Preparing Your Greenhouse for a Wind Storm or Hurricane

Here we show you how we prepare our greenhouses and cat tunnels for high wind events here on the farm. A great addition to every market garden, homestead, or personal garden!
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[@acidburn3562]

me and my dad were holding our greenhouse with bare hands during huge storm in Croatia, first side went flying off then we were just pulling down as hard as we could, it was scariest 10 mins of my life but felt like it was 2 hours!! HOOLLYY

[@donfredricks8965]

Wow! So glad there was no serious damage. You stayed pretty calm through the whole thing.... We typically have 60 70 and occasionally 80 mile an hour gust where I am in the Foothills below Cajon Pass in Southern California. So difficult to manage. I really appreciated your tips and how you went through it so well. God bless you guys! And thanks so much for posting!

[@farmerkeith]

Wow, I cannot imagine trying to manage that

[@ashxarhazorhayastanyan-or6qe]

Thanks

[@buckethead151]

Shalom! We just got a Hightunnel through NRCS. The "Inspector" told us to lift the sides during high winds, and if the wind gets above 60 mph then we should cut the plastic. Thanks for sharing your wind preparations. I'm thinking sand bagging the sides is the way to go! Keeping the wind out of the greenhouse is the whole purpose of owning a greenhouse! If i had to open the sides every wind storm we have here in Lubbock Texas... we just would have a bunch of blown over plants.

[@farmerkeith]

We have been through 80mph winds on the gable ends. I will tell you if the wind is strong enough to pull up a Greenhouse you don't want to be close enough to cut the plastic

[@BlueberryStinkFinger62]

My greenhouse is anchored down with rebar j hooks

[@Tristram9]

As a farm about your size based on hoophouses, nothing gives me anxiety like windstorms. Some things I noticed that I’ve done (and you’re ahead in other ways) - I put a couple tposts inside the tunnel ends to keep the end walls from flapping with a pvc t on top to keep it from ripping through. In winds like that I always go and tighten the ropes on the cat tunnels just to cut down on flapping. Hybrid willows make a great windbreak if you have space for them. Cut em down every couple years to make bushes that cut down on wind speed but not deflect gusts negatively. Hardcore that you filmed it I was about sure one of those first ones would take off.

[@farmerkeith]

I though I was going to loose a tunnel, that is why I was shooting it. 😆

[@gideonporter537]

What about some kind of wall to protect against the wind - especially the first most exposed tunnel house? I'm thinking a ground-anchored wall at a 45-50degree lean to channel most of the wind over them?

[@farmerkeith]

I do have a tree line up wind but it did not have any leaves during this freak winter storm.

[@gideonporter537]

@Farmer Keith bugger! Another guy had tied down crisscross-wise too, and it seemed to also work pretty well. 😊

[@benabdullah-oy1py]

Oh my.. my greenhouse is not ready for this n my chicken will be flying 😭

[@louispoore6015]

Hi--Did you use cement for the large greeenhouse anhcors/posts?

[@farmerkeith]

No concrete, but we have heavy clay subsoil

[@charliemagoo7943]

Are your tunnels running east and west?

[@farmerkeith]

Yes

[@charliemagoo7943]

I have wondered if I build a tunnel which direction to run it. Sunlight doesn't matter in the Midwest because it's gonna get in there any direction it lies because there are no clouds 95% of the time