March News

Our tunnel's plastic blew off in December's windstorm.  It was a sight to see, we watched it happen from the windows that overlook our field in the space we call the "loft" above the garage.  We had recently replaced the plastic as the lifespan is about 5 years and we had ours on for 6.  The old sheet had acquired many holes for various reasons, and the wood anchoring the plastic at the "hips" of the tunnel were rotten and in need of replacement.  Kyle and I tried a new off-brand system of wiggle wire, and in the retirement of our 1st farming season with two kids we rushed the installation of the new sheet wanting to see it done.   Once installed, the new plastic was saggy, as a 40'x100' sheet is hard to get perfectly straight and tight, especially with only two sets of hands.  I was vaguely depressed looking at it, bummed that I would have to accept its imperfect look for another 5-6 years when we would get a chance to do it again right.  It felt like an appropriately disappointing finish to what had been a soggy disappointing summer.   But then a little under 2 months later it blew off.   During the storm I saw the far corner on the pond side of the field lift up and then quickly the sheet gained momentum lifting the hip boards off that entire length and it was flapping wildly in the air for about 30 minutes before rather gracefully and uneventfully sliding down the other side that still remained attached and stayed there for the remainder of the storm.  In the moment I had visions of the entire sheet lifting and either ending up high in a tree or a sinking gigantic piece of trash into our pond.  There was nothing we could do during the storm about it, Kyle went out to the tunnel and got some impressive video footage up close, the plastic ragging wildly in the wind like some kind of shipwreck on a desolate shore.  The next day or two we cleaned up, which felt good, removing the evidence of the failure, and although it took some time, we started to appreciate the bright side of the loss.  Our tunnel was in desperate need of a water flush, as salts from fertilizers accumulate on the artificially dry soil surface, so the rain and snow of the winter months provided the deep moisture the tunnel needed.  Although the big snows never came, Kyle was relieved to have the tunnel removed from his shoveling list, as the sides need to be frequently cleared of snow during big storms to allow the roof to shed.  This winter/spring has also felt windy, and we had many moments during the windstorms we were happy to not have the plastic on our worry list.  

We did some research and switched plastic anchoring systems to the RIMOL greenhouse company, their sales team talking us through the transition and assuring us they are designed for high wind loads.  The first salesperson I spoke with said the size tunnel we have has more plastic surface area than all of Columbus's ships' sails combined, to put a visual to the amount of force behind the piece of plastic during the storm and to emphasize the need for secure anchoring.  Kyle worked over the last few months switching the hip anchors to all metal RIMOL tracks that are double bolted to the greenhouse bows, and as he worked, became increasingly aware of just how flimsy the off-brand was in comparison.  Our previous track had lifted the screws right out of the wood hip boards on one whole side during that big storm, the wind force on the plastic just slowly working the screws loose. 

Finally ready, we lined up help from some friends and family and covered the tunnel for the second time.  It was a relief to have extra hands and the plastic although of course never as tight and perfect as I would like, came out just about as good as you could ask for.  Looking back, we've been laughing a bit about our previous attempt.  We were exhausted, rushed, and trying to save money, never a good combination.  This recovering has somehow slightly re-energized us both for the season ahead.  It went well, it looks good, and the help from family and friends made us feel grateful to all the people we have connected with in our years being here.

Kyle headed off to a friend's farm later that same week and helped them to re-cover two tunnels they had lost, one in the same December storm. It was a windier day than when we did
ours and he said the whole experience was wild, funny, nerve racking, and somehow illustrated the often-felt ridiculousness of farming.  Us tiny humans constantly trying to modify and tame nature with varying degrees of success and failure.  

As good as we feel about our new tunnel covering, we've already lost sleep on a couple of very windy nights, and don't love seeing the 40mph gusty forecast.  But we have done the best we can this time, and just have to let the weather play out and now hope for the best.