BIG STORMS COMING

I hate to have to be the bearer of bad news and I don't want to alarm anyone but I just heard on the weather channel that big storms, possibly tornadoes, are going to develop tomorrow. The areas mentioned were Oklahoma, Arkansas, Texas, Iowa and Louisiana. Maybe it's a false alarm and it will come to nothing, but in any case please take care.

I heard of this cold front coming on the news today. It's going to hit TN, but on a much smaller scale (of course... we don't get nearly the severe weather that the lower south does).

Good luck friends down there!

weatherman tonight thinks it should not be to bad here. hope he is right! Lisa

Isn't it a bit early in the year for such severe storms? I have never experienced such extreme weather in my life. But then, I have only lived in the States for a few years and not really used to the differing weather patterns and sudden changes. Back home in England the weather was always pretty good but this year was a different story. I have to say that I am always amazed at the resilience of the American people and admire them tremendously for the way they handle tough situations, i.e. after losing their homes etc to bad weather.

Lisa - I hope not - I thought of you immediately when I heard the forecast. God bless.

Thanks Louisa, 6:30 am here, beautiful morning, nice orange/red sunrise. So for, so good! Lisa

Good morning Lisa - My you were up early....LOL. I wait for the weather to become warmer before I rise at that time of the morning. Usually up at 5ish when the summer comes and perhaps only because the cats want to get out on the screen porch and smell that wonderful, fresh morning air! It's a gorgeous morning here also but we are expecting stormy weather tomorrow and then it gets colder yet again.
Take care!!

The winds are strong enough here to destroy my greenhouse this morning. :-(

I'm off to Lowes for more lumber to rebuild this thing. :(

Dave

Dave - please be careful with that glass - I sincerely hope the situation won't last too long.

Louisa- we went with the plastic 6mm sheeting this year...although with the winds, we are looking seriously at building the next greenhouse with plexiglass. The PVC piping just isn't strong enough to withstand the winds on "Whitinger Hill"...a minor setback, and a costly mistake, but I feel like it is all for the best. We'll just rebuild the inside framework this weekend with lumber. I feel confident that it will hold up 100% better!

Trish

Lucky you Trish - for having a hubbie who knows what he's doing.........!!! Hope all goes well :-)

Sorry to hear about the greenhouse Trish. Hope Dave can get it rebuilt stronger and better than ever and that you haven't had any plant losses out of it.

I was really hoping for a decent weekend as I've several beds needing a really good dig - have bags of compost lying at my back door. They're beds which used to have roses in. That's 40 years of compacted soil. I dug two last autumn and they're looking in great shape now but still slightly too soon to replant roses in them again. But the weather is poor here again, we've had the horrid white stuff back. Not lying for long but it's bitterly cold and most unpleasant.

Think I'm going to play around on my puter today, when I'd rather be outside. And I've another toy to play with, a small propagator that I bought a day or two ago. So I'm going to be messing on with that now and trying to get some perennials growing. I reckon it's going to be sat on my kitchen table unless I can find anyplace better. And I think there's going to be a few pots of seeds stuck on windowsills as well. I've never done this before, so I'm grateful for tips.

Well, the sun feels warm through the glass but I've popped my nose out a couple of times and the temperature is cruel. Gonna make myself a pot of tea. Anyone like a cuppa??

I had moved a lot of tomato plants out there, my brugs from SoCal, a couple jades, a tray of pepper seeds, and a tray of lettuce seedlings.

I was inside the greenhouse when the winds picked up and started whipping the poor thing around. :( The PVC was actually SNAPPING in two!

When the wind came in, the plants came crashing ontu the ground, so I got Trish and we rushed all the plants back inside the house. I then dismantled the greenhouse.

I've got new lumber and materials, and we're rebuilding. Yesterday afternoon we set new posts (8 4x4 posts concreted into the ground). Today I'll cut the new boards to size, and we'll erect the new greenhouse. We should be all done by tomorrow afternoon.

dave

Dave, sounds pretty scary. But you now have the right idea. Altho our greenhouse is 2 and a half inch diameter galvanized hoops they are anchored in the ground 3 feet. With two layers of greenhouse plastic it has handled many high winds (is s'posed to withstand 85 mph winds). However, my neighbor who has been 'greenhousing' for 35 yrs rebuilt his structures (after a tornado wiped a lot of us out) like you are getting ready to do, or so it sounds. 4 X 4's in a row down each side and a row of taller ones down the middle. Treated lumber for the bottom bands and uprights. He used untreated for the "rafters"...he told me the air movement which is necessary in a greenhouse will keep it from rotting. They have survived many storms and it is how I will build one in the future should the need arise. Also it is simpler to build that way. My "hoop house" had to be on level ground and was very time consuming to do. By putting the 4 by 4's in the ground you can always just run a line-level and lop off the tops to make them even. I think you'll like your new greenhouse better also...will be much easier to attach shelves, install vents/windows or fans. I'd still recommend two layers of plastic also. Good luck. Now get to work!