Protect Your Garden From Startling Weather Conditions With This Tactic

A sudden gust of wind can wreak havoc on your garden. Tender young seedlings might snap, established plants could drop their fruit, and delicate flowers, like poppies, may be stripped of their petals. Steady winds dry out the soil, increasing the need for irrigation and the probability of erosion. A windbreak is a powerful defense against unexpected changes in the weather, working without your intervention once it's erected. While it's unlikely they can keep your garden completely free of high wind, barriers can slow it down, protecting your plants in the process. Windbreaks can be natural or man-made, and you may already have them in your landscape.

If you've ever driven across the Great Plains, you may have noticed that homes in the midst of vast fields are sometimes encircled by trees. The trees don't just provide shade and ornamentation — they protect the house from the winds that sweep across the prairie. The same principle works on a smaller scale in your garden with a few caveats to make sure your plants can still grow well. Your windbreak, whether grown or built, shouldn't block the sun that your vegetables and flowers need to flourish. It also shouldn't be attractive to animal, insect, or disease pests that could attack your garden, and it shouldn't interfere with things like your home's foundation, overhead power lines, or underground utilities. There are still plenty of options that fit within those guidelines, though.

Planting your garden along a strong, solid privacy fence that holds up to heavy wind is an easy solution if you already have a fence. A garden shed, garage, or even your neighbor's house can also provide protection, as long as it doesn't block the sun your plants need. Whether you're creating a natural or manmade windbreak, make sure to place it in relation to the direction the wind usually comes from. For instance, if the wind blows from the west, place your windbreak to the west of the garden to stop it before it hits your plants.

A tree or evergreen shrub windbreak looks great and adds value to your home. Choose trees that are appropriate for your hardiness zone, and plant them the recommended distance apart. If they're too close together, they'll be unhealthy. Too far apart and they won't be a useful barrier to the winds. If they're too close to the garden, they may compete for nutrients. Think of a natural windbreak as a long-term project that should be done properly from the beginning.

The benefits of windbreaks continue after you've harvested the last tomato or picked the last late-blooming fall daffodil. A windbreak will protect your yard from blowing snow in the winter, so manmade objects should be sturdy and trees should be appropriate for winter hardiness in your growing zone. Evergreens don't drop their needles all at the same time, instead retaining some foliage and assuring there is some protection year-round. Deciduous trees and shrubs are bare in the winter, but still provide a lesser degree of protection from unexpected changes in the weather.