GIY Ireland, Together We Grow

i’m going to try this, i think it’s genious thinking, has anyone else done this or similar ?

http://joyfulhome.wordpress.com/2011/06/26/burying-a-freezer/

     

Have seen this suggestion before but haven’t tried it. I’d recommend you put a padlock on the lid if there’s any chance that young children might be around.

     

A very wise tip thank you, i have 2 timber sheds so i think im just going to put it into one of them, as i dont want to waste the precious bit of ground i have, i think they will stay cool enough in there, or i hope they will

     

I had intended to make a potato clamp
(http://d20u174ifpwkls.cloudfront.net/coveney/files/2013/03/51000060071.jpg) but I reckoned that during miserable weather, such as what we are experiencing at present, I would be put off going outside to gather a few potatoes for dinner.

I had the necessary straw collected but I didn’t let this go waste.  I put a layer of straw at the bottom of a large paper potato bag, put a layer of potatoes on top of this, then another layer of straw, then another layer of potatoes, and so on.  The bags I just put in the garage.

I think it was Sep/Oct when I harvested my potato crop and am still eating them, including today.  None have gone off, none have sprouted.  When I went to get the potatoes for today’s dinner, it was to the (dry) garage, rather than outdoor to a wet and windy garden, poking at a clamp or buried chest freezer.

Though the storage in the link has merits, as does the clamp I had considered, both of these involve some effort and may be overkill.  And as I stated previously, it’s not just the storage is important but the ease of access.

     

Brilliant. Where do people get the ideas lol

     

Wow, a burying a freezer would take up a lot of space in my limited back garden!

This has always been my problem with growing bumper crops, I never have the completely dry space to store things into the winter. It is fine in the warmer/drier months where I can harvest and eat within a week, or leave potatoes, carrots etc hanging in sacks in the shed. But once the heavy winter rain starts (and the shed proves itself less than waterproof), I find mould begins to creep in and worry about poisoning the family with gone-off crops!

Other than building a proper 100% waterproof shed/garage (which I haven’t quiet got the resources for at the moment), has anyone else come up with an ingenious to store food through the winter?