{{Short description|Type of storage of agricultural products}} thumb|a clamp of sugar beet, not covered A '''storage clamp''' is a compact heap, mound or pile of materials<ref>"Cramp, n.3." ''Oxford English Dictionary'' Second Edition on CD-ROM (v. 4.0) © Oxford University Press 2009</ref> used in the agricultural industry for temporary storage of root crops such as potato, turnip, rutabaga, mangelwurzel, and sugar beet.
A clamp is formed by excavating a shallow rectangular depression in a field to make a base, with the earth scraped from the field reserved to use as cover. Root crops are then stacked to a height of about {{cvt|2|m}} then covered to a depth of several inches. Straw or old hay may be used to protect the upper surface from rain erosion.
A well-made clamp will keep the vegetables cool and dry for many{{Vague|date=September 2024}} months. Most clamps are relatively long and narrow, allowing the crops to be progressively removed from one end without disturbing the remaining vegetables. The use of a clamp allows a farmer to feed vegetables into market over many months.
==See also== * {{annotated link|Bunker silo}} * Prehistoric storage pits * {{annotated link|Food preservation}} * {{annotated link|Root cellar}} * {{annotated link|Brick clamp}} * {{annotated link|Charcoal clamp}} * {{annotated link|Clamp (manga artists)|CLAMP}}, an artist collective named after potato clamps<ref>[https://www.gwern.net/docs/eva/1997-ledoux-animeinterviewsthefirst5yearsofanimerica.pdf "Nanase Okawa" ''Animerica Anime & Manga Monthly'' 1997 © Viz Communications, Inc., 172]</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== {{Commons category|Storage clamps}} * [http://www.greenchronicle.com/gardening/storage_clamp.htm How to make a Storage Clamp - Green Chronicle]
{{agriculture-stub}} Category:Food preservation Category:Agricultural terminology