Wind Tunnels for Tomatoes

Here I sit by the wood stove on this Monday evening in mid-May and the temperature is dropping fast. The National Weather Service has posted freeze warnings for the entire area, low temperatures down in the low 30's and upper 20's. This really isn't that unusual; our records and our neighbors records, which they've kept for the past twenty years, often note a late frost into the third week of May. None the less, it always takes us a bit by surprise, and we find ourselves scrambling to move trays and trays of baby plants that have bee sitting outside to harden-off, back into the greenhouse. We've had several false alarms this spring, with warnings that have not been realized, but I think this time we are going to get hit.

All the threats of frost did not keep us from planting over 500 tomato plants this past week. We construct low-tech greenhouse tunnels for them and hope the one thin layer of plastic is enough to protect them on a cold night. We have used this system for 4-5 years now and have really come to enjoy the advantages of growing tomatoes under cover. Compared to years when we were growing outside, without any protection, our yields are nearly double. Unfortunately, the tunnels are a lot of work to put up and take down every season and they are a nightmare on a windy day. Despite this, I guess we will continue to use them.

We had lots of help constructing this year, allowing us to put up six tunnels in about seven hours. It was a perfect day - sunny, mildly warm, and very little wind. The following day we transplanted the tomatoes on what started as a perfect transplant day - cloudy, drizzle, and cool. However, an hour after completing the planting, the wind came up - and boy did it blow. I don't have a wind monitor, but the gusts had to be 40-50 mph. Stakes and rope were popping and blowing all over. Somehow with lost of extra sledgehammer pounding and frantic running about the tunnels survived the blast. Let's hope for calm days ahead.