High winds

Hi all this is my first year with a polytunnel and with the recent or current high winds I was just wondering what you all do?

Do you close it all up or leave it open or partly?

Thanks,

James

 

It depends on the direction of the wind. From the east or west I'm fine as my tunnel is oriented north - south. Whether I open fully or partly depends on the temperature. I have some very large, heavy stones that I use to chock the doors so that there is no chance of them blowing about. If the wind is forecast to be particularly strong I would generally leave the doors shut.

 

Hello @Jimb0b nice to see you on here and I hope these windows don't affect your allotment bad besides other members who grow outside also

 

In high winds it is a known fact that greenhouses with a pane missing, easily lose a few more, I apply the same principle to my tunnels. I keep doors firmly shut in high winds.

Steve...

 

Agree. I have a 20ftx8ft greenhouse. I made doubly sure everything was well and truly shut when the gales started here a couple of days ago. My greenhouse and everything in it was fine post horrendous gales. I wish the same could be said for my garden which had taken a pounding and I discovered yesterday that 2 old trees in our little wood have fallen. I had a look to see if there were any bird's nests in the trees but couldn't see any. Loosing 2 trees is bad but hate it if chicks had been killed too.

 

Thanks everyone

 

All 3 of my 3 x 6m (10 x 20 feet) polytunnels have double doors covered in mesh at the west facing entrances and identical mesh panels at the rear. Whilst I'm growing in them they are only covered with polythene during colder weather, and then they're closed up again in autumn.

Despite the doors facing into the prevailing winds, it just blows in one end and out the other, but when I've been erecting them in breezy weather, if only one end is open they will inflate and the cover blows off.

N.B. The covers are well trenched along the long edges, and at the ends are clamped in place with the doors/end vents framework plus between ground boards.