Trent University Students to Build Root Cellar

From the Field to the Cellar, to the Table

Trent Alumni Magazine
Spring 2011

Excerpt:

The construction, which will take 4-6 weeks, is just the first example of the opportunities for community building which the cellar will make possible.

The cellar will be constructed using sustainable building practices. The foundation and the walls will be made from compressed bags of earth and it will be built with a green roof. The green roof will offer insulation to the vegetables below and opportunities for educational programming.

The cellar will be sunk 4-6 feet into the ground, which will create temperatures around 6 degrees Celsius. earth walls, called burms, will also be built up around the structure to increase insulation. Batteries or solar panels will provide the little light that will be needed.

A variety of vegetables will be kept in the cellar. Cabbages, radishes and parsnips will be stored on shelves built into the walls, and squash, onions, and garlic will be hung from overhead, creating a kind of canopy of organic produce. Seeds can be bred to produce food that stores longer, and there are plans to start growing storage-ready vegetables at the Trent Vegetable gardens.

See complete article by going to page 14 here.

Also see: Trent University: “New Sustainable Agriculture Program tackles Food Security Issues”. Go to page 18 here.