We were recently hit by an ex-tropical cyclone called Ophelia.
We are used to storms in Ireland but this was unusual as only a few days earlier it
was a major hurricane and it arrived on a very different approach path.
There were warnings that it could possibly be the worst storm to hit Ireland in over 50 years.
As I watched it approach I knew it was time
to install that windbreak I had been meaning to set up for the last couple of months.
Here in the midlands of Ireland we generally have a few storms a year with winds exceeding
50km/h and gusts above 75km/h. But with this storm we were expecting gusts
above 100km/h inland, and much higher on the coasts, so this was to be taken very seriously.
Beyond the threat of general damage I was particularly concerned about the Polytunnel
I put up this season in the Black Plot. It was on the same site that a few polytunnels
used by the local Community Farm were destroyed in a storm a few years ago.
This site has very little protection from the full force of southwest winds, which are
strengthened as they are funnelled between a hill to the north and a large building to
the south. It is impossible to say how effective a windbreak
would have been during that destructive storm a few years ago, or to what extent other factors
such as open ends, loose plastic or larger polytunnel contributed to the loss.
What I do know is that it was definitely a risk to put a polytunnel in this location again,
and something needed to be done to slow the winds before the first of the winter storms arrived.
I have plans for a natural windbreak to provide protection for this entire growing space and
to create a sheltered microclimate for the gardens, something we should have planted years ago.
I hope to plant part of it this season, but
it’s going to take a number of years to get establish, and until then I am going to
needed to rely on an artificial temporary windbreak.
But I wasn’t sure how much would be enough, or how high it needed to be, or what kind
of structure would be strong enough to support it, because I've never built one before.
But under time pressure the length and design was dictated by the materials available, and
a judgement call about how much would be enough. Part of this decision was how much I was willing
to spend to protect the tunnel, and how much time I had to put it all up.
It seemed the best option was heavy duty windbreak material that was 2m tall and 25m long.
This was enough to create an 'L' shaped screen protecting the Polytunnel from the south and
west winds, which is the general direction of about 80% of the strong winds we experience.
It would be horrible if the polytunnel was damaged by flying debris from a failed structure that was
installed to protect it, so the structure needed to be strong, or it would be better not to put it up at all.
I ended up installing post, supported by lots of guy-ropes,
with the windbreak material securely clamped to the posts and clipped to a top rope.
The forecast on the morning the storm arrived indicated it would start in the early afternoon
with strong southeast winds. This was a real concern as the tunnel wasn't
protected from this direction. These were supposed to be followed by stronger
blasts from the south and the southwest later in the day.
Parts of Ireland were hit really hard, but it didn’t end up being so bad where we are,
although it was still violent enough. In the end it was the strong southeast gusts
of about 105km/h that did the most damage locally, and blew down a lot of trees in the area.
These were the strongest winds we've had from this direction,
and the 4th strongest winds we’ve experienced, for at least 10 years.
In comparison the storm that destroyed the polytunnels on this site 4 years ago had sustained
winds from the west of 85km/h and gusts up to 120km/h.
These strong southeast gusts from Ophelia arrived earlier than expected but the winds
from the west that arrived later in the day were not so strong.
I think without the windbreak my new polytunnel could still have been threatened, but in the
end of the day it was still standing, and the plastic was thankfully undamaged.
I wish that was the extent of the story, with awareness, preparation, and new infrastructure saving the day.
But it was a bit more dramatic than that, mainly due to negligence on my part.
While the plastic of some polytunnels is fixed
to a base rail, the plastic of this polytunnel was buried in a trench.
When I installed it during a busy period in the early summer, I didn’t get around to
putting enough soil back in the trench to fully weigh it down, and hadn’t got around to finishing the job.
Completing this task was on my list of things
to do before the storm arrived, but I prioritised putting up the windbreak and was only able
to finish part of the job. On the morning the storm arrived, I was hoping to finish
filling the rest of the trenches including the long east facing side, but I ran out of time.
Early in the storm, the strongest gusts from
the southeast started to pull up the plastic from under the soil along the unprotected
east side. There just wasn’t enough weight to keep
it secure, and possibly the water was helping to lubricate things.
It was likely the same gusts that blew down the tree just northwest of the polytunnel
that started things moving. When plastic starts to come loose, it becomes
much easier for the wind to jerk the rest of it out of the ground, and then to destroy
it by whipping it about. I was passing by when I saw this starting
to happen, and I knew I was about to lose the plastic.
It was either stand back and marvel as the violence of the wind took control, or to start
shovelling soil to weigh down the plastic as much as I could.
Fortunately the bed alongside the tunnel was empty, and I was able to quickly shovel a
lot of soil onto the buried edge of the plastic. I built up quite a pile of soil and occasionally
walked along the edge of it to push it down, which was enough to prevent the plastic from slipping any more.
An added bonus was that I had left a space
between the edge of the trench and the post structure of the polytunnel frame.
There was just enough space for the weight of all the soil to pull the plastic down and
tighten the entire sheet over the frame again. A neighbour came along to help make sure the plastic
all around the base was weighed down enough, and it remained tight for the rest of the storm.
I was really lucky to notice the plastic coming loose when I did.
If I had passed by a little earlier the plastic might still have been tight, and I may have
gone home, and a little later would probably have been too late.
Negligence on my part was counteracted by luck, good timing and some quick hard work,
and the job I had been procrastinating in doing was finally done.
The polytunnel is now much better prepared for the next storm, which is already on its way, but I need
to continue to develop site, to extend the artificial windbreak and eventually replace it with a natural one.
Overall it was a very useful experience.
I now know how to put up secure windbreak, and I'm less likely to hesitate in putting
up another one because I've felt how much calmer the wind is behind that fabric.
I now know what it's like to work in 100km/h winds, and that a lot of work can be done
in a short time, given the right incentive. It was also a valuable opportunity to learn
that I really should be doing the job properly the first time.
I seem to be searching for different and exciting ways to learn this lesson over and over again.
We are currently in the middle of the second storm of the season, and it is a real relief
to know that everything is much more secure. It also feels really good to get such positive
feedback on my YouTube channel. And to know that people around the world are
willing to support me so that the creation of these videos and all the explorations I’m
doing in the gardens could become financially viable enough for me to be able to continue.
If you would like to support me, please follow this link to my Patreon page, or in the description below.
Thanks to those of you who have already made pledges,
and thanks to everyone for watching.