Our 1920's Root Cellar

Today I take you on a tour of our 1920's root cellar. Plus, I offer you some storing tips and share with you my favourite root cellaring books.
Products I recommend:
Jun Scoby
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Silicone Fermentation Lids
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Fermentation Pebbles
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Homesteading Books I recommend:
Preserving Without Canning or Freezing
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Root Cellaring
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The Woodland Homestead
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Farming in the Woods
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Grassfed Cattle
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[@anashomestead5919]

I've seen 3 of your videos so far, I love them. Now onto the mosquito problem. Maybe I can help. I have to start from a few basic facts or what I tell you won't work, because you might not get why it is done that way. While every creature will eat at any hour of the day or night... most creatures feed at dusk & dawn. Mosquitoes live also along undersides of leaves on low bushes, and other regular areas. Green wood smokes. Mosquitoes cannot fly or find their food in large amounts of smoke. It will starve them out, or they will just leave the area eventually. But the trick is the smoke has to be every dawn, & dusk for about a week or two weeks. You want to nip that reproductive cycle from happening too. The smoke has to thickly travel along the ground & low lying bushes. If it goes straight up from a fire it won't do anything at all. Think of the smoke as fumigating. It has to reach everywhere. I was once homeless before, this worked for me in the woods. Actually I was cooking in the evenings & mornings, but the wood was wet, so it smoked. After a while I noticed my mosquitoes were completely gone. I had to have stealthy fires to not be found. So that is why they were low burning. You do not need big fires, just smokey ones. Also don't leave I don't know if you mow a lawn, but don't leave grass clippings on your lawn, it keeps it too wet & the mosquitoes & gnats love it. You may have to move fires around, or have several small ones, you can use old barbecue grills or whatever or just a pile of rocks. Be safe, good luck! If you try this let me know what kind of luck you had. A good first experiment might be in your root cellar a small smoke fire in a barbecue inside it or at it's door frame. Then you can see if it is worth pursuing farther. Use green wood, twigs are fine.

[@anashomestead5919]

You had 47 comments, & I read them looking to see if you had already received any good mosquito tips. What I read reminded me of this: Back in the day Lemonade was served in the afternoons or brought out to the men working in the fields. I believe this was a natural deterrent for mosquitoes. I have used lemon peels around my houseplants & window sills indoors to rid of gnats around my potting soil. This doesn't work totally but it really cuts them down. But I think it works because of the smell. An additional thing I learned while "outside" is that Ants will go away from cardboard that came from Porter Paints company if it originally contained cans of Paint Thinner in the boxes. Just lay pieces of them on the ground. Both of my suggestions were at least cheap if not free to test, except for the lemonade, but that should be a pleasure to test as you get some fine lemonade out of it. :D

[@LittleMountainRanch]

What fantastic tips! Thank you so much for taking the time to share those with us! 💚

[@4philipp]

Regional differences aside, one guy in know way out in BC says June is the worst month, with the rest of summer quite pleasant. He also uses green smoke but since he also has lakes, streams and swampy areas all around it’s only so effective. So this time of year he layers tightly woven clothing, 2-3 layers, sometimes even a mosquito net head piece.

[@sseptember6301]

Avon Skin So Soft

[@freiherrvonstein]

Have you heard of citronella? I lived in citronella FL. I think it comes from wax myrtle trees but I like a Thermo cell or good old fashioned mosquito coil. They work so does skin so soft - in the deep Florida swamp. Remember the scene from the movie African Queen?

[@armyguy9735]

My Grandfather used to sprinkle mint herbs on the floor of his root cellar, he said that rodents don't like the smell. plus in his low ceiling basement. He even grew mint in the pathways between his vegetable rows and walk on it like a lawn, no rabbits or mice came calling. He also had two rooms in his root cellar, he also store ice for his ice box fridge. He also store charcoal to absorbed ethylene gas from fruits and vegetables like apples etc.. I was just a boy when my Grandfather did his farm chores, I never tried this tricks because I remember bit and pieces and he died when I was about 10 years old. P.S. He used to get his grand kids to paint small red rocks and place it in his strawberry patch two weeks before harvest. After two weeks of birds smacking their becks on rocks. My Grandfather single handily trained the birds not to touch his strawberry and have more of a harvest. Just an old timers trick

[@LittleMountainRanch]

This probably my favourite comment on this video! Thank you so much for sharing all of that. I have a ton of mint this year so I am going to try the mint trick - I use mint oil in my pantry for exactly that reason! Thanks so much!😊

[@keralee]

Nice--i will try that with the rocks and charcoal! Have had the same experience with mints too, and use them as groundcover to help repulse undesired creeping plants. Even my chickens refuse to eat mints.

