Sand-box root vegetable storage

Root vegetables (carrots, beetroot, potatoes) layered in boxes of dry or lightly damp sand, kept cool and dark, prevents individual vegetables from touching, sprouting, or rotting each other, extending usable storage by months without refrigeration. Distinct from the general ventilated dry pantry: a specific technique for a specific food category, documented on Low-tech Lab (a distinct evaporative-cooling variant, the Zeer pot, now its own entry: the zeer pot).

Cost
Low
Upkeep
Seasonal
Skill to build
Basic
Lifespan
Not applicable, a storage technique using simple boxes/sand, renewed each harvest season rather than having a multi-year product lifespan
Embodied carbon
Low
Space / material use
Low
Output timing
None
Skill to repair
Basic

Note: Cost, carbon and footprint are rated against the other options for this same need, not in absolute terms.

Inputs

Outputs

What this page does not tell you

No sizing or quantities: how much a technique yields, and how much a household needs, both depend on the build and the people, so the catalogue compares options rather than dimensioning them. It carries no bill of materials and no build sequence, and it is written for an oceanic, clay-soil climate (Normandy, France). Regulatory notes are indicative and need confirming locally.