I'm not really sure other than good supports what you could do, but any tomatoes that are even just starting to break color you could go ahead and pick. They will ripen in the house just as well as on the vine. Best of luck... and once it's over let us know that you made it through OK! (Hopefully this is another example of "Much Ado About Nothing"!!!)

Edie

The only thing that comes to mind is to build a shelter out of plywood. If you fabricate a box to put over the whole thing, you can just wait until the hurricane is close, and out the box over your veggies. Use lots of screws or lag bolts, assuming you have the raised bed made of wood. You could also anchor the box down to the ground with some of those long auger type ground anchors. That way if the box takes off, it won't rip your beds out. Heck, park a vehicle on the windward side to block the winds, that way, you'll only destroy your vehicle!

Joe

I hope you don't get it! It was coming right at us and then she went east 200 miles. Sorry I don't have any advice about what to do with your plants.

I'd move the potted plants into a garage or shed. Nothing you can do about the ones in the ground except hope for the best.

Don't try and build anything. Even tropical storm force winds could rip a tree out by the roots. Bring in all pots and outdoor items to avoid making them projectiles.

You definitely don't want to build any kind of wind-catching wall in front of anything without a support backing it. If you do, you need to let some kind of airflow somehow get through it unless you want it to snap and cause serious damage.

For the most part...being in NY, unless you're on the coast you'll probably have more water/rain issues than wind even if the gusts go 30+mph...unless this storm hasn't seriously weakened in the colder waters up north. Last I checked, at worst it would be a Cat.2 by the time it hit there.

Here's a storm tracker.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26295161/ns/weather/t/hurricane-tracker/

Heck, at this point it will most likely be a pesky tropical storm by the time it gets to NY. Gusts should be sporadically low, but rainfalls high.

It's still days away from the area and so much could happen.

Here is a link that might be useful: MSNBC hurricane tracker (non political for those that care about assumed media slants)

we are on the coast, just minutes away.
I'm hoping this will turn out to be 'much ado about nothing' as most of these storms tend to be for us.
hoping one thing, trying to plan for the other, lol.
the high rainfalls will probably flood my garden altogether, we have a really high watertable and the water actually comes UP from the ground when it rains hard around high tide.
maybe I will see what we can do about bolting down the box, didnt even think about it being ripped up. was more concerned about my trellis. would hate to have that ripped up and blown into my livingroom window.

You might be more effected by the winds on a direct hit that close to the shore. The inland trees help tame some gusts (until they get big enough to knock limbs off...heh). Even a tropical storm can produce 50-60mph winds without effort if unfiltered. Still, it's not uncommon for plants to make it through stuff like that, though damage wouldn't be surprising.

I'd be concerned about the trellis if it has a lot of weight/mass or leaf surface area covering it from plants. If there's decent enough space for wind to pass through, it should be okay if it's in the ground well. It's more prone to bend or fall in that state rather than go flying off somewhere.

Hopefully you get some sunny/warm days to clear out all that moisture if you're effected. The moisture is usually a bigger deal because you don't even need a direct hit to get a lot of moisture from these types of storms.

I've been watching the ECMWF (European model/most accurate model out there) and the trend has been a slight shift WEST. Direct hit near NYC on the latest run.

It is a myth that wind damage only occurs on the beach. Google hurricane Charley and Orlando to see how far inland damage can occur. It is also a myth that tropical storm force winds cannot cause damage. With a tropical storm the structure of your house is probably safe, but there is lots of outdoor damage. When Frances came through here in 04 it was only a tropical storm by that time yet it ripped several old oak trees in my neighborhood up by the roots.

It all depends on the size, intensity, angle of approach, etc... If I were you I would take this seriously. The good news is that many times when you expect a hurricane all you get is mist and a light breeze.

Google "hurricane and 1938" to see what a bad CAT 3 can do in New England.