[@bjputiputi1861]

Your Koro was a very wise man.

[@tams1867]

What a good idea with the mint in the cellar. I’ll be trying that trick this coming yr. Spraying peppermint oil/water has kept the mice out of our vehicle going on 5 months now which is a miracle.

[@susieshaw2910]

❤

[@artsygigi]

I was raised by my great-grandmother she was 84 when she took me. I know I caused he a lot of problems. One time when I was about 4 or 5 I found a place in the garden area where she had stored a lot of vegetables in a big hole that was dug and there was layers of straw and vegetables and covered with boards. They had a root cellar where she stored canned things along with potatoes and onions and crocks with eggs stored in them. I found the things that were stored in that hole and took them out thinking I had found things she did not know about since it was in the garden. I feel so bad when I think about that. It might be something you might consider if you have an overflow of vegetables. She was born in Canada and walked with the covered wagon to Indiana, her mother was the only one that rode as she was with child. I feel so blessed to have had her. I miss her to this day. She was a real pioneer lady.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I love stories like that. ❤️

[@pinkiesue849]

she knew how to survive,,glad you could learn from her!

[@lynsmith2698]

On our last property, it was off grid, we had the most awesome root cellar under our kitchen floor. You lifted a door in the floor and down you went. It was only a little over 5 1/2ft tall but it worked so good. The dirt floor is the best as it adds the humidity you need for some storage vegis. I could store my carrots and beets until may and sometimes potatoes as well. I miss that root cellar. We have a cold room now, its not perfect but it works well enough. Maybe one day we will have a small root cellar again. Great video Chelsea

[@Fyrlance]

You can naturally prevent insects such as mosquitoes from visiting your area by planting strong smelling herbs like mint, citronella grass, and rosemary. Planting many different kinds of plants and encouraging more biodiversity helps the system to balance out. Building bird and bat houses will also aid your problem.

[@wonderbubbles4092]

I was a flagger for years in northern Montana. Mosquitos, black flies and deer flies were incredible. And having to stand out in them all day every day risked major blood loss. No kidfing. For mosquitos I put an ORIGINAL scent bounce fabric siftener sheet in my hardhat, shirt pocket and 1 sock. Was like having a magic shield. Yes, it has to be original scent, none of the others work.

[@whitehouseonthehill]

Really cool root cellar... that would be pretty awesome to have. You're right, a lot of people would have the dream of a beautiful, pristine underground building, and that's just not realistic.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

I’m so appreciative of it. Thanks for watching, Jake!😊

[@dickcox2250]

Garlic. One whole clove each meal starting about 1 month before your mosquito season. They can be fresh, pickled, stuffed in an olive - doesn't really matter. When you sweat, you'll naturally give off a garlicky scent. It's not distracting nor off-putting, but it is enough to keep bugs at bay. It's an old technique used by a lot of farmers/outdoors folks.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

I love garlic so that shouldn’t be a problem!😊

[@TheSpartanBuilder]

we do this too, has been passed down through the generations, and it has always worked!

[@PracticalModernHomestead]

I wear “skin so soft” from Avon and that helps quite a bit repelling mosquitos! 😀

[@darthcannabis856]

Practical Modern Homestead and it makes me smell like a real woman lol.

[@garethm7510]

@@darthcannabis856 that's why I get funny looks! But it great stuff.

[@keralee]

The smell and feel of it on my skin is beyond revolting. Natural things like mint oils and cedarwood and pine oils keep them away and are not toxic.

[@joannewilson6847]

Never to old to learn. I’m fascinated with the root cellar, thankyou

[@LittleMountainRanch]

You're welcome! 🙂

[@creationsbyblu9563]

Whenever you need to replace those pine logs, you could totally take some shiitake mushroom plugs and put them in the logs! They would take off SUPER quick since they're already starting to rot! And then you'd have LOTS of mushrooms!

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Cool idea! Thanks!

[@wickedsourmainesourdoughsh2781]

Hi Chelsea, you asked what others recommend for mosquitos so I’m answering. I’m in Maine, US in a humid zone 5 where mosquitoes could be the state bird! I exclusively use Tea Tree oil for all biting insects including our famous mosquitoes and black flies here in Maine. How i apply it is by using un scented lotion and dropping several drops in. I lather it up and apply to my skin and hair. Actually, in summer months I use a leave in conditioner for my hair and add tea tree to it. My husband and I have had bug repellent contests to see whose wins. Plain old tea tree is always the winner! It’s best when applied every 30-60 minutes when bugs are thick.

