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Cheyenne,WY

Are there 1500+ pound pumpkins that have been grown in windy places?

We have been averaging sustained 25 mph+ winds for hours with gust well over 50. My wind fencing and hail netting have blown down and ripped again. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/climate/online/ccd/avgwind.html
I think this site is wrong or measured the wind near a windbreak.

6/5/2012 8:36:06 PM

Colorado

sillt fence works pretty well, not sure if you are already using it... it sure has been rough the last few days. nothing seems to work for those strong gusts.

6/5/2012 9:58:17 PM

never had luck here with silt stuff here
never forget seeing these pics

( gone nesbit )


http://www.bigpumpkins.com/Diary/DiaryViewOne.asp?eid=20655

6/5/2012 11:01:31 PM

Cheyenne,WY

I have a 6 foot wind fence surrounding the garden. I believe it's stronger material than the silt fence and it ripped in half. I use tennis balls on top of steel poles and the hail netting ripped at each tennis ball this year. I thought the weather might subside, but the meteorologist is predicting even crazier weather tomorrow evening. It will probably be hail since I don't have the rest of my garden covered. :)

I love the weather in Cheyenne. Hopefully you are fairing better down south.

6/5/2012 11:03:40 PM

Cheyenne,WY

Wow!!!! I may have to reach out to them to get some advice. My wife might kill me as well if I spend any more money on this hobby. The hail netting doubled in price this year. Thanks for the photo.

6/5/2012 11:06:28 PM

Cheyenne,WY

Large hail and damaging winds today or should I say again.

http://preview.weather.gov/wtf/MapClick.php?CityName=Cheyenne&state=WY&site=CYS&textField1=41.1454&textField2=-104.792&e=0

6/6/2012 8:25:14 AM

Little-TON - Colorado

Xtremely windy down in Little-TON. SideZ have blown open on hoopZ. Poor PepoZ are getting their leaveZ broken. Already picking up again today. Hope it stopZ soon.

6/6/2012 9:58:42 AM

Colorado

what's Ron H use up there?

6/6/2012 12:42:38 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

LotZ of stakeZ....

6/6/2012 4:11:06 PM

Minnesota

I am with don on this, never understood how anyone could just use silt fence, would end up in the next county here. The best way to stop wind is to break it up not to try to stop it. Here is my system, 4 rows of corn around the outside of the patch, then a silt fence sandwiched between a wood slat snow fence and a plastic snow fence inside of the corn, then use plastic ties to connect silt fence to the platic snow fence and use that as a barrier closer to the plants. I also leave the plants in the cold frames as long as possible, can open the cold frames in any direction, so I can open the opposite side of the wind. The cold frames protect the plant until the first couple weeks of june then the corn protects them after the 4th of july, so I have about 3-4 weeks where the plants is exposed, I will cover the vines with a lot of dirt to help hold it in place, most years the leaves get demolished from a storm but the vines are fine and the plants bounces back pretty quick.

6/6/2012 7:41:11 PM

Cheyenne,WY

Only pea size hail so far. I was thinking of having a contest on guessing how many hail storms we would have this year.

6/6/2012 10:32:02 PM

morristown, Tn email [email protected]

my pumpkin seems to like high wind

6/6/2012 10:47:01 PM

Wi

Chad explains this well. You don't try to stop the wind you try to break it up.

I'd agree silt fencing is definitely the worst thing to use as it's too short and actually ACCELLERATES the wind as the wind passes over the top. The fencing Don uses or snow fencing is much better.

Nothing is going to be great in 50mph winds, but I've had great luck with snow fencing. I actually use sections about 10-20' long I can move around in case we get a wierd heavy wind direction in the forecast.

See my 2010 diary for an example of what I use. It isn't pretty, but it's not a beauty contest.

6/7/2012 9:24:23 AM

Pocatello ([email protected])

A number of years ago I planted cotoneaster plants all around the garden. Best thing I've ever done! Those shrubs are now 8 or 9 feet tall and almost as wide. They form a dense hedge. Wind just goes up and over the top for the most part. Wind used to be my biggest problem. Now, only me is my biggest problem.

6/7/2012 11:36:49 AM

Colorado

wonder if the silf fence works for me becuase I have a house on one side which blocks some of the wind. I'll have to try that snow fence too.

6/7/2012 9:57:06 PM

Oz

Rather than lay fencing in a straight line,try the Jefferson fence design,or a zig/zag design.A Jefferson fence is curves,curving in,and then curving out(repeat over and over).
Zig zag may be better because there is no airfoil effect as with curves.

6/9/2012 3:05:00 PM

Oz

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6/9/2012 3:07:58 PM

Rhode Island

just dont zig when your supposed to zag.

6/9/2012 4:37:01 PM