Oh, I've lived through 3 major inland hurricanes in my lifetime (only 2 I'm old enough to remember, heh...recently hurricane Fran) and I'm 200 miles inland.

The tropical storm types, which I've seen a decent share of, tend to be less of a wind event and more of a rain event as far as damage goes. You still get the winds, but with all the trees/buildings/structures around it helps tame the 30-60mph winds vs. taking it directly at sea level rolling in off the ocean. I'm not trying to say that it's a night/day or huge difference, though...and the worst damaging winds, the high-end busts of gusting wind, can strike anywhere in the storm's path.

I should say that I mean damage to plants/gardens when I'm talking damage in this context.

The damage to house shingles, trees, power lines (mostly caused by trees), windows, and small buildings are vulnerable to even tropical storm winds.

There's no "minor" storm that dumps that much rain and has 30-60mph winds for an hour+ even if a tropical storm isn't as big of a deal as a hurricane...it's a major event no matter what.

We get hurricanes regularly in our area. The best advice I can give you is look at your plants. If you have some that have a very heavy canopy (this applies to tomatoes too), do a bit of pruning to open up spaces for the wind to pass through. If you have trellises that could be gently laid down on the ground without doing alot of damage, do that. Put them right back up once the storm passes. As others said, take in all pots, furniture, yard art, etc before the storm hits. And here's the most important part: make sure you have a good supply of stakes and twine on hand so that you can promptly pull anything that falls back up, press the ground around it, and tie it up. Most plants that blow over do not have all their roots broken, just some. If you tie them up and firm soil back over their roots, you'll be able to save most of them.

We're expecting it too, granolamom. Local wx predicting direct hit w/ cat 2 but they tend to exaggerate. At least I hope that's the case this time!

Anyway, I'm going to play it safe. I had a bad tomato year so I don't have to worry about those but I'm going to pick all the peppers on the plants and move the potted herbs and bush beans indoors. The rest is just going to have to ride it out.

Don't forget to secure your patio furniture & grill. Good luck!

Here is a link that might be useful: Local wx predicting Cat 2 sometime Sunday

Hey guys... I have some bean plants at my parents house attached to a tomato cage and a chicken wire fence. The fence was just buried a bit into the dirt, so it is probably not stable, but the fence and tomato cage in the middle are covered with this vining bean. Should I cut it off and take the cage and fence out? Will it be okay to leave it in? Need some solid advice!
Thanks,
Kelly

kelisk8s, I wouldn't take the vines down -- they'll just be whipped around by the wind and be hard to reattach. You could buy a heavy-duty stake or two and anchor the cage and fence to it with cable ties or rope.

I'm not planning to do much. I suspect propping tomatoes up in their cages would just make it easier to knock them down. I figure most plants have already found their center of gravity and whatever's not strong enough to withstand some wind will snap off. If I had some ripening tomatoes I'd pull them off, but most of them are still green. The grass in the paths and under the electric fence needs mowing but if I cut it now, the rain's likely to make the clippings a mess.

So mostly just keeping fingers crossed. We're north and inland of landfall and high on a hill, so we may not be nailed as much by the storm as coastal areas. I do suspect that its bark will be worse than its bite.

A few things I am doing: Tie the trellis more firmly to the stakes. Bring all the lawn furniture indoors. Move bales of peat and straw to a safe place far from the garden. Take a few "before" pictures.

ditto, I've done all I can do at this point, what will happen is going to happen, hoping not lose any trees or windows.

Asked my neighbor who I should call when her yet to be taken in patio furniture on her 2nd floor balcony!?! comes flying through my back french doors.

I'm guessing that many of you have never been through anything like this since I haven't seen the words "storm surge" mentioned even once. THAT'S the main destructive force with hurricanes, and certainly with Irene.

Storm surges are what topples buildings, docks, wharfs, and sends big boats careening into streets several blocks inland. It's primarily the threat of a storm surge that some of the NYC area has been evacuated.

There's nothing one can do to prevent damage if the surge is a bad one...just get up as high as you can.

I'll be keeping a close watch on the storm and hoping for the best for everyone. Oftentimes, once a storm makes landfall, it begins to weaken considerably.

It'a not the snapping of plants that should be an issue...most stuff we grow for veggies are rather flexable an can even handle a big gust of wind.

You're more likely to see plants toppling over or bending out the ground. Big, healthy plants with lots of leaves and little room for wind to pass through are very susceptible to bending/toppling.

The huge amount of rain is the main thing that's going to make a lot of the bending/toppling possible when the weight of water, wind, and saturated soil make the plant top heavy and bottom weak.

I'm on the edge of the storm here in inland NC and this slow-mover just dumped 8" of rain over almost 24 hours. It was 12-15" closer to the center.

I had to re-stake a few plants...none toppled, but a lot of the taller plants were bent out of the ground to some degree (especially the peppers). My soil (6" raised beds with ground soil under) is beyond saturated and so is pretty much everything surrounding the beds.

oops...

I meant to say...

"I had to re-stake a few plants... NONE toppled, but a lot of the taller plants were bent out of the ground to some degree"

Also, a reminder I wasn't in the direct path...anyone within 100 miles of the eye of the storm is going to see it a lot more seriously.

we're in direct path
rhizo...we've seen storm surges, so I know there's not much I can do to prevent that kind of damage. kind of in denial about it, or maybe just trying to focus on the things (I think) I can control.
toyed with the idea of sandbagging our garden, dh thinks it would be an exercise in futility, he's probably right.
so right now, we're just sitting tight. its raining already but not too windy. just went out and picked anything that looked near ripe and what will be will be. at this point I'm more concerned about things like oh, I dont know, windows and cars, a flooded hot water heater (we did sandbag around that though), being stuck in the house for a couple of days with 5 kids and inlaws, lol. but at least I've got a big bowl full of ripe sweet 100's cherry toms to snack on. yummmmmmmmm

Glad you saved some tomatoes and that you arr still in a good mood! I hope and pray it all goes well for you and your family!

Lol, I'd say that you've got a lot more to worry about than saving your tomatoes, dear girl. Are you prepared to be without power for few days, heaven forbid, should that happen in your area?

I don't live in Hurricane alley anymore (coastal SC) but now live in Tornado Alley! We were without power for 6 days after the storms of April 27 hit our area (Alabama). It's interesting how few people were ready to provide for themselves and be a little self sufficient for a while....including us, to a certain degree.

We sure did get to know our neighbors better. And everyone has mentioned how nice it was to sit outside and enjoy the nighttime sky without all of the urban light pollution.

I've heard on the Weather Channel (famous for exaggeration) that the storm is predicted to hit that area around high tide. Let's hope THAT doesn't happen.

I know, the tomatoes are the least of my worries, lol. easier to stay calm focusing on that though.
we're as prepared as I think we can be. got plenty of water for everyone, stocked up on non perishables, batteries, etc.
got a freezer full of ice blocks and a cooler to get a few more hours of refrigeration.
got a stocked first aid kit, have a working mental list of who else is around to help each other out (doctors, guys with big trucks, neighbors with generators, etc).
the worst power outage we've been through was a couple of days (iirc it was three and a half, summer of 2001 when most of the northeast went dark), definitely not fun. I'm hoping it doesnt get that bad, but time will tell.

about 5 years ago we got hit by a northeaster at high tide, JFK airport can open floodgates to prevent flooding of the runways and that caused flooding in my area. assuming that will happen again, although afaik, the airport is currently closed to all incoming flights and most scheduled outgoing flights have been cancelled.
my sister in NJ just told me they've issued a tornado watch in her area, that scares me abit 'cuz I've never been through that before. but then again, we just experienced out first earthquake here last week. crazy weather patterns these days!

thanks for the prayers, zackