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Lexington, Ky

Is 3 feet in height high enough to provide wind protection for the giants?

1/31/2005 10:59:36 AM

Knopp, Germany

my first reaction was no. but, it certainly depends on how much wind you get, and how big your patch is.

1/31/2005 11:32:36 AM

Montoursville, PA

IN theory a good rule of thumb is that a windbreak will lift and difuse the force of the wind jumping over it for a distance of five to seven times the height of the fence. In the same article where I saw the above they claimed a slotted plastic fence worked better than a solid fence while in additon letting a better flow mix through the patch under the canopy.

This year I am growing broom corn, sunflowers and Millet. An eighteen inch band of living fence which will be somewhat like the slotted suggestion and end the season with a bonus beauty for me. Secondly one heck of a mixed bag of small seed for the birds. Finally if one wished to cut early the local flower shops would buy the seeded broom corn, the sunflower heads and the seeded millet.

1/31/2005 12:18:01 PM

[email protected]

I have a little experience in this as we get a lot of wind in the spring. So I will add my 2 cents
First of all, there is more to wind protction than just putting up a fence. The size of the area you are protecting is a major factor.
I started with 8' high windbreaks around an area that is 50 X 60, did Ok up to medium winds, but created more problems with strong winds, as the wind would hit the windbreak and go up and then come slaming down about 25 ft inside the enclosure and really made a mess and in one instance pulled a plant right out of the ground. So I then cross barriered the patch to make 3 plots 20 X 50 and made sure the narrow sides were against the prevailing wind.(Which is North west to North) This made a big difference and also was probably 5 degrees warmer inside the enclosure. Hope this helps.
I do fully understand why Allan Nesbitt has 14' high wind barriers.
Eddy

1/31/2005 12:38:36 PM

Utah

All good replies...

one way to think of wind- is like a river of air ... and compare it to a river of water ... if you put up a solid fence then you create a vortex or eddy behind it ... just like if you put something solid piece of wood on one side of a canal bank... Like Eddy said ... sometimes this just creates a strong turbulent vortex just a few feet away inside your patch. Where and how strong it will be depends on the velocity of the wind.
I think Doc has suggested a good idea - a diffusing fence instead of a solid one - in theory they work better. another option is to build a 2nd fence farther away and then another one. this works if you have the room to build the second fence. I think trial and error is your best bet.

1/31/2005 1:14:29 PM

C N Y

perhaps an additional feature is needed when a windbreak
of this nature is put up:
a "ceiling", of sorts....
perhaps made out of window screen (diffusing) or plastic,
(blocking), if it could be determined where the wind generally comes down after it is past the initial windbreak, it could be semi-strategically placed and would suffer the brunt of the downward force.....too costly, perhaps....but.....

1/31/2005 1:51:35 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

Wow..I ever thought about wind protection for an entire season....I use 3 foot burlap around the startin plant until such time as it has securely nested itself..But I obviously don't have the wind problems produced in an open field..Stake em down good with the U hooks from plastic hangers and usuall good to go...Unless it a 455 Andrews which never liked to touch the dirt!!LOL

1/31/2005 1:55:50 PM

Taber, Alberta

I guess it depends on how big your patch is. I just do protection in the spring (this year may be different, depending on what I can get by my wife). I have a 400sq foot patch, and I built a 4x8 shelter to completely enclose the plant, then when the plant gets too big, I open the one side up and pull it away from the plant. The roof keeps the wind off of it until the main vine gets past the edge, which is usually when our wicked winds end (mid-end of June). My winds come 95% from the west, so there's usually no problems with it coming from other directions.
At my farm patch, I've got an 8 foot fence protecting the patch, but I'll put in a mini-hoophouse in for each plant in May until they outgrow them. This usually does the trick with both the fence and hoophouse.
Once the winds come back in the fall, the plants are usually on their own, but again, we'll see what I can put past my wife this year.
Alan

1/31/2005 3:23:03 PM

Lexington, Ky

Thank you all....great answers provking much thought.....

1/31/2005 4:15:03 PM

Rhode Island

my patch is wide open and the thing I found to work very well was a few rows of sweet corn. it grows so fast I've never had to put up a substitute for the first few weeks and like the ags I start it very early! The wife likes the corn too!this is a plus

1/31/2005 5:15:05 PM

C N Y

hmmmmmmmm...yeah, the ol' NATURAL windbreak idea....
in my case, i would have to plant the corn maybe three rows deep X about 25-50 feet long. once they got to about 4, 6 and 8 feet high i could have by then strung some string, lol, between a few 8-foot-high posts and therefore along BEHIND the rows of corn, to aid them when a really, really strong windstorm came through....
like a hybrid, natural, but assisted windbreak...
DARN that PHONE!!!

1/31/2005 5:38:44 PM

Montoursville, PA

OK.......it's winter in the Northern areas. Build a scale model of your patch and fence. Turn on a fan and see the ratios and curves of the wind flow first hand.

Light strips of vinyl or thread will flow in the breeze. You could use flour but God Have Mercy...have the wisdom to do this while the wife is out at the mall. :)

2/1/2005 10:21:02 AM

Pocatello ([email protected])

Natural barriers are great, and for me a necessity. But I
have to get there first, and the natural screen of corn or
sunflowers is usually not ready until late in the season.

I use a plastic wind fence. This is extremely porous, but in
strong wind it deflects enough to bend 3/8 inch rebar, so it
must be doing something. Actually, this plastic wind fence
is a necessity for me. The critical time is from when the
hoop houses come down in mid to late-June, until the natural
barriers are ready in mid-July.

This year, in addition to the wind fence, I plan to plant a
10-foot band of those short sunflowers across the front of
my patch. The tall sunflowers get blown down! But the 3-foot
sunflowers should be perfect.

2/1/2005 11:48:36 AM

Pocatello ([email protected])

Oh, I should mention, last year I planted a row of
cotoneaster across the front of the entire garden. This
should give some "perennial support", eventually.

Willow and poplar trees, if you have the space, will grow
quickly and provide lots of cover on the north and south ends
while not blocking the sun.

2/1/2005 11:52:25 AM