A natural limestone cave is the ideal cheese-aging space because it is already cool, humid and stable, so use one if it is close, dry enough to walk in and can take a door and shelving. If not, dig a cellar at least 6-8 feet into a shaded hillside, line it with stone or brick, and add a screened vent and a sealing door, accepting that it will need more work to hold humidity.
Part of Dairy Production at Scale
Choosing between a natural cave and a built cellar for cheese aging comes down to what the site already provides and how much labor the shortfall costs.
The Ground Does The Cooling, So The Site Decides The Result
Earth below about 1.5 m holds near 10-15°C all year, which is why both options work: see Cold Storage for the ground-temperature basis. A cave starts with that for free. A built cellar has to create it with depth, orientation and lining.
Comparison
| Question | Natural cave | Built cellar |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature | Stable all year, in the band if the cave is deep | In the band if dug deep enough and shaded |
| Humidity | Usually damp already | May need a water pan if too dry |
| Labor | Shelving, a door | Excavation, lining, drainage, door, vent |
| Location | Wherever the rock is, possibly far | Next to the dairy |
| Risk | Flooding, uneven air, bad air in low pockets | Damp walls if unlined |
Distance matters: every wheel is turned and checked regularly, so a cave a day’s walk away is a poor choice, however perfect it is.
What You Need To Check At A Cave
- That the floor is dry and above the water level in wet seasons
- That the temperature at several places and depths sits within 50-58°F (10-14°C) as the parent article specifies, measured over a season
- That the air is fresh. See the safety box below
- That it can take a door; the parent article asks for a door and wooden shelving
Method: Building A Cellar
Follow the steps in Cheese Cave Construction: dig into a shaded hillside at least 6-8 feet deep, line with stone or brick, add shelving with 4 inches between boards, a screened vent pipe and a well-sealing door, and keep a water pan for humidity. The hillside method with drainage detail is covered in Hillside Cellar: Natural Temperature Regulation.
Common Mistakes
- Choosing a cave for its perfection and ignoring the distance.
- Digging into the wrong slope. The slope that gets the sun warms the cellar.
- Lining nothing. Bare earth is damp and holds mold.
- Shelving set directly against a wet wall. Leave an air gap behind the shelves.
Safety
Caves collapse, flood and hold bad air
Carbon dioxide is denser than air and settles in low pockets of caves and cellars. Test by ventilating, then entering with a second person at the entrance and a rope on the first. Do not use a flame as a detector. Shore any dug cellar deeper than your waist, never work under an overhang, and check a natural cave’s roof for loose rock. Leave at once if you feel dizzy or get a headache.
What’s Next
- Learn next: Shelving and air circulation — fitting out the space
- Combine with: Cellar Construction — general cellar building