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  • From: "Mountain Harvest Organics " <farmer AT mountainharvestorganic.com>
  • To: <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Walk-in Coolers
  • Date: Fri, 31 Oct 2003 20:15:50 -0500


We have a 9X11 walk-in cooler. We constructed our cooler, in our barn so
that it is out of the sun, with used commercial cooler panels. We bartered
for our panels which made them essentially “free” and we have seen many ads
for used panels that were very affordable. We considered commercial
refrigeration but considered it too costly after receiving estimates anywhere
from $2,500 to $3,000 for a compressor, materials and labor. We decided
instead to purchase a used large 24,000 BTU window room air-conditioner (cost
$200) and replace the thermostat (cost $100) with one that allows the
temperature to be set lower that the coolest setting on a normal room air
conditioner. We have found that 45 degrees is the minimum temperature we can
set the thermostat before the cooling coils freeze up and the unit quits
working. ATTRA has a publication on using a heat strip to defrost the
cooling coils so that you set the thermostat at a lower temperature. Our
thermostat is designed with a defrost cycle that can activate the heat strip
but at present, we have chosen not to make this modification.

Our requirement is for two storage environments; one being a 35 degree range
for lettuce and greens such as broccoli and kale and a second being a 45 – 50
degree cooling for warm season crops such as summer squash, peppers, tomatoes
and basil. Our solution was to purchase a used commercial ice machine and
directly ice those crops that can be iced such as broccoli and kale and keep
the cooler at 45 degrees for the warm season crops. The only disadvantage to
this solution has been with lettuce and salad mix which we have been putting
a layer of cardboard between the harvested crop and the ice. The ice machine
has been the best return on investment of any purchase we have made, paying
for itself in less than one season. We are in a very remote area and
consistent sources of ice are not available. To assure a supply we felt that
having our own machine was critical. Our used ice machine was $700 and can
produce roughly 800 pounds per day which was an easy justification when
considering the average weekly cost of bagged ice being at least $50.

Our conclusion is that our setup is not a good solution for storing lettuce,
salad mixes and other cool storage crops that cannot be iced directly. We
are still not ready to invest in commercial refrigeration and the dependency
on expensive professional labor. As someone else has mentioned there are
available pre-charged units and that is an option worth considering. We also
have considered trying to find a large “reach-in” cooler to hold those few
crops that need the 35 degree storage and can’t be directly iced.


Carl Evans and Julie Mansfield
Mountain Harvest Organics
Western North Carolina, USA





  • [Market-farming] Walk-in Coolers, Mountain Harvest Organics , 10/31/2003

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