Advantages and disadvantages, self-production of wooden boxes for storing vegetables

In the summer, gardeners go out to their plots to plant vegetables, and closer to autumn they begin to harvest them. In order for the results of labor to be preserved throughout the winter, it is necessary to equip a reliable and convenient warehouse, that is, a basement or cellar.

Storage containers can be special boxes, which are now made of plastic or wood. Plastic, although a modern material, has long been accustomed to gardeners using wooden containers.

What are the features of wooden boxes for vegetable storage, what are the advantages and disadvantages, what to look for when choosing and how to do it yourself - this will be discussed below.

Pros and cons of wooden containers

Boxes made of wood are not as popular as plastic now, but they continue to be produced. Wooden containers can provide optimal climatic conditions, since air access to the stored products is maintained.

When making boxes from wood, the sharp corners of the material are ground, which is necessary to ensure the integrity of tubers, bulbs or root crops during storage or transportation. The design of the boxes is usually rigid, so the products placed in them do not “walk” and, accordingly, are kept fresh longer.

Along with the advantages, wooden boxes have negative qualities, because wood is a natural material that has certain characteristics.

Disadvantages of containers:

1. Wood has a porous, heterogeneous structure that quickly reacts with products if they are damaged and release sap.

   As a result, liquid is absorbed into the wood, and the box begins to slowly rot. For this reason, hard vegetables are usually placed in wooden boxes.

2. Difficulty in care. Again due to the naturalness of the material. It is quite difficult to clean the box from dirt, especially if detergents are used.

   Another task is to ventilate, and even if all standards are met, this does not guarantee getting rid of microorganisms in the structure of the tree. For this reason, many gardeners take such containers for one season, using them as disposable ones.

3. Inconvenient to use. Wood is heavier than plastic, and handles and holders are rarely installed on drawers. In addition, they are problematic to stack, which is why part of the usable space of the storage area is “eaten up”.

Varieties

For making wooden boxes used:

• plywood;
• Chipboard or OSB boards;
• planed or polished board, etc.

Other factors that affect the price for boxes:

• amount of material used;
• frequency of sheathing (ventilation largely depends on this);
• availability of fittings, steel corners.

How to do it yourself?

You don't need to be a skilled carpenter to build reliable food storage containers. Let's look at how to make a box with a volume equal to two 10-liter buckets.

First you need to prepare materials and fasteners:

1. Board with the following parameters: thickness – 2 cm, width – 20 cm, length – 160 cm.
2. Two strips: thickness – 1.2 cm, width – 4 cm, length – 80 cm.
3. Fiberboard sheet 60 x 100 cm.
4. Wood screws (diameter – 3.8 mm).
5. Screws 3 x 15 mm.
6. Screws with press washer 4 x 20 mm (4 pieces).
7. Nails.

And also tools:

• tape measure, square, pencil for measurements and markings;
• jigsaw;
• screwdriver;
• metal drills (2.5 and 4 mm);
• spherical wood cutter;
• awl;
• chisel, hammer;
• screwdriver bits (PH2, PZ2);
• sandpaper.

First of all, mark the board (20 cm wide) and make holes in it for 4 mm screws.

Next, the ends of the holes are countersunkso that the screw heads do not stick out. To do this, a spherical cutter is placed on the tool.

They saw the board into four parts, which will act as the walls of the container.

Assembling the frame. For a reliable connection, screws 60 mm long are used.

To ensure ventilation drill 2-3 holes from the bottom of each side of the box (diameter – 2.5 mm).

Proceed to manufacturing the bottom of the container. Take fiberboard and cut out two pieces of 30 x 50 cm from it.

One is for the bottom, the second will serve as a lid.

Nail one of the pieces at the bottom of the box.

Ensure the stability of the container and maintain the integrity of the floor screws with a press washer will help, which are screwed in the corners.

Sand the ends and corners of the product with sandpaper. Basically, the box is ready.

You can modernize it somewhat: install a lid and put hinges on it, handles on the walls and lid, and a magnetic latch. Upon completion of the work, you can coat the outer part of the product with protective and decorative impregnation, which will extend its service life. But if the container will be used at home, this is not necessary.

Features of choosing a ready-made container

First you need to make sure that the boxes comply:

• made of durable wood with a thickness of 25 mm;
• there are openings for ventilation;
• the wood used must be dry to prevent mold and bacteria from developing;
• the material has been processed, which eliminates the accumulation of odors and the formation of stains;
• have a shape suitable for stacking or palletizing.

You can buy a box by contacting a company that produces wooden packaging, or you can find it at the market, supermarket and other places that sell household goods.

Example prices:

• plywood container 400 x 300 x 100 mm – 180 rubles;
• 500 x 300 x 140 mm – 280 rubles;
• with handles 150 x 70 x 90.5 mm – 130 rubles.

Conclusion

Growing a crop is not enough; it needs to be properly stored. For these purposes, containers made from various materials are used.

The classic option is a wooden box, but in order for the product to last as long as possible and not cause food spoilage, a number of points need to be taken into account:

• the presence of ventilation holes,
• quality of material,
• suitable shape.