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Step 1: Cover Delicate Plants with Cloches and Plastic Covers
Whether it’s a prized flower or a delicate vegetable plant
you’ve nurtured all summer long, cover it up. Retailers both local and online
sell what are called garden cloches. These resemble clear domes in different
sizes and are placed over plants.
Cloches protect garden plants from heavy rains, strong
winds and falling debris. If you’re buying a set of cloches, make sure to get
the right size. They come in small, medium and large.
If you’re a frugal gardener or on a budget like me, go
ahead and make your own garden cloches. Use empty gallon-sized milk jugs, cut
their bottoms off and slip over your plants for instant protection.
Retailers also sell plastic covers. These remind me of the
bags used to protect dry-cleaning. If you’re opting for plastic covers, a more
affordable solution, choose those that are reusable so they can be used next
time a hurricane or its leftover strong winds and heavy rains hit.
Step 2: Stake, Cage
and Tie Garden Plants
Stake, tie and cage those garden plants to offer them
protection against strong winds; your tomato, green pepper and other top heavy
plants and flowers will thank you. Secure trellises with additional stakes and
ties. Place cages around small, delicate plants and stakes around those too
large to slip a cage over.
Loosely tie the main plant stems to the stakes using
garden twine or plant ties. (For strong winds associated with a hurricane, I’d
opt for the twine.) Tying them loosely gives plants a little slack to sway in the
wind causing less damage to the plant.
Strong winds and heavy rains can wreak havoc on your
garden. Though these steps won’t stand up to the brute force of a hurricane,
especially if you’re directly in its path, they go along way towards offering
protection from the remnants we see here in the north.
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