you would not need ultra cold temps for root crops and cabbage or eggs, 40 ish is fine. You would, of course need it for meats and fresh milk. If you grow a package of carrot seeds or cabbages, and you do not want to can it all, you can keep them in a root cellar up to 6-7 months, through the winter. Cabbage can be fermented into sauerkraut,but its really nice to eat non processed foods through winter, and this is a way to do it. I use carrots in a lot of meals, stir frys, stews and soups, so I would not want to can them, anyway.