[@wickedsourmainesourdoughsh2781]

I will also add that I put it on my clothes too. It’s more effective than deet in my experience and my husband agrees, despite how desperately he wanted the deet to be the winner. Lol!

[@grantmyers7593]

a long term solution would be to put bat boxes up to eat the mosquitoes.

[@patriciaromanowski7100]

Grant Myers my friend has one on his property partially in the woods and he has no problems with bugs!!!

[@grantmyers7593]

@@patriciaromanowski7100 i actually have one built right now. Gonna give it to a friend. I still may have the plans to make more

[@sylviabradley7355]

I love the root cellar. Brilliant❤️

[@dbaileyanorchardistsdaught5041]

My grandparents had a root cellar and when we played in their yard as children it was the “scary place”. Thank you for showing me that a root cellar can be a very historic, simple and useful place! I look forward to watching and learning how you will store your abundance! God bless!

[@LittleMountainRanch]

If I'm honest, it can creep me out if I let my imagination go, even as an adult. lol

[@kirstenwhitworth8079]

Very, very interesting, Chelsea. Thanks! I've never been in a root cellar before, so no matter how plain, it's fascinating to me. I wish I had one. Book recommendations are always appreciated.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

I love root cellars so much, especially the old ones. There's something about the earthy smell that transports me to another time.

[@donwilliams1193]

Thank you for your video it was informative. God bless your family and everyone

[@leobaltz2057]

That is one awesome root cellar. I love the history on your homestead! So so cool! Thanks for sharing friend!

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Thanks so much for being so supportive, Leo.

[@PlanetMojo]

We live up on the bluffs above the Mississippi river in Wisconsin, and there are a lot of root cellars in the area carved into the stone bluffs (some likely started as natural caves). A root cellar is definitely on our 'must have' list because we have no basement and need storm protection as well. Thanks for the book recommendations!

[@toddfischer4661]

Awesome root cellar! Thanks for showing it and for the book recommendation! Building a cellar is on my homestead goal list.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

You’re welcome!😊

[@debbiem2146]

Oh, goody, goody, goody (Just like a little girl jumping up and down clapping hands ;-) ) - your root cellar walk through! YAY! I have been anticipating this vid and look forward to seeing the future use of it. Truly amazing how long veggies keep in there! Thank you!

[@LittleMountainRanch]

I hope the sound quality didn't make it too hard to listen to. My good camera battery died half way through and I had to resort to my phone, which has terrible sound. hanks so much for watching and I'm glad you enjoyed it.

[@debbiem2146]

Sound quality was just fine; I guess I was too into the vid to notice!

[@amandacate4858]

Love the root cellar video, we are looking to build one on our new property. So this is extremely helpful.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Awesome!😊

[@andreacoughlin2736]

This is awesome I want to build a walk in root cellar like this on our property. Looks much more affordable to do this style rather than some of the dug down deep ones.

[@acoupleofpreppers]

What a beautiful root cellar! Thanks so much for the tips on the books, I will definitely be looking into those. On the mosquitoes I agree with comments below. We have big wetland next to our property that brings in ton of mosquitoes, we put in a big bat house when we first moved in and now that it is inhabited I have noticed quite the difference. Thanks for a great video and enjoy your day! ~Stephanie

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Stephanie! So nice to hear from you. :) Bat houses are on the list for the spring for sure!

[@cassityart7001]

Bats! We have 3 bats now that eat mosquitos. They were sleeping under our porch eve but now are up in a tree nearby. They are active eating all night. Definitely less mosquitos since they moved onto the property. 🦇. Love root cellars. And I saw some incredible designs accessible from your house. They have come along way since my grandmas root cellar!

[@LittleMountainRanch]

We have a few bats around here, but not that many. I should put up some bat houses and see if I can attract more. Great suggestion!

[@CreatingASimplerLifeOffGrid]

Yes!! A single bat can eat up to 1,000 mosquitoes per hour👍

[@LittleMountainRanch]

That’s it! Bats it is!!!

[@karenbuckner1959]

Used to live near Mississippi River. Lots and lots of bats. Hardly a mosquito alive. Suggest bat houses away from the house. Make sure there are no ways the bats can get into the house. They only need a 1/4" of space to crawl thru (i.e. attic vents, chimneys, along plumbing/pipes, gaps in siding, fascia, etc. They will gladly winter in the wall insulation... I could hear them squeak and crawl about all night. Our 1st bat in the house was as we were sitting down to our 1st Thanksgiving dinner. I wished our fish net was a tighter weave... had to catch it twice! They are great against mosquitos. Not great in the house. Still recommend them. --- Another suggestion... make sure there is no standing water mosquitos can breed in (i.e. buckets, puddles, old tires, clogged rain gutters). If there is, and it can't be drained, pour in some Dawn (original blue) dishwashing liquid. It will create a film on the top and starve the young breeds of oxygen. Thanks for the vid.!

