Hey everyone. I live on the east coast of virginia directly on the chesapeake bay which leaves me vulnerable to strong winds. This is my first year growing several different kinds of peppers outdoors in gardens(jalapeno, habanero, serrano, pablono, cayenne, banana). In the past i have grown cayenne's and jalapenos in pots. After the first big thunderstorms of the year my plants were always torn apart, losing many leaves, flowers, and almost all fruit if it was later in the year. Smaller plants with just a few leaves were nearly killed. This wasnt a big problem cause i just started moving the pots inside before storms. Now that i no longer have the option to bring my young plants inside i wonder what people do or if they do anything to protect them from severe weather. Even if i cant build something to stop wind, I was contemplating something to stop the pounding rain like a tarp setup that could be put up quickly. appreciate the help, ideas, or experiences
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Thunderstorms- high winds and heavy rain protection?
- Thread starter wiltonar
- Start date
There are a few possible options you could do, assuming that you have them in the pots. The easy method is to find out what direction your storm is going to hit and relocate the pots to the oppsite side of a building if at all possible. Closer to the building the better so long as the eaves will clear them. The other option would be to stake them down like you would in the garden. Setting up tomato cages around each pot to help anchor the plants may help more, or perhaps some form of retaining wall staked in place comprising of plywood or the like could be attempted. The problem is with all of these a tarp or nearly anything else usually is made to cover something like an automobile that has a solid hard surface underneath. Expecting a tarp to hold back torrential rain with out harming the peppers is going to be a tall order.
The fact you are keeping them in the ground is going to be the most favorable thing you can do. I've grown the same peppers and have had success with the tomato cage method and stakes. The larger and taller plants get a whole tomato cage that is pushed down to the ground to the first ring. (I usually use the taller cages with three or four rings) I will then anchor it with a stout stake of some form and tie that off to the cage. If the plant needs additional support the plant can have branches tied to the cage. The larger the expected plant (Greater than two and a half feet) They will get two stakes on opposite ends of the cage.
An option you could attempt is to build your own cages or to use larger cages period and take sections of tarp that are cut to fit around the cages. Simply wrap up the cages with the tarp sections as tightly as possible if you are expecting a nasty thunderstorm. The stout cages will give you a better tying off point as well. Perhaps building your own wooden cages could help too with some 1 inch lumber strips. Remember to anchor the plants down as much as possible as the tarps will act like giant sails and may cause more harm than good.
Hopefully some of this makes sense and will help.
The fact you are keeping them in the ground is going to be the most favorable thing you can do. I've grown the same peppers and have had success with the tomato cage method and stakes. The larger and taller plants get a whole tomato cage that is pushed down to the ground to the first ring. (I usually use the taller cages with three or four rings) I will then anchor it with a stout stake of some form and tie that off to the cage. If the plant needs additional support the plant can have branches tied to the cage. The larger the expected plant (Greater than two and a half feet) They will get two stakes on opposite ends of the cage.
An option you could attempt is to build your own cages or to use larger cages period and take sections of tarp that are cut to fit around the cages. Simply wrap up the cages with the tarp sections as tightly as possible if you are expecting a nasty thunderstorm. The stout cages will give you a better tying off point as well. Perhaps building your own wooden cages could help too with some 1 inch lumber strips. Remember to anchor the plants down as much as possible as the tarps will act like giant sails and may cause more harm than good.
Hopefully some of this makes sense and will help.
- How big of an area are we talking about? My mom is a plumeria junkie... she has a thousand plants or so in her driveway that she continues to grow and make cuttings from every year. We live in Southeastern Louisiana, so we have our share of coastal rain and thunderstorms as well, although we don't have to deal with wind constantly whipping in off of the bay. Anyway, she has a large pop-up awning/tent with removable zippered walls that she uses to keep them protected year round... whether it be from thunderstorms or winterizing them (she lowers the walls and puts space heaters in with them on really cold days/nights). Maybe something like that could help you out.
I've used 4' X 8' treated lattice panels ( the heavy 3/8" thick ones) for protection from the high winds we sometimes get along the Gulf Coast.. You can stake them up as a lean-to against a fence or side of the house. For complete wind protection and water-proofing you can staple some clear plastic drop cloth to the panel. Cheap and very efficient.
For extra rigidity, you can frame the lattices with some 1/2" x 2" strips of molding or equivalent . Even put a strip in the middle if you like. Use some rust resistant nails or other hardware.
You can also make a long tent with two 4 X 8 lattices to protect your beds (depending on the heights of your plants)
Very versatile item.
You can also make a long tent with two 4 X 8 lattices to protect your beds (depending on the heights of your plants)
Very versatile item.