Making A Wind Break

How to stop the wind from whipping your plants

If you have tiny plants that have just been transplanted, it may be necessary to place a windbreak over them so that their little roots can gain a firm hold into the soil, and they won't be damaged by the wind. Other plants may also need a windbreak, fragile plants that do not do well in windy areas.

Windbreaks can be as simple as a couple of stronger plants surrounding the fragile or young plants. Other windbreaks may be made of wood or plastic or may consist of a pile of bricks stacked up around a plant. You can even use the side of your house as a windbreak. Just figure out the direction of the prevailing winds, and find the least windy spot opposite of that, with the house in between.

You can build a simple windbreak out of wood slats positioned in the ground. Stabilize them with vertical dowels spaced evenly (and attached to the wood) at the base of the wood slats. Sometimes, a plastic bag placed on a few small dowels and used as a shelter over small plants also works well.

Another simple structure is an A-frame built over the exposed plants (this is a good temporary solution, the plants need to grow so a permanent A-frame may not be the ideal solution.) To build an A-frame, you may use clear plastic (acts as a greenhouse), wood, or other sturdy material. Place the two walls that will make up the "A" against the wind so that they block it. Anchor these at the top and into the ground. Remember, you have to make sure to anchor anything you create so it doesn't blow away!