. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to minimize the damage? I was considering untieing them from their poles & laying them on the ground until the damaging winds pass.Any tips will be appreciated.
What Preparations to Minimize Hurricane Earl Damage?
With hurricaine Earl headed this way this weekend, I'm a bit worried about my tomato plants . Does anyone have any suggestions on how to minimize the damage? I was considering untieing them from their poles & laying them on the ground until the damaging winds pass.
Any tips will be appreciated.
. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to minimize the damage? I was considering untieing them from their poles & laying them on the ground until the damaging winds pass.Any tips will be appreciated.
Either the lower you can get them the better or the stronger you can make their supports, the better. I think I would go for lower and cover them if possible. If you have a cloth cover, cover them tightly and weight the edges with cinder blocks or something.
I don't know how high your winds may get, but I've seen 117 mph sustained wind and nothing will protect a garden from that. It takes down trees, power lines, roofs, and just about anything else that tries to stand up against it. I had fifty to sixty mph winds this past spring that was blowing my squash plants out of the ground.
Ted
I don't know how high your winds may get, but I've seen 117 mph sustained wind and nothing will protect a garden from that. It takes down trees, power lines, roofs, and just about anything else that tries to stand up against it. I had fifty to sixty mph winds this past spring that was blowing my squash plants out of the ground.
Ted
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gixxerific
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I don't think there is much you can do with a hurricane.
But like Ted say probably the best is to get them low and covered. But with very high winds and tons of rain they will be in for a hell of a ride.
good luck
I live in Mo which is about a 12 drive from the gulf and when Katrina hit we got the aftermath we got 7-8 inches of rain in a short period. I remember well my wife was running in a marathon that day.
But like Ted say probably the best is to get them low and covered. But with very high winds and tons of rain they will be in for a hell of a ride.
good luck
I live in Mo which is about a 12 drive from the gulf and when Katrina hit we got the aftermath we got 7-8 inches of rain in a short period. I remember well my wife was running in a marathon that day.
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thanrose
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Crobi13, I was a resident of Boston for a decade. I know you already have experience with high winds, because wind gusts there often hit 45-50 mph, at least in Gov Cen where I worked. Even worse, I lived on the harbor through the Northeast Blizzard of '78. It is not an exaggeration to say Boston area is prone to high winds. I saw tree canopies on Copps Hill shrouded with pink fiberglass insulation from a construction site a half mile away, a la Christo. Where you living there when the windows would get sucked out of the Hancock Tower and dashed forty or more stories below? And those winds were not hurricane force. (Blizzard of 78 did have gusts over 100 mph, IIRC, but the Hancock's window problem had been fixed by then.)
There is not much you can do to protect plants from a direct hit 'cane's wind damage. If you do the "bend over and cover" the plants, you run a real risk of providing more projectiles to go through your windows. Or car, or roof. A Cat 5 can break off a stop sign and embed it in a tree, so imagine what it could do with a loose cinder block. A tarp is less likely to do damage if you only get the 50 mph winds, although it might not stay in place unless you secure with dozens of tent pegs. Use the longest you can get and pound them in deep. Think what they'd be like pulling out of your siding if you are tempted to just whack them once or twice.
Remove everything you can from the yard for your safety. Any tools, potted plants, lawn chairs, barbecues, cute statues, etc. Encourage your neighbors to take their bicycles inside, lest you find one in your living room.
One thing you might want to attend is the potential flooding. If you think that will be an issue, a small measure would be to trench the periphery of your garden so that some of the water will drain away. A sudden onslaught of sheeting rain can drive into your home or vehicles, batter all the leaves off of trees, break down trellises or fences, etc. So being high and dry now does not mean you will be safe from flooding.
Hunker down, get your bottled coffee now if you want to be reasonably comfortable with the power out after the storm. Stay in your bathrooms during the worst of it. The smell of pulverized vegetation is a real trip post big blows. The smell of leaves in various states is familiar to us who garden, but the overwhelming fresh green covering everything is interesting for all your senses. People may use the big blue FEMA tarps for roof damage, but in the days of smaller storms following the blow you'll see a lot of that green stuff that's been raked or shoveled up is now redistributed to give everything a green cast, including the FEMA tarps.