[@patrickpope1828]

Cassity ART jjnj

[@patriciadavis7444]

THANKS FOR THE GREAT INFORMATION MANY BLESSINGS

[@NS-pf2zc]

Oh what a treasure! When we dig in the foundation for our house, we will be having them dig in a spot for our root cellar. I'm so excited for it! We have VERY little money, so this would be perfect. We just found that root cellar book at a second hand store, and my husband has been devouring it! Thank you so much for sharing it all!

[@LittleMountainRanch]

You’re so welcome! Such an awesome book - lucky to have found it second hand.❤️

[@michellebaker4536]

I have a cellar and it great but how do you get the smell out ? If I put anything fresh in it , it tastes like the cellar 🤢 what can I use for this and I’ve painted and put kill on it nothing works. Anyone have any ideas. Please

[@moriahhilburn2577]

Love this! Thanks so much for sharing.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

You are so welcome!

[@gibsongirl6816]

That's great! Good for you!

[@amandaw30]

THANK YOU 😍😍 This is super helpful!! I’m going to check out your book recommendations also but your cellar is pretty much exactly what I envision that we will build. The hallway is very interesting. I didn’t think about that, but that must help it insulate in the winter and avoid freezing? I’m so thankful that you were able to share this! I can’t wait until we are able to actually start haha! I’ll probably rewatch this video at least 20 times 😉

[@LittleMountainRanch]

You're so welcome, my friend. Every root cellar of that kind I've seen has a hallway like that, and when going in there is a big difference between the temperature of the hallway and the cellar itself. In the winter there is even sometimes frost on the walls of the hall, but the root cellar is still the perfect temp, so I think it's a really important feature. I'll take a flashlight in there and do an instastory for you so you can see it in more detail. 💚

[@amandaw30]

Thank you so much! I never would have thought to do the hallway so seeing yours probably saved us a ton of issues haha!

[@jaydnhughes6947]

Geranium oil does work really well as repellant for mosquitos, I used it in Africa on holiday to prevent malaria and use it at home tropical north Queensland. You can manage them by having no other still stagnant water an by creating and area where mosquitos can breed but fish can also predate the larvae

[@newworldgardentour1056]

wow thats such an amazing structure, we are wanting to make something like this soon

[@BackToReality]

Hi Chelsea, thanks for all of the great information! We have total root cellar envy! I have a quick question about storing root veggies (potatoes in particular) in damp sand. Most people say to use store-bought, kiln-dried sand. However, I noticed you mentioned that your sand comes from your own property. I'm hoping to do the same, as we also have a lot of sand. However, I'm curious if you heat or clean the sand in any way prior to using it? Or do you just use it straight from the ground?

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Hey there! I am using sand right out of the ground without any other treatment without issue. I understand the rational of heating/cleaning the sand first, but, haven't found it necessary. My sand is super clean on it's own, though. I have heard of storing potatoes in sand but I just store mine in bins in the cold room in the house - the humidity levels in my greenhouse are too high and with hundreds and hundreds of lb's of potatoes it would take up a ton of space doing it that way. I do use sand for beets, carrots and other firm roots though. I just watched your, 'How a cross Canada road trip brought us back to reality,' video and I was so inspired and couldn't agree more!

[@BackToReality]

Thank you so much for your reply! This is very helpful. We've decided to simply use our own sand as well. I did my best to remove any obvious debris, but otherwise it was straight out of the ground. Hopefully it works out! lol Oh, and thanks for your compliment on our video too. I'm really glad you enjoyed it. :)

[@bg147]

Wow, that is very cool. I just have a cold room in my house which was built a bit before your cellar. Summer kitchens and root cellars are the best,

[@TheBahamabob]

Always good and often excellent, this video fits your pattern. It’s a study into how to take a potentially boring and ugly subject and make it interesting, well framed in a story. Thank you for your careful camera work and editing. Bob

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Thank you, my dear friend.

[@TravelwithTommy]

Love your root cellar Chelsea. Quite a big cellar there.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

🙂

[@gaylegrindle7977]

This is awesome.

[@krisr1885]

Very cool!

