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hi. i am wondering how high of a windbreak and of what material do most of you use for your plants.
i site-searched 'windbreaks' and saw mainly ones that were only about 4 feet high and/or made of windscreen material;
if i had some extra $$ i would look-into that option.
i have an idea that 6-foot-high wooden fences, although supreme against the wind, are great blockers of sun,
so i was thinking of taking out every other board on them and lacing-through there some 5-6-foot 4 mil plastic sheet, so i'd have a combination windbreak/window of sorts.
any replies appreciated. i could also end up cutting those fences down to 4 or 5 feet and pay nothing, as they were bought JUST to protect plants---thank you---pumpkinpal2

5/11/2009 6:34:33 PM

Jefferson Ohio

check with nurseries in your area your looking for shade cloth something you can cut 6' high and as long as you can get i found 40%it realy kills the wind and doesnt block enough sun to realy slow the plant down and you can see through it to check on plants (every 10 min or so) a post every 8-10' works for me. had 45mph winds this past wknd -plants didnt even wiggle if they have used stuff youl get it cheap good luck keep thinkin ahead!

5/11/2009 9:31:27 PM

Eugene, OR

No expert here but this is what I did: http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=24062 Wind was a huge issue until I installed this. I used 20% shade cloth and it was 8 feet tall. If I rememeber correctly, I bought it from IGC. I bought the bulk product but they offer it fabricated to size with grommets and reinforced edges as well. Buy the knit version if you go with shade cloth as a tear won't spread or unravel the rest of it.

5/11/2009 10:43:05 PM

Breslau, Ontario, Canada

This year I will plan on making a "natural" windbreak from a double row of corn around the patch. I think it will look cool and I should have a bunch of sweet corn to eat in a few months. Anybody see a problem with using corn as a windbreak in the the patch?

5/11/2009 11:45:01 PM

Gold Hill, Oregon

i agree with john d farmer. wind break and food to boot!

5/12/2009 1:41:39 AM

Ontario

Great idea John...windbreak, good food, and low cost....itsa...win win win...go gvgo!!!

5/12/2009 1:48:57 AM

Boise City, Oklahoma, USA

4' fencing, tarps with extra grommets set, wired on... at the young vines I use 2'x2' round feedtubs (oversized pails) close to them for additional windbreak, that I can move, until main is at least 7'. And some in-patch temp windbreaking of perimeter fence materials during coldest weather while hoops are still up.

5/12/2009 2:57:39 AM

Breslau, Ontario, Canada

I found this article this morning.

http://eap.mcgill.ca/MagRack/EFA/EF_93_A_01.htm

5/12/2009 9:44:50 AM

Ohio

John, I use corn as a wind break also, the only thing I dont like about it is when you plant the corn close to your patch the tassel part(pollen?) falls all over your pumpkin leaves, and there is alot of it beleieve me. Some time it can be a pain to get it off the leaves.
But what I do now is plant old Junk corn seeds so to speak,, close to my plants, and when the tassel part starts to grow I just cut it off before it has a chance to fall. Although you wont have no corn but ya still have a great wind break with out the mess,,lol.

5/12/2009 11:36:18 AM

Ohio

great post Eric, and good timing for growers who dont realize the importance of a wind break, you definatly need it!

5/12/2009 11:43:28 AM

Pocatello ([email protected])

What I do, is get lots of used wood pallets wherever I can find them. Then they become temporary fences wherever I need them. Early in the year I can construct a fence directly around the plant, maybe 10 feet away, and then as the plant grows I just move the fence to where I need it. I use steel posts to hold the pallets upright.

It works and it's free.

5/12/2009 2:48:02 PM

Pocatello ([email protected])

I like the corn idea, but as they say, "knee high by the 4th of July"... in my case the plant would be blown away long before that.

5/12/2009 2:52:04 PM

Pocatello ([email protected])

Sorry for the multiple posts, I'm just impulsive that way...

But if there is any topic that I'm an "expert" on, this is it. lol

The best thing I ever did was to plant a hedge of cotoneaster all along the south edge of my patch. My winds usually come from the south. Already at this time of the year that hedge is leafing out, and it is simply great for helping to stop the wind.

Now if I could just do something about my moron neighbors who ride around on 4-wheelers and spray 2-4D on everything they see..........

5/12/2009 3:05:38 PM

Minnesota

I use the corn fence idea, last year I had to pull some of it, it was blocking the sun. This year I'm planting cherokee longear popcorn around the garden to block some of the wund.

5/12/2009 4:28:06 PM

Johnstown, Ohio

I use snow fence on steel posts. It didn't protect from Hurricane Ivn last year, but did well in the 30 mph winds we had recently.

5/12/2009 5:10:53 PM

thanks to you all(!) and i now have about a dozen new ways to thwart Mother Nature's meanest feature from wrecking my
plants-to-be. i have ease of access to all the above except for the windscreen material, but, i am armed with a (research) computer, lol---thanks again! eric g

5/12/2009 6:13:15 PM

Rhode Island

greenhouse grade clear plastic cut say 4-5ft high is a good option. the clear plastic allows you to stake a bit closer to the plant without worring about blocking out the sun.
attach the plastic to your stakes by pinning the plastic to the stake with some thing wooden strips,etc.

5/13/2009 12:05:37 AM