The Complete Guide to Your New Root Cellar: How to Build an Underground Root Cellar and Use It for Natural Storage of Fruits and Vegetables by Julie Fryer

Author:Julie Fryer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: root cellar, build, storage, fruits, vegetables, crops, planting, growing, harvest, preparation, recipes
Publisher: Atlantic Publishing
Published: 2012-04-18T00:00:00+00:00

Backfilling Around Your New Structure

You have interior work, such as shelving, and some exterior finishing to do, but you now have a fully enclosed, completed structure. As long as you have placed your utilities, you can backfill around your structure and cover the roof with soil. If you used poured concrete or concrete block, refer to the recommended curing time before you backfill. Wait until this time period is over before continuing work on or around the walls.

Backfilling should be a simple, straightforward job that requires minimal equipment and expense, especially if you were able to save a large amount of high-quality soil when you excavated the hole. The best soil to use for backfill is light and coarse and will be easier to put into place. Avoid using heavy clay soil or soil filled with rocks or chunks because these will leave air pockets and cause uneven settling. Heavy soil might also exert too much pressure on the finished exterior wall. If necessary, purchasing soil is worth the expense because you will have the best results and the fewest problems later on. For larger fill jobs, you might want to rent or borrow a skid steer loader to make the job go faster. You can, however, accomplish this phase with a shovel and a strong back.

TIP! If you are planning to install a second level of drainage tile, mark your wall with tape or string all the way around so you know when to stop with the backfill to install this second line.

As you fill in the soil, be gentle with your first loads so you do not crush or damage the drain tile you laid in earlier. Be careful around your new construction. Do not push on your new walls or roof, and be cautious around any utilities or vents coming out of the structure. Soil should completely fill the space around the structure’s side and back walls and extend the full height of all walls. Near the entrance and door area, mound as much soil as possible around the front walls and steps.

Once you have the sides filled in, you could proceed to covering up the roof if that fit your design. Be extremely careful when walking across your roof, and do not drive heavy equipment across this area. An underground roof needs more covering than just soil, so first cover the exposed roof with 2-inch thick sheets of rigid foam, and adhere this to the exposed surface with construction cement. Make sure to tape and seal all joints. Cover the foam with polyethylene sheets and seal all the joints if needed. Finally, cover the roof with at least 2 feet of soil, and slope the soil out farther than the edges of the cellar so water will slide off the roof, not pool at the top of the walls.

Do you have soil left over? If, after backfilling, you have dark, rich soil left over, use it to create another garden or add to your existing garden.

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