[@carriemorgan8248]

Bats work great for mosquitos too! Encourage by building bat houses. Also a couple of dryer sheets in belt loops works great to boost with my essential oils. I rub on my clothes, hair & exposed skin, then stick in my belt loops, waistband or sticking out of pocket.

[@GinchyGirlCreatesAndGardens]

Great video!!! Love the root cellar!! Mosquitos are crazy this year! I’m going to start the smoking thing tonight and every dawn and dusk!

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Our mosquito season is usually over by now, but not this year! I feel like it’s the mosquito zombie apocalypse!

[@Duncan1900Homestead]

I love the root cellar, and I love the history. Great video.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Thank you!💚

[@sachdevalamin3174]

Disney uses garlic spray to repel mosquitoes. The reason you can't smell it while at the parks is because it doesn't take very much to do the job. To make the spray, finely mince (the finer the better) a head of garlic. Cover the minced garlic with a food grade oil. Leave the oil covered garlic to steep for at least 24+ hours. After the steeping period, add 2 cups of warm water and 2 tbsp of lemon juice. Strain (under pressure, like you would getting the last of the tea out of a tea bag) the mixture to remove the 'used' garlic. Put strained garlic juice in a spray bottle. To use: spray perimeter to create a barrier and lightly around where you are. What you're doing is making the area stinky for the mosquitoes, like someone with too much cologne on. If you eat the garlic, not only will it be tasteful, but it metabolizes out of your breath and pores (I believe). This will make YOU unpleasant for the mosquitoes too.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Thanks so much for the suggestion. We did try garlic spray and it did work for sure, but only for a short time. I think we’ll plan of spraying every 2 weeks during the worst of the season next summer and hopefully that will help.

[@terraranch1459]

Your root cellar is fabulous. Really good idea putting in shelving. Too cool. Hugs Chelsea❤️

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Hugs right backatcha!

[@mikeoconnell4229]

Good idea putting in shelves? What would you do otherwise? Nonsensical comment! Good idea having a door also! I thought I would see a root cellar not a drawn out blather about mosquitoes 🤯

[@olivias2414]

I never thought bug spray really worked but seeing the before and after here has proved me wrong hahaha

[@monicaheskin4439]

Love this I have one also we are going to get up and running

[@omalley5005]

When I was on Paris Island we would use skin so soft and rubbing alcohol mixture. To battle the nasty sand fleas. More SSS then alcohol 1/5.

[@jamiesmith1343]

great video by the way

[@laura-annstewart627]

This year mosquitos are bad. I'm going to try a electric mosquito killer. Love your cellar. So jealous someday I'll have one

[@LittleMountainRanch]

They are so bad! Fortunately it's been windy the last few days which helps immensely.

[@annettem14]

Thanks for the book recommendation. I'll keep an eye out for those.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

You must be really close to having your little one! ❤️

[@annettem14]

Little Mountain Ranch I'm 6 days overdue 😩 She is just too comfy in there!

[@LittleMountainRanch]

I feel ya! I. Hope it’s not been too hot over there!❤️❤️❤️

[@annettem14]

Little Mountain Ranch It's not hot right now, we are suppose to get rain today, which would be nice for my garden 😉

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Thinking of you, my friend! 💚

[@anniegaddis5240]

Oops, you caught up with my suggestion below, ha! Another suggestion: add "mosquito dunks" to tubs of water, your pond (of you have one), and any place that has standing water. They won't hurt your animals and work well keeping babies from hatching in the water. That book, Root Cellaring, is awesome, have had it for years!

[@bryanmyers7450]

Finally, we got to see you again! We have really missed you Chelsea. We loved the way your You Tube subscribers were growing. We only see you this way. Interesting informative video on your cellar. Can hardly wait to visit you all soon.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

I can't wait to see you, too! Do you have dates yet?

[@bryanmyers7450]

Little Mountain Ranch we think about July 16 or 17 will know for sure as we come we will keep in touch I plan to leave on the 14th from dusty wind blown, sage covered Wyoming for the beauty of BC!

[@sugarshell1973]

lol...love the intro...i laughed so hard...

[@serenity6988]

good indirect iq marketing on your phrasing for the true definition for the root seller. Very smart!! On it I em! I have knowledge!

[@ronnihatcher295]

oh thank you so much for the preserving food one. i have been wanting more techniques older ones that didn't involve root cellar or canning though i do like them i just wanted older techniques that didn't involve canning, more options the better for me. i have been looking forever & everything i found was the same as all others to can or cellar but i was sure there were more even if i couldn't give you the details.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@poodledaddles1091]

love it!

