Making a underground cellar - any advice?

**mothhawk** · 22-03-2014, 08:13 PM

Is this to be in the back garden or on an allotment? If on a lottie, you may need permission from the owner to dig deep.

Do you mean a pit or underground clamp, or an actual "go down the steps and walk into" cellar? If the latter, then I would contact the local planning authority for advice, because you need to consider things like fire escape routes, ventilation, and ceiling height, and building regulations will probably apply.

In any event, you need to find out the position of underground cables and pipes before you dig deep.

**Bill HH** · 22-03-2014, 09:07 PM

Unless you live on top of a mountain, any sizeable hole you dig will fill with water unless you have a good drainage system. A hole under the poly will also drain your beds dry. Storing combustible fuel in a hole like that is also dangerous, ciggy ends dropping down etc. Then you have to stop the sides falling in taking you and your shed/poly with it. It would need substantial brick walls etc.If all that wasn't enough the soil you dig out after the first 12 inches will not be top soil. All in all much cheaper to get a good shed.

**WendyC** · 22-03-2014, 09:27 PM

Wasn't you tunnelling in Salfords?

**RedThorn** · 22-03-2014, 10:33 PM

Originally posted by WendyC View Post

Wasn't you tunnelling in Salfords?

Got the theme tune of great escape running through my head again....grr

**Scarlet** · 22-03-2014, 11:15 PM

Originally posted by RedThorn View Post

Got the theme tune of great escape running through my head again....grr

Cr@p! I trying to get to sleep,,, daa da...

**rustylady** · 23-03-2014, 07:47 AM

Originally posted by Samuel1988 View Post

Evening all,

Due to lack of space at my home (I live with my grandparents and parents) I currently have no space to store any surplus produce I grow (until I get my shed that is).

So I was thinking of making several underground cellars for extra produce (in addition to storing items which are not safe to be left in site/in the shed such as fuel for the camping cooker).

The locations would include underneath my future shed in addition to within the polytunnel (between the raised beds so that you walk over it - see picture).

The additional soil would come in great use for filling the raised beds as well.

I was just wondering if anyone had any advice on this?

Many thanks,

Samuel

Sorry Samuel, but my advice is don't even think about doing this.

**Samuel1988** · 23-03-2014, 08:04 AM

Apologies - I guess my query was not as clear as it should be.

I know way intend to make a walk in one under the polytunnel lol

What I mean is a place where I can say sink in a large plastic container/bin and store things in in which say I would have a sheet of wood on top so I can walk over it.

If it collects any water I could maybe use it as a reservoir and pump it out when needed? I dunno.

I hope this makes it clearer.

Samuel

**alldigging** · 23-03-2014, 08:04 AM

How much space are you growing on?

If you're going to have less storage space then you need to adjust the things you grow to be things you can preserve in other ways.

Jam, chutney, pickles.

Root vegetables can be stored in an above ground clamp.

**Samuel1988** · 23-03-2014, 08:04 AM

*no way intend

**Samuel1988** · 23-03-2014, 08:05 AM

or sink in several plastic buckets

**alldigging** · 23-03-2014, 08:07 AM

How to Make a Storage Clamp: Organic Gardening

Vegetable clamp

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/...e.aspx?PID=666
Boxes!

**Bill HH** · 23-03-2014, 09:01 AM

"I wanna tell you a story"

Years ago we bought a sheep dip, it was galvanised steel and took six of us to lift it, I think it held three or four hundred gallons. So we dug huge hole against the side of a building and lowered it in, back filled all around the edges and tamped the soil down. It was a good job and we were very pleased. That night it rained, and rained. Next morning said sheep dip was floating like the "Queen Mary". That is what happens when you bury watertight containers of any size or weight. Next time we tried we filled the dip with water and didnt empty it again untill we had poured a lot of concrete round it. Burying anything undergroud is problematic. Your plastic containers will pop out of the ground. Just get an empty bucket and try to push it into a bath of water, it requires a lot of force, that is the force of water resisting the displacement of the bucket.
Have you considered an above ground storage box? or wheelybins to store stuff in, you could fit padlocks if needed. I hate putting down people ideas but this one aint gonna work. If it does I will be happy to eat humble pie.

**veggiechicken** · 23-03-2014, 09:26 AM

Have you considered making a raised path (with a false floor) in your polytunnel?

**Alison** · 23-03-2014, 10:27 AM

Originally posted by Bill HH View Post

"I wanna tell you a story"

Years ago we bought a sheep dip, it was galvanised steel and took six of us to lift it, I think it held three or four hundred gallons. So we dug huge hole against the side of a building and lowered it in, back filled all around the edges and tamped the soil down. It was a good job and we were very pleased. That night it rained, and rained. Next morning said sheep dip was floating like the "Queen Mary". That is what happens when you bury watertight containers of any size or weight. Next time we tried we filled the dip with water and didnt empty it again untill we had poured a lot of concrete round it. Burying anything undergroud is problematic. Your plastic containers will pop out of the ground. Just get an empty bucket and try to push it into a bath of water, it requires a lot of force, that is the force of water resisting the displacement of the bucket.
Have you considered an above ground storage box? or wheelybins to store stuff in, you could fit padlocks if needed. I hate putting down people ideas but this one aint gonna work. If it does I will be happy to eat humble pie.

This will only happen if you have a high water table ie you need to check the flotation and ensure the dead weight is greater than any potential uplift. If the standing water is below the base of your container it will be fine but if, say, you're down near a river and ground water is just below the surface then you'll either need a heavier container or tie it in to a greater mass (as you did with your concrete).

I know people who have buried tool chests below ground and it's worked great although I'd be cautious about storing crops in them as they would be liable to water build up when watering etc.

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