The Raven

I save my large plastic gatorade and juice bottles; I cut the bottoms out of them and they make good cloches for small plants. With some of the jugs you can remove the bottoms and tops, leaving the center ring. Press this slightly into the soil around the base of the plant and it creates a protective barrier around the stalk and lower leaves. For the cloches, as Momo said, remember to remove them as the weather warms so you don't burn your plants.

A root cellar is a great idea for storing your "root vegetables" like potatoes and such. My mother-in-law's family (W.Virginians) would bury apples several feet deep and cover them in leaves for the winter. Of course everything going into the store must be in very good condition because any rot will spread quickly in confined spaces. For apples in particular it's recommended that they be in the root cellar on a rippled wooden board, not terriby crowded. The ripples in the board hold the apples up so that the cool air can circulate about the fruit; and all stores should be turned and checked from time to time for rotting, sprouting (root veggies), etc. For our friends in Louisiana, however, (and any other place below sea level), digging root cellars or burying stores is not an option. I just learned last weekend at the LSU Rural Life Museum that they built little houses for their stores (potato house for example). Until then, I had never really thought about what folks did in areas where it wasn't practical to dig/bury their stores. Also, many people would use springs or running creeks to keep goods cool. They would tie their items off, letting the running water cool it, or sink a culvert at the spring and use the circulating water to keep their items cool.