Question
QUESTION: Hello,
I am a self tought/still learning canner, LOL.I've read alot of books. I canned a little last season just to see how things turned out durring the winter to see if I did stuff right. And so far my green beans, sweet taters, split pea soup, and jams tuned out fine with no incident of spoilage. Ok, so now this comming yr I want to can more and I have an old celler house kind of attatched to my old farm house. But I don't know if I can store stuff in it because it gets damp from time to time when it rains and when it gets that way, it stays the way for a while. It smells musty sometimes and others it smells fine. It doesn't smell moldy or any thing like that. Just like an old basment some times. Now the back part is buried into the hill and so are most of the sides. There is no mold or anything grow on the walls or sheleves. Do you think it would be ok for storing home canned can goods? Also, given its sometimes damp condition, could I store potaotes in that room? Maybe in plastic tubs with like sand or wood chips or do you think the dampness and stuff would affect them? Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions! Samantha

ANSWER: Dear Samantha,
Good for you in your reclaiming simpler ways.  The cellar is not going to cause a problem for anything that is properly canned.  Potatoes might be a bit of an issue though, because dampness does cause them to rot pretty quickly.  Plastic doesn't seem to help.  I don't know if this would work, but you could try an open container of uncooked rice and salt to absorb the moisture in the cellar.  As I said, it's just an idea, but may be worth a try.
I wish you well in your gardening and canning endeavor this season.
Kind Regards,
KD Liz
www.thelandofgoshen.com

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QUESTION: Thanks!! All I can do is try and I'll see how it goes! Also I forgot to ask this last time: When is a good time to put seeds in a green house and how well do they work? I live in West Virginia, what would be considerd the foot hills/low lands and I do not know when to put one up, or where to put it up. Do I need to put it facing a certin way or what. The reason I'm asking is because I want to save my seeds and try to plant them next year from my own graden plants. And of course I'm very new to this and know nothing about it.  Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions, again! Samantha

Answer
Dear Samantha,
I am presuming you are talking about tomatoes and peppers or something that is set out as bedding plants rather than seeds.  I'm in the north part of Zone 7 and I start my bedding plants in January to set out in April.  I would suggest even a bit earlier for cabbage and broccoli, but this year, I'm trying those seeds straight into the garden.  Bedding plants take about 8-12 weeks for good sturdy plants.  As for setting up a green house, I have the long side toward the south for more light and warmth.  I do manage to keep herbs going all winter and this year I'm going to try potatoes.  I hope this help and I certainly wish you much success in your gardening endeavor.
Liz