[Nest]

Hell all!,  I have been lurking for a while as I have been growing veg in my garden (on a small scale) but now have a lovely big allotment.
My main problem (now that I have chicken wired the bunnies out..) is wind!  I have bought some debris netting as this has been mentioned on the forum but has anybody used it as a wind break?  How effective is it - do I need to fold it double as it doesn't look like it is going to stop much wind?
Many thanks,
Jill

[Kleftiwallah]

It is far better to use a mesh substance which will slow the windspeed down but still allow its progress.  If you use a solid wall, the air curls over the top and may do more damage than before.  I would continue along the netting lines.     Cheers,   Tony.

[Trillium]

I agree on using fine mesh netting of some sort. If it slows down the wind, you're better off. The walled kitchen gardens used to have wind problems as the walls were built to keep out 'the riffraff' from stealing produce so they suffered with wind problems instead.

When I had small crops like young lettuce, I used to place a piece of cedar slat to the windward side and that helped a lot. By the time the plant was larger, it could either cope with wind, or the wind problem had died down for the season.

[Kleftiwallah]

Until the wind was so strong it blew the cedar slat over and flattened the lettuce!     Cheers,     Tony.

[Trillium]

Never happened, Klefti. I stuck the thinner edge into the ground beside the plant and it stayed that way until I pulled it out.

[TerryB]

It will not stop the wind but reduces its effect when supported on hoops over your crops.
A fence around your plot made from pallets and fruit bushes planted on the windward side will also help to reduce the wind effect.
You may also have to support taller growing crops.

[sarajane]

I'd recommend a fine mesh also. 

Oh and welcome to the site.  I have to say it has been extremely windy in Chester this last 2 weeks.  Most of my planting has been left to its own devises but spent 2 hours last week wrapping mesh, fleece , anything I could get my hand on etc around runners, courgettes and sweetcorn.

I had bought some cheap shower curtains from the pound shop to wrap around plants.  I have to say thery are a pound for a good reason  -  don;t think they lasted half an hour during one gale.  You live and learn.

Good luck with your plot

[arugula]

A hedge deflects and diffuses wind very well.

[mumofstig]

The previous people on my plot planted a lavender hedge on the southwest side side (summer winds) and a small leaved evergreen hedge on the northeast side (winter winds)

They work very well 

[Nest]

Hi, thank you every body.  So you are all agreed on a fine mesh - does this include debris netting because it looks like a fine mesh to me?  I guess it will slow down the wind to a degree..  Can't make it worse..?  I was planning to put it as a barrier on the two windiest sides and  make smaller barriers around individual areas within the allotment.
Many thanks for your help.
Jx

[simonwatson]

The reason for using mesh rather than a solid fence is all down to turbulence and pressure. If you put up a solid fence, you only deflect the wind over the top of it and it produces very strong vortices behind it, which flatten everything. With mesh, the wind is just slowed by friction as it passes through and so the turbulence between the slowed and and the faster wind above is less bad.

If the wind is very bad, you could use a series of mesh barriers and grow less wind sensitive plants between the first and second barriers.

[Nest]

Thank you.  I will give it a go. Jx

[tosca100]

Hello to you, just down the road. Welcome to the site.

Lucky you getting an allotment. We've been waiting two years now.

[Chrysalis]

Sorry, I thought this thread was about cucumbers    not the North Eaterly type of wind   
well, you live and learn!

[Nest]

I cheated ;-)  We are paying £5 a week to a local small holder for the allotment.  Seems expensive but saved the wait (and the rules are easier, basically, grow and do what you want).

Regarding the cucumbers - don't have any of these yet but have a few jerusalem artichokes ;-)
Jx