[@marlonw5053]

great vid! informative, the baskets interesting. you should paint or otherwise cover those pvc vent pipes to limit uv damage.

[@Wendyann1100]

Great root cellar. ❤

[@atxdelite]

If no one has suggested ducks, they love to eat the larvae out of standing water, which of course controls them very well.

[@steveandjacquie]

Great video , do you store canned goods in your root cellar? We have thought of this to pre ent freezing when we are not at our property.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

I don't because I have an insulated cold room in the house, but you definitely good. The only issue I could see would be rusting on the lids due to the high humidity level that a root cellar generally has. I guess that as long as you took the rings off it would be ok. Are you going to build an old school style root cellar like this one?

[@trishsmith6636]

A garlic spray you can put down outside on grass or spartan products you hang in trees. Works amazing!

[@oraevalibby1890]

Try organic cold pressed Neem oil for mosquitoes, it also works great on your dogs for fleas and ticks.

[@ahandmadehomestead]

I’ve been wanting a root cellar but haven’t figured out an inexpensive way with our land being so flat. If anyone with flat land has suggestions I’m open to hearing them! ~Nikki

[@ARasputinaFan]

Journey Through Love Following.

[@TheMrkylester101]

Dig a hole like a basement

[@Pumpkins_lil_farm]

I'm wanting to dig one under my house because the roof will allredy be there I don't have a basement plus I'm getting older and can't do much crawling in the crawl space so I'm wanting a root cellar under there but of course not to mess up the foundation of course but having that cellar under there would make it easy for maintenance on pluming to so I hit two birds with one stone or is that 3 .

[@albanymountainhomestead]

Avon original Skin So Soft oil can add EO if you like, but works amazingly by itself keeping biting insects off... Also the weed curly dock works for relieved itch of and ants mosquitoe bites.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Thanks! :)

[@HomeBuyingRegistry]

Try Repel from Jade Bloom for mosquitos - thank you for this video - thinking of building one on our Michigan property😊

[@CliffStockton]

I found managing mosquitoes to be an "All of the above" stratagy works. Remove standing water sources. Bats, build bat houses. Dragonfly larve, put those in ponds, and standing water they slay mosquito larve. I also have used BT bacteria to kill larve. Condisder using mosquito magnets to pull mosquitoes away from occupied areas. All my kit is treated with permethrin, shoes, hat, pants, shirt, bandana, buff, etc. Heck I even treat my sleeping bag. Oh and the permethrin is amazing for ticks. Finally, a little bug spray, back of hands, neck. I use DEET, but understand that others don't like (I don't either, but it works) or REPEL lemon eucalypse repellant is almost as good as DEET, much better than the essential oils.

[@notyourwhinyloonydipshitde9832]

In regards to mosquito repellent - Avon Skin So Soft. I grew up in Maine where the mosquitoes were big enough to carry off a small animal (no joke). EVERYONE there swears by it. Never tried any essential oils or other remedies as this always worked!

[@chelemichele1524]

As you say...it works and thats what counts... 🌻have a wonderful evening🌻

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Have a wonderful whatever time it is where you are right now! 💚🙂

[@markfcoble]

Thanks!

[@lisakukla459]

If you keep a couple of goldfish in buckets around your yard, the mosquitoes will lay their eggs in the standing water. The goldfish will eat the eggs and larvae. As I understand it, female mosquitoes are the ones that bite, and they only live about 10 days, so it ahould only take about 2 weeks to stop the life cycle. For whatever reason, mosquitoes don't travel far from where they were born, so this is supposed to pretty well clear the area, depending on how many buckets you set up, and it shouldn't draw new ones in. You can use the poopy fish water for your garden, too! I learned about this from googling, "permaculture mosquitoes" and, full disclosure, I have not yet tried this, but I do plan to this spring.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

That's a super cool sounding idea! The only thing I'm wondering is how to keep the water cool enough as to not kill the fish... I wonder if I could just build a small pond in the yard, because it's around the house I'm most concerned with. I'll definitely be looking into this more. Thanks!

[@jenniferjeehoy-warner9015]

HI! This past July/August we developed a MOLD issue in our cellar!! We have attempted to save everything that we could salvage, which has NOT been much; however, my issue is greater than my current loss IF I cannot get rid of the mold. Who, What, When, Where & how do I identify resources to know where to begin? What might I try?

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Ok, here’s what I would do - spray the entire thing down with some sort of spray, I use EO’s like Teatree and Thieves, but you could use anything, even bleach to kill the mold. Then, dry it out! Leave the doors open and put a fan in to get the air moving. Lastly, make sure you wash whatever you’re storing you veggies I’m really well and leave them out in the sun to dry thoroughly before you use them again. If you do all that you should be able to win the battle. Best of luck!!

