COPING WITH WINDY SITES

We are told to choose a sheltered spot to sow our crops – but what if shelter is hard to come by? Can we grow good fruit and veg? KG editor Steve Ott says we can and shares some tips to help you

- Steve Ott

I’ve said it myself many times in my articles – ‘choose a sunny, sheltered spot to sow your seeds’, but what if your garden is at the top of a hill, on the side of a slope, flat fenland, near the coast or in a wind tunnel created by the lie of the land or by tall buildings?

The chances are that you can’t move your garden, so how can you improve the situation?

WINDBREAKS

Windbreaks can take many forms, from a row of tall trees such as poplars (a shelterbelt) to fences or netting. On an allotment or even in your own garden, you may have to leave the planting of tall trees to others and anyway, not many of us have the space for such things. Even fences may be difficult on an allotment site and so the use of netting or careful planting may be key.

Apart from strong enough to withstand the blast, there is one thing all windbreaks need to be and that is permeable. They should filter the wind, allowing roughly half of the air through fairly undisturbed. Solid barriers will not only need to be much stronger to withstand the force of the wind, but they will cause the air to swirl both in front and behind the barrier, making matters worse. Trees or large shrubs tend to be natural filters to the wind, but thought needs to be given to man-made structures such as fences. It is tempting to choose a solid fence for privacy, but where crops are concerned they should be permeable – such as panels incorporating a trellis top or fencing with gaps incorporated in the design, hazel hurdles or windbreak material.