I've been through many 'canes, including two direct hits. Despite Boston's high winds, you are most likely going to be spared from the full brunt of the storm. Historically, 'canes don't do that much damage that far north. The Cape is more vulnerable.
Sending good thoughts your way.
There is not much you can do to protect plants from a direct hit 'cane's wind damage. If you do the "bend over and cover" the plants, you run a real risk of providing more projectiles to go through your windows. Or car, or roof. A Cat 5 can break off a stop sign and embed it in a tree, so imagine what it could do with a loose cinder block. A tarp is less likely to do damage if you only get the 50 mph winds, although it might not stay in place unless you secure with dozens of tent pegs. Use the longest you can get and pound them in deep. Think what they'd be like pulling out of your siding if you are tempted to just whack them once or twice.
Remove everything you can from the yard for your safety. Any tools, potted plants, lawn chairs, barbecues, cute statues, etc. Encourage your neighbors to take their bicycles inside, lest you find one in your living room.
One thing you might want to attend is the potential flooding. If you think that will be an issue, a small measure would be to trench the periphery of your garden so that some of the water will drain away. A sudden onslaught of sheeting rain can drive into your home or vehicles, batter all the leaves off of trees, break down trellises or fences, etc. So being high and dry now does not mean you will be safe from flooding.
Hunker down, get your bottled coffee now if you want to be reasonably comfortable with the power out after the storm. Stay in your bathrooms during the worst of it. The smell of pulverized vegetation is a real trip post big blows. The smell of leaves in various states is familiar to us who garden, but the overwhelming fresh green covering everything is interesting for all your senses. People may use the big blue FEMA tarps for roof damage, but in the days of smaller storms following the blow you'll see a lot of that green stuff that's been raked or shoveled up is now redistributed to give everything a green cast, including the FEMA tarps.
I've been through many 'canes, including two direct hits. Despite Boston's high winds, you are most likely going to be spared from the full brunt of the storm. Historically, 'canes don't do that much damage that far north. The Cape is more vulnerable.
Sending good thoughts your way.
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gixxerific
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Here is a good tracker for you if you want to track it. [url]https://www.stormpulse.com/[/url]. I have heard from people that is a very accurate and easy to use site.
But depending on where you are and how much wind and rain you are expecting don't forget the other things that really need to be done in case of an emergency.
Obtain a generator if possible at least to keep the fridge fresh and sump pumps going.
Get cash cause ATM's and credit card vendors might not work.
Freshen flashlight batteries, I just heard a good tip, if you have solar yard lights they will work in a pinch as well.
Get fuel or charcoal for bar-b-que pits if you have on just in case
Fuel up vehicles in case of a must go situation
These are a few things to think about in case you may have forgot one.
Good luck.
But depending on where you are and how much wind and rain you are expecting don't forget the other things that really need to be done in case of an emergency.
Obtain a generator if possible at least to keep the fridge fresh and sump pumps going.
Get cash cause ATM's and credit card vendors might not work.
Freshen flashlight batteries, I just heard a good tip, if you have solar yard lights they will work in a pinch as well.
Get fuel or charcoal for bar-b-que pits if you have on just in case
Fuel up vehicles in case of a must go situation
These are a few things to think about in case you may have forgot one.
Good luck.
Thank you everyone for the tips! My better half had suggested covering the garden with plastic sheeting but I was afraid that would not allow enough ventilation. I do have some burlap that I could use to cover the tomatoes after laying them on the ground.
@ thanrose: I do remember the blizzard of '78. I was little & I remember playing in the snow & how deserted the city was & the news coverage of the stranded vehicles.
I am on top of a hill with Boston Harbor at the end of my street. Right now, they are saying that Earl will pass about 70 miles off shore but the track is too uncertain. I don't want to take any chances.
@ thanrose: I do remember the blizzard of '78. I was little & I remember playing in the snow & how deserted the city was & the news coverage of the stranded vehicles.
I am on top of a hill with Boston Harbor at the end of my street. Right now, they are saying that Earl will pass about 70 miles off shore but the track is too uncertain. I don't want to take any chances.