Storage of vegetables on the balcony in winter at minus temperature

Traditional winter vegetables are beets, carrots, onions, garlic and potatoes. Having arranged a box for storing vegetables on the balcony, you can enjoy fresh roots throughout the winter. They lie for a long time, preserving vitamins and minerals. Winter - time is unpredictable, but without frosts it passes extremely rarely. There are ways that will help to save vegetables on the loggia, even if the window is very cold.

If you live with an unglazed balcony, you can immediately abandon attempts to equip it for storing vegetables. When the temperature is lowered to at least -1 ° C, the potato becomes unusable - it acquires a sweetish flavor and becomes soft to the touch. If you have taken care of the warmth of the house and your balcony is glazed, you can plan the arrangement of a special box for storing root vegetables.

It is impossible to accurately calculate the temperature difference outside and inside the loggia, as the coefficient depends on many factors:

• the quality of the windows( the best thermal insulation can boast plastic windows);
• thickness of double-glazed windows;
• the area of ​​the double-glazed windows;
• the size of the loggia;
• temperature inside the apartment, etc.

Storage conditions for vegetables and some fruits

To decide whether it is possible to store vegetables and even some fruits in the winter on the balcony, put a thermometer there and follow the temperature. Compare the results with the table below.

Product name	Storage temperature
Potatoes	From +2 to +3 ° C
Carrots, beets, turnips	0 to +2 ° C
Garlic	-1 to +3 ° C
Onion	0 to +1° C
Cabbage	-1 to +2 ° C
Pears	-1 to +5 ° C
Apples	+1 to +2 ° C

If the thermometer mark often falls below 0 ° C, it's worth considering the devicea special box for storing food in the winter. It can be done independently, without costly costs. It is enough to apply a little physical and mental effort.

For storing vegetables you can use:

• oven;
• flexible cellar;
• plastic case;
• wooden box with a layer of sawdust;
• self-made box with heating;
• is an old refrigerator.

Thermo Cabinet This is a variant of a purchase device for harvest conservation in winter. It is worth a lot, but the price of it is justified, since it relieves the owner of the apartment from unnecessary trouble and the risk of remaining without winter stocks. Cabinets can be of any size( individually for each loggia).They work from the network, so you should take care of the electrical wiring on the balcony.

is not only self regulating the temperature, it is equipped with a ventilation system. You will not need to constantly air bags with root vegetables. The risk that products will deteriorate significantly decreases. The temperature in the container usually ranges from +2 to +7 ° C, which prevents the rotting of the fruit.

Flexible cellar

"Balcony cellar" - a budget version of the oven. Outwardly it looks like a large backpack, folded and light and compact. It is made of a three-layer moisture-proof fabric and a sintepon, is equipped with a thermoregulation sensor and also operates from an electrical network. Its advantages:

• in the summer can be folded and hidden on a shelf, so that it does not clutter up half of the loggia;
• , he "pulls" no more electricity than a regular light bulb.

Plastic box

Storage of vegetables in plastic boxes - a method for those who are too lazy to engage in the construction of a more serious design. However, if the climate in your region is not too harsh, you can use such containers. They need to be installed not on the floor, but on racks, so that they are 15 cm from the floor and walls. Vegetables should be ventilated. Packed bags of potatoes or other vegetables should be poured with sawdust. If the temperature on the balcony drops below 0 ° C, heat the boxes with blankets, old jackets or polystyrene foam.

Wooden box with a layer of sawdust

For the manufacture of such a container does not need special skills. All you need is two boxes of different sizes and a bag of sawdust. One box should be bigger, the second smaller. A sheet of thick cardboard or cloth is laid on the bottom of a large wooden container and a layer of wood shavings is placed 10 cm. A smaller box is installed on top of the sawdust, and the holes between the side walls of the compact are filled with sawdust( the distance between the walls of both boxes must be at least 10 cm).

Council

Potatoes can be stored in one department with beets: it absorbs excess moisture perfectly.

Vegetables must be covered with a lid during storage. If the loggia is not insulated and there is often a minus temperature on it, the box should be covered with warming materials. However, experts say that such equipment can keep the harvest in winter even at -15 ° C.

Homemade box with heating

Such an invention is necessary for people with an unheated loggia, which often frosts frosts. Its manufacture requires some effort and ingenuity. Heating can be arranged in two ways: a hair dryer with a small power or 40 W lamps. The hair dryer will turn on automatically, heating the contents of the box and simultaneously ventilating the air.

From the wooden beams it is necessary to make a skeleton of the necessary volume. On the walls, attach the sheets of plywood and do not forget about the hole for the pipe, through which warm air will come from the hair dryer. From the inside, the walls are covered with foil insulation material. In the cut out hole, insert the tube and make holes in it, so that the air in the box spreads evenly.

The second option is to attach a tin tube inside the box and place an incandescent lamp inside it. The heat of one bulb is enough to maintain the necessary temperature inside the container even in the frost.

Old refrigerator

If you are too lazy to make homemade cabinets, and to buy "cellars" there is no money, you can use an old Soviet refrigerator( if the size of the loggia and the refrigerator itself allows).Place it on the floor with the door facing up, turning it into a "chest".He will be able to protect the harvest from frost. However, do not forget to periodically ventilate potatoes or onions, because condensate will collect in the refrigerator.

Knowing the storage conditions of vegetables on the balcony and all possible ways to keep them from frost, you can save the harvest until spring. The most convenient are the flexible cellar and the oven. But if you do not have the opportunity to purchase such a device, you can build a self-made wooden cabinet that will bring you a lot of benefits and help you save a lot.