root cellar. However, like the mushrooms, when they hit a certain level of development they will need to be moved. Asparagus is one of the crops that you can have sprouting in your root cellar. With asparagus, you need to dig the roots up and plant in a container come fall. Leave that container in a location that will allow the root to freeze, such as a garage or porch. When three of four freezes have come and gone, you are ready to move the container into your root cellar. When you are ready to start the asparagus sprouting, simply move the container to a warmer location. While light is not essential for this particular plant, for the best harvest you should provide some light. In just a few weeks with the container in a warmer, lit location you will have asparagus spears to enjoy. Plants that do well with the same treatment include parsnips, dandelion, rhubarb, beets and Belgian endive.