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Location

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Date Posted

Waquoit Mass

big blow comin up the east coast, now i remember why im retired. good luck guys

8/23/2011 7:30:56 PM

Connecticut

What can be done to minimize the damage if it come .?

8/23/2011 8:13:13 PM

ipswich, ma usa

Run

8/23/2011 10:12:10 PM

Long Island,New York

well, at least with all the leaves down the fruit will look bigger......

8/24/2011 5:45:21 AM

Connecticut, USA

The current track does not look good for CT and RI. A direct hit at huricane strength is going to be rough.

8/24/2011 11:29:00 AM

ipswich, ma usa

Ken the path goes just west of my house by about 5 miles! Great!....

8/24/2011 11:32:06 AM

ipswich, ma usa

Im leaving the tall weeds to act as a buffer between the leaves! Maybe they will keep the swaying down a bit. And I am serious.

8/24/2011 11:32:54 AM

So. Maine

Use big nets and rope to tie down the giants so they don't get washed away ...

8/24/2011 12:53:24 PM

canal winchester ohio

Pumpkin regatta could be coming early this year.

8/24/2011 1:12:53 PM

ipswich, ma usa

Hey at least it's also a full tidal moon to boot!!

8/24/2011 1:17:30 PM

Massachusetts

the perfect storm again. now i can blame the storm on why i did not grow a giant! (it wasn't me!!)

8/24/2011 2:42:09 PM

Billerica,Massachusetts

my patch survived hurricane bob i'm sure it'll be there after irene

8/24/2011 3:00:46 PM

Southeast

Cut em off and weigh em while you can.

8/24/2011 3:58:59 PM

Waquoit Mass

drink heavily

8/24/2011 4:48:05 PM

Connecticut

We might miss this.The track keeps moving east.

8/24/2011 7:20:41 PM

Litchfield N. H. 03052

I told someone to put it in the barn for the weekend !

8/24/2011 7:25:58 PM

Joliet, IL

cut off all old leaves along the main. they are tired most likely anyways. no sense stwisting the main with sails. secure the main. any way u think best to stabilize the main into the pumpkin, do it. you will lose almost everything if it is a direct hit. protect the main and the pumpkin. the rest is whatever happens happens. many will have 30 days from here until the weigh off. some tert growth and recovery will help, but a snapped or twisted ambilical cord will not help. best of luck and lets all hope it kicks outward.

8/24/2011 9:24:09 PM

Joliet, IL

it just dropped from 94 and extremely high humidity to 83 drier degrees in less than an hour. hopefully this mini cold front with a pushing dry line kicks the whole system out a bit

8/24/2011 9:55:18 PM

So. Maine

Hey Bill , install a quick disconnect at the stem , put it in the barn for the weekend return it to the garden and plug it back in after the hurricane passes ...

8/24/2011 10:32:14 PM

Indiana

Good luck to you all!!!! I wish it would hit my patch and spare Ken and the rest of you! Nothing to lose here!

8/24/2011 10:53:07 PM

Waquoit Mass

looks like that fiesty bitch irene is gonna end up in glenns lap. hope his wife doesnt find out.

8/25/2011 8:33:53 AM

ipswich, ma usa

Shit!!...I'm out of milk!

8/25/2011 9:14:45 AM

Eastern Pennsylvania

We are preparing with sandbags here. The real kind this time.

8/25/2011 12:29:29 PM

Putnam Ct.

Doesn't look good for us in Connecticut! I'm hoping for the best but wind has been my worst offender this year and it looks like it might finally do my plants in . Good luck to everyone.

8/25/2011 1:45:25 PM

Mass

I need to decide to take the covers off the easy ups, and leave just blankets on kins, I guess it depends on what we will get for wind here. Ive heard mixed reports, may be just 6-8inches of rain and not much wind. may be not! Going to be in eastern mass all day Sat for xmas tree meeting, so gotta get ur done 2moro or Sat night.

8/25/2011 3:27:49 PM

Westford, MA

I thought this was supposed to come thru when we were at Sue & Jim Beauchemin's for the Picnic/Patch Tour.

