Today's the Day, 50mph

[digitS']

Well, officially the Weather Service is saying "Winds could gust as high as 49 mph." We have had similar warnings for 4 days now. Wind gusts have only reached 39mph at the airport and were not really predicted higher. It is just that they so often forecast low - almost consistently.

I'd better check my baling twine over the temporary hoop house. The new hoophouse seems fairly secure with lathe holding the plastic film to 2 by 4's all around. The greenhouse film also seems secure altho' it presents such a large "face" to the wind that the thing does some disturbing "slapping" when the gusts go above about 30mph.

My backyard is very protected by buildings and fences. I'm lucky that way. The problem will be the sunshine in combination with the winds. How can I vent when there are wind gusts that high? I cannot button it down as tight as a drum and then have the temperature go above 100! Some of these plants are still seedlings.

I'd better pay close attention to water needs. Back in the commercial greenhouse where I used to work, we could just flip a switch and a misting system would come on. It wouldn't "irrigate" the rose bushes, there wasn't enuf water coming thru for that, but the entire structure would cloud with moisture & it could cycle on thru all 9 greenhouses. In about 10min, the upper part of your body would be soaked - if you were working in the greenhouse. (I used to get really ticked at the owner's son who thought it was perfectly okay to turn that thing on us while we were working. haha. I am not a person accustomed to both high heat and high humidity !)

Steve

 

[so lucky]

With all the adverse weather happening for almost all of us, I think we all deserve a pat on the back for being able to grow ANYTHING edible. Good luck on the wind today, Steve.

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

Hoping you can put your skill and knowledge to good use and beat this weather!

 

[digitS']

Well, So Lucky, it looked like Midwest folks had real problems with that in 2012.

Already with gusts above 40mph. In some ways, it helps that the temp hoop house is so loose. The 20' of film is just held down by bricks, the window & door framing and those 2 pieces of baling twine. It breathes. Inside, it is chaotic. The " pvc hoops bend in and lean. In 12+ years, nothing much has happened to it during the 3 months it is standing. Oh, it fell down twice because of a late snowfall.

I've got the end of the hoopie on the lawn lifted with a big pot and 2 large rocks holding the plastic film on top it. That thing . . . I'm going to have to keep an eye on but it is only about 10 feet away from me here in the south window. Tomorrow, at least 1 more hoopie is going up. I've got more cool-season plants to harden off and leave the warm-season things need to spread out more. The film can come off during the day but not today!! I may have to dismantle the 1 I've got just to keep it from blowing into the neighbor's yard. Plants will need to shelter in the garage.

Steve

 

[digitS']

Traction tires . .

. now advised on Interstate 90 west of Seattle.

digitS'

 

[digitS']

Never as bad as I had anticipated or as the prediction.

Gusts at or just above 40mph for 5 hours. The outdoor temperature never rose above mid-50's and big clouds rolled in during early afternoon. All of that made it easy to just ease everything open, just a bit. The plants stayed comfortable and their protection didn't blow away.

Tomorrow, a more reasonable forecast, another hoopie on the lawn, and off to the gardens once I can get things opened up! Skill and knowledge will be used to navigate the roads and traffic in a Dodge truck.

Steve

 

[digitS']

I though we might be done with difficult weather so I moved tomatoes into unheated "hoopies" this morning.

Off we went to get some water on the few transplants we have in the gardens. It snowed. Oh, not enuf to do more than get the surface of the ground wet. The thermometer made it up to 47F, today. I had everything vented at home and was in the distant gardens.

At home, pots are blown about the yard and 1 hoop had fallen down in the little temporary hoopie on the lawn. Luckily, the kale it fell on are tough plants :wink: and luckily also, the plastic film didn't blow away. There were 37mph gusts while we were gone!

The new hoop house is full of younger tomatoes and peppers. I've borrowed DD's heater again for backup. Didn't have to use it last week but there's only so much heat I can expect out of the little 800w thing that is in there.

It is just too much work to move the tomatoes on and off the greenhouse floor since the benches are full of other plants. I've got the tomatoes that were in unheated hoopies put away in the garage. It should be 28 by morning with 5 hours of frost, we are told. I've even put the rosemary back on the covered deck.

This might be it tho'. It warms up very slowly here. There have been two 70 days so far in 2013. The Weather Service is promising us more of those days later this week.

Steve :coolsun

 

[so lucky]

Steve, are you sure you need to be growing all those plants? Am I the only one here who thinks you are working way too hard?

 

[digitS']

It is just you, So Lucky .

The others think it is a good way for me to lose weight.

Inventory. For my garden and for others . . .

Steve