How often do you see this with gardening tubers that you buy or want to store?
"Store in a cool, frost free place".
Finding one isn't always as easy as it should be. I have a shed here that is well insulated but it still can go below freezing if we have a long spell of cold weather. Last week I was worried that with temperatures going below -6 Degrees Celsius that the shed would also dip below freezing.
I'd planned for this and the shed has some power in there, as well as this I had a little fan heater that I was planning to use.
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| A cheap fan heater |
I never trust the thermostat on these cheap heaters so instead I bought a thermostatically controlled switch. It cost £35 and the idea behind it is really simple, if the temperature you set it to dips a degree below, it switches on what ever you have plugged in until the temperature gets to where you want it to be (if that's makes sense).
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| The new switch |
I've also got a digital thermometer in there as well so I'm not just relying on the one on the plug. It also records the maximum and minimum temperature so I can see the range of temperatures that the shed is giving my produce.
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| Just to double check and to see the range of temperatures. |
I was really pleased with it, with all that cold weather the shed stayed at around 5 degrees, only dipping to 4 degrees before the heater would kick in a for a minute or so (very infrequently as the shed holds it's temperature really well).
So although it's not a root cellar I have got a frost free place to keep my things overwinter. That way crops like my yacon and oca can be stored and planted again for next year without having to buy them again. Kind of like having a big fridge!
The switch will also work in reverse if you had a air con unit you wanted to set up to keep temperatures cool in the summer.
Do you have a cool, frost free place to store tubers?
I store my tubers in my entryway/mudroom. Though it's not COLD, it is cool enough to keep them in excellent shape. It's also quite damp there.
ReplyDeleteSuppose you could store the tubers in sand in boxes or large plant pots like the estate gardeners use to do Kev.
ReplyDeleteWhat's a "tuber" >:0 Sounds like something you'd call someone who cut you off at a red light.
ReplyDeleteLove your switch, will have to check them out, thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteDelicate plants get brought into my studio for winter making it almost impossible to move around. However, I've managed to keep my Geraniums going for the past 5 years.
ReplyDeleteI do this as well. I still have my mother's favorite geranium. It's 17 years old and has provided so many cuttings for new starts.
DeleteGreat combination!
ReplyDeleteI just use the barn it tends to stay frost free, I like the idea of that plug though :-)
ReplyDelete