8/25/2011 3:45:19 PM

ipswich, ma usa

Take covers off, put blanket on pumpkin then put tarp right on pumpkin and stake corners. Ive done this in the past looks like a turtle and worked great. use the blankets u use when it gets cold acts like apadding if something hits the fruit.

8/25/2011 4:57:32 PM

Mass

Thanks John, will do. I have some 10*10 tarps that I strapped over the top of the moving blankets on greenhouses to hold them down last season early storm. they are there somewhere. Blankets have been in use already the last few nights. Should be an easy fix. That will take care of the outer patch. Hail cover should take care of the inner patch.

8/25/2011 5:18:40 PM

ipswich, ma usa

I found the tighter and lower to the ground you get them the better. Just my opinion sure theres hundreds of ways but this works for me :)

8/25/2011 5:24:00 PM

Mass

trying to remember from the tour last year.. seems like you are pretty well protected in behind the house there. Im sure wind can get in there somehow. you probably have more chance of trees or limbs falling. better be a thick blanket. :-)

8/25/2011 7:13:27 PM

Massachusetts

yes i remember that tour, john had the best buffet set up !

8/25/2011 8:29:58 PM

Connecticut, USA

Does it make any sense to try and put some sort of low cover directly on the plant too?

8/25/2011 8:33:08 PM

ipswich, ma usa

Northeast winds tend to come in low and down from house to patch. Even being a bit tucked away it endsup like a funnel not much to do but gold on.

8/25/2011 9:18:19 PM

ipswich, ma usa

Pumpkin was so small people remember my food!.....lol

8/25/2011 9:19:09 PM

Long Island,New York

bring it on Dave...my 300lber can take it.

8/25/2011 9:52:38 PM

Team Munson

I hope all of our friends & families that live in the path of Irene will be safe. Good luck in weathering the storm we hope for your safety first & the safety of your home. You can always grow more pumpkins you just can't replace a life take care.

8/26/2011 9:43:23 AM

Joliet, IL

Ken, I forgot where I saw the late season set up with about 4' tall 2" x 4"s hammered in a foot deep for late season clear plastic cover right over the plants for frost and more heat without the plastic laying on the plants. In this case with the pounding rains, anything covering a plant would need to survive the wind but also the pooling and ponding water which the weight on the plastic would be worse than the protection. If you can gather the man power and some cheap construction supplies if possible, then the only covering system to hold in wind and rain from my construction experience would be use plywood and 4 x 4 post cut into 4' sections. 3 rows of 7 four by fours. That were 4' in length set 4' by 8' apart in grid format hammered one foot into the ground would cover 24' x 24' of plant. The corners of plywood need 2" to screw deep into 4 x4 supports so hammering in 4 x 4s should be done individually and progessing one side to the other leaving enough space for each corner to have enough of the 4 x 4 to screw into. Then do the next row. This would require a good carpenter friend who may be able to use the plywood panels later and help you lay out quickly and profficiently and carefully too. You would have to adjust for the pumpkin and either bild around it higher in that area or leave it open and place 2 or so comforters covered with a tarp and secured over the pumpkin itself for protection from repeated flying debris in high wind. And then cover with plastic visqueen and also some cinder blocks on top to hold plastic and reinforce some of the corners where all 4 corners come together for extra security.

8/26/2011 10:45:48 AM

Joliet, IL

This would be a lot of work and definately some cost, but if you can re-use some of the plywood and 4 x 4s later then the cost would be less. It would take a good group of friends to make this happen and in my mind a good 4 hours of set up. Removal of the plywood after the storm by unscrewing and leave the 4 by 4s to support plastic for frost or heating of plants as the fall nights get here. This is what a basic plan in my mind would be needed for sustained 70 mph winds over the course of an entire day with 8 to 10 inches of rain. All I can say is like dave said, be safe number one and I hope it loses some strength.

8/26/2011 10:46:06 AM

White Plains, NY

I rolled out another barrel of Rum so as to put up with the Media Hysteria!

8/26/2011 6:15:08 PM

Bethlehem CT

My son cut his two off last night. They are safe in the barn. I need to squeak every pound out of mine so I just will hope for the best.

8/27/2011 7:03:31 PM