[@GypsyBrokenwings]

My friends mom use to go to our camp site a day ahead of time, with a pump sprayer loaded with lemon scented dish soap and a little water... Shed spray the whole site down. We didn't have problems with no serums or mosquitoes. Do you have any solutions for ticks?

[@hannarae4311]

A garlic spray works wonderful for repelling mosquitos!

[@elizabethshaw2839]

Love your root cellar! You know if it was built in the 1920 the pine logs have lasted a really long time! So if it hasn't been replaced I wouldn't spend the extra money on treated wood! Oh for the mosquito problem try skin so soft by Avon, they use it in the jungles! Its oil in spray form or rub on. Sells so good unlike bug spray but it really works! Can order online and not expensive! Enjoyed your video! 😀

[@LittleMountainRanch]

I can’t tell by looking if they were put in after, maybe in the 70’s when they did the other upgrades. Either way, you’re right, they held up really well. Skin so soft has been suggested a few times so I’ll order and give it a try. Thanks!

[@KoalityofLife]

Thank you. Starting to dig out the space for our walipini and I wanted to attach a root cellar to the end of it. I was wondering how big your root cellar was so I looked through your videos figuring you would have a few about the root cellar. If you were to make a new root cellar would you make it bigger or smaller or different than the one you have? Thanks. :)

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Hey! I would make it a little bigger, maybe by another few feet all the way around. By the time it’s filled I can hardly move in there. I would also add shelving.

[@KoalityofLife]

@@LittleMountainRanch sounds good, thank you. :)

[@beyondmountainshomestead2468]

Your ranch has amazing history, have you ever considered metal detecting to see what historical relics you may discover? Have an awesome day my friend!!

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Liam has one and my yard has about a hundred holes now because of it. lol He hasn't found anything super spectacular so far, but some cool old hinges, bullets and nails in abundance. I'm starting to film and adoption series to add to the channel, which I thought you'd appreciate. You've only been waiting a year. 😉

[@rickmanley767]

This makes me appreciate living in the Pacific Northwest, I just don’t have to deal with bugs that much.

[@thisorthat7626]

This was very helpful. The fact that the pine logs seem to have lasted for 100 years means they work fine. :) The root cellar certainly lasted for the life of the original builder. If the interior of the cellar has earthen walls, why can't you let the pine logs rot in place? I understand wanting to have things nice inside. Thank you for your video seeing an original root cellar helps a lot. Blessings.

[@jodiebennett1719]

Could you use it as a storm celler at the same time as long as it's flood proof?

[@LittleMountainRanch]

We don’t have threatening rain or wind storms in our area, thankfully. Forest fire and drought are our largest environmental challenges.

[@hilchan9657]

Thanks for posting the video! BTW what temperature is your root cellar? Does it stay fairly consistent throughout the seasons?

[@LittleMountainRanch]

You're welcome. Around 11 degrees Celsius and it does stay pretty consistent year around.

[@russsherwood5978]

thats a great root cellar, i like babby oil infused with sage and/or ever green, but i think it,s the co2 we exhale that attracks them, thank you for shareing yer root cellar

[@LittleMountainRanch]

You're so welcome! Thanks for the tip!

[@jacoboverton777]

I just burn a little smuge fire in a small tin can or coffee can near were I'm working and it keeps bugs at Bay , , just some paper and leaves and stick maybe some old grease from the kitchen too , good luck 🤞

[@veronica978]

My mom use to keep skin so soft from Avon to help reduce mosquitoes on us as kids… I don’t know the science behind it but I remember it helping without having to use the harsh stuff

[@davidsto9064]

I had mosquitos so bad I couldn’t go outside for two summers. I would pull in the lane and they would swarm my truck. I’d run inside and get bite. It was horrible. I added bird feeders near the house and that cut them down massively. I was going to get bat boxes too, but the birds really helped. I do have bats here too. Keep the grass cut helped ( I hate cutting grass) and keeping shrubs cut back near the house, and yard. I had to put larva killer in the pond, but year three of them getting bad the Dragonfly’s increases in the area and beat them back too. Dragonflies kill them in the pond and in the air.... plant things to attract them if you can.

[@007darryl]

Very nice...

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Thanks, Darryl.

[@annamcg928]

We have a small thermacell for mosquitoes when we are in a bad spot with several.

[@gengc2003]

Lots of people where we live put up gourds and birdhouses to attract birds that eat mosquitos. I haven't really studied which birds, but know lots of them do eat mosquitos. Where we live, along the U S gulf coast - Martin's, bats, and other birds are good at catching/eating them. The older folks use this deterrent a lot here.

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Great idea!

[@HHeirloomIA]

Less is more for true. That root cellar is awesome. Simple living at its best. :)

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Yes! 🙂

[@soulvaccination8679]

Looks like a great way to live.

[@GypsyBrokenwings]

Do you have any problems with water getting in?

[@theheritagehousesc]

I love your root cellar! I have that root cellar book and love it! A lot of great ideas in it!

[@ssyr3155]

Hi there... I'm really interested in building a root cellar and I always think we can learn so much from the past... I was just wondering, do you have any problems by heavy rain fall? Water inside?

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Thankfully not at all, but I think that’s more due to our dry climate than to the way it’s built.

[@HipHopCantSaveMe]

Great video thank you! Is sand better than straw or sawdust?

[@LittleMountainRanch]

I think so.😊

[@lisabooker6405]

Lovely root cellar. My dream is to have one myself...someday. Hoping all is well with yourself and the family. God Bless ~ Lisa

[@LittleMountainRanch]

I was so excited when we were looking at this place and I came around the corner and saw the root cellar. I think I may have squealed. lol

[@lisabooker6405]

Little Mountain Ranch I definitely would have! 😆

[@parkij11]

Perfect.

[@tremjm]

My grandmother had a root cellar. I remember going down there once, I was pretty young. She stopped using it saying the slugs took it over. Have you had any issues with slugs?

[@roseannehunsaker2378]

I notice that your root cellar has dirt walls. I would love more information on this specifically. All the plans i can find use cinder block walls, but I would like to use dirt walls to keep up the humidity. How has your structure not collapsed in on itself without walls?

[@commonconservative7551]

aside from smoke/monoxide , I wonder if a root cellar would be good to use for a cold smoker?.......sure would smell cozy afterwards

[@LittleMountainRanch]

I e mover considered that. Cool idea!

[@commonconservative7551]

..........sure would get rid of other odors, may ever keep mold spores down

[@Thereisonlyonefrankdatank]

My skeeter advice Shower less (in AK it was general consensus that ya got bit up terribly after a shower) use ivory soap (I don’t know why this works but it does) stand in smoky fires (after a shower we’d smoke ourselves) don’t use scents or perfumes, Avon’s skin so soft after shower, tea tree, citronella and accept that some times ya just gotta use deet. Pin unused dryer sheats to ya or try just putting the bug spray on the sheets. Smudge fire help some times. Vegemite if you can stomach it helps if ya get some every morning and long light comfortable clothes if they ain’t light and comfortable you won’t wear them. Wash clothes in scent free detergent add your essential oils in rinse cycle and hang them to dry so your oils don’t evaporate in the dryer, or smoke and pre spray clothes in extreme circumstance What I learned from a summer in Alaskan Bush where skeeters are nightmare level

[@Thereisonlyonefrankdatank]

The skin soft is magic I swear and it’s great for getting our stains and sticky stuff out of fabric. Works great for tar. It’s pricey but worth it buy in bulk if ya can

[@LittleMountainRanch]

Thank you so much!!! All awesome tips!😊

[@daniellemack5648]

Birch bark when you burn it gives off a black smoke that will keep the bugs away. Birch is also the only tree that you can take the bark off all the way around the tree and not kill the tree. So, next summer find a birtch tree peel a bunch of bark off and burn it on your next summer project. You could also try rubbing the wet inner bark on your skin as a natural mosquitoe repellent. Or catch a dragonfly and keep it in a jar next to you for the day. Dragonflies are natural enemies of mosquitoes. Try to promote bats, purple martins, dragonflies, and daddy long legs on your property. Put up as many bird houses and feeders as you can! Most birds eat bugs including mosquitoes. Purple Martin's though love mosquitoes and live in purple martin hotels. Grow Lemmon grass (the main ingredient in citronella. if you have a nearby body of water, swamp, pond or lake add Gambusia, bluegill, bass and catfish. My grandma is on a lake surrounded by swamps out in the middle of nowhere. Tons of bluegill and bass in her lake, lots of dragonflies. My grandfather even has a purple martin hotel he put up every year on a pole in the center of his back yard. Out on the lake or in their yard we almost never saw a mosquito, unless we ventured into the woods.

[@faeryb0mb517]

maybe some sort of insect trap might work? we have a flea trap. a white plasticy thing with a light and the fleas die when they hop inside it. maybe something like that could work?