Discussion forum for the various methods and structures used for getting an early start on your growing season, extending it for several weeks or even year 'round.
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January 21, 2017 | #1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Wasilla Alaska
Posts: 2,010
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Snow load
It is amazing how much weight two pieces of plastic can hold hen they're poofed up with a fan. I finally got scared and put some heat to them to get the load off, there was probably 15+ inches on them
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January 21, 2017 | #2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Omaha Zone 5
Posts: 2,514
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After reading your posts and seeing all the beautiful homes on the water on the cable real estate shows I was dreaming of spending a year there and a year in Florida.
Fairbanks made our news here with everything freezing over. This brought me right back to reality. Its good that you are there to protect your property. At least you are over the winter hump and have gardening to keep your mind focused. - Lisa |
January 21, 2017 | #3 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Northern Minnesota - zone 3
Posts: 3,231
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That was a healthy dump of snow! Glad your greenhouses survived so well, but it sure is discouraging to know that it will take that much longer to see bare ground in the spring.
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Dee ************** |
January 22, 2017 | #4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Aug 2015
Location: Zone 6a Denver North Metro
Posts: 1,910
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Dozens of mini-avalanches breaking off, sliding down and crashing. Whish! Boom.
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January 22, 2017 | #5 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Wasilla Alaska
Posts: 2,010
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Fairbanks is about 300 miles north, very harsh winters, nice summers though.
It can snow up through May, but it melts super fast, sometimes we just go from winter to summer. LOL Usually April and May are chilly, but sunny, nice for heated greenhouse growing. I was entertained by the mini avalanches. lol |
January 22, 2017 | #6 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Illinois, zone 6
Posts: 8,407
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The strength of the plastic is actually the problem. It's strong enough to pull down the structure when it collapses.
The pics below are how I know that. These pics are from three years ago. I put everything back together with the old materials. I'm a little lumpy now, but the collapse cost me about thirty bucks. Now I know to take the plastic off in the winter. This was a freak storm, ten inches of mostly ice pellets. My Clearspan building survived it; my top rail high tunnel did not. |
January 22, 2017 | #7 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Wasilla Alaska
Posts: 2,010
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That is not good Cole Robbie. You guys can get some bad storms, I remember the 77-78 blizzards over in southern Indiana. I cannot fathom the strength of plastic, it hates tree branches, but is tuff for sure. lol How have the winters been the last several years?
Maybe consider some trusses if you want to keep plastic on, then you can store some stuff in it too. If you do a simple Kings post truss system, they will take the snow, and you can hang stuff from the trusses too. I worry the most about the winds, every year we get a couple nasty storms. Last edited by AKmark; January 22, 2017 at 01:37 AM. |
January 22, 2017 | #8 |
BANNED FOR LIFE
Join Date: May 2014
Posts: 13,333
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I've been reading this thread today. We get snow here in this part of Texas maybe once or twice a year and 4 inches is a lot of snow for these parts. What really messes things up here is ice storms. Freezing rain is (to me) worse than sleet. Freezing rain followed by temperatures dropping well below freezing brings a lot of tree limbs and power lines down.
We haven't had a bad freezing rain storm like that for several years, but it'll happen again. That's why we have both propane and electric heaters - just in case. I don't have a green house, but am wondering how ice storms effect greenhouse's? Greenhouse - they used to be green. I guess they are Hothouses now? |
January 22, 2017 | #9 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: NC
Posts: 511
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All these pictures of snow shiver me timbers. Exactly the reason why I like living in the south. I can deal with the heat. Snow, not so much.
Speaking of, its a chilly 54 this morning. |
January 22, 2017 | #10 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Near Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 1,940
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Glad you got that snow off! Made me feel better, at least
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January 22, 2017 | #11 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Bozeman, Montana Zone 6b
Posts: 333
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Real Snow
6000 feet in the northern Rockies, just another snow storm.
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January 22, 2017 | #12 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Illinois, zone 6
Posts: 8,407
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There really ought to be such a thing as greenhouse plastic which contains a netting of heating filaments. Just plug in the cord when it snows, and the plastic heats up enough to melt off the snow.
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January 22, 2017 | #13 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Wasilla Alaska
Posts: 2,010
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Still snowing here, by looking at others posts, I am not alone, TOGETHER WE STAND AS ONE. LOL
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January 22, 2017 | #14 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2016
Location: Santa Maria California
Posts: 1,014
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Does it get muddy up there after the melt Mark?
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January 22, 2017 | #15 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Wasilla Alaska
Posts: 2,010
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Yes, before the ground thaws it is very muddy, as soon as it thaws the water instantly vanishes. We bury our water lines 10' or deeper, it takes awhile for it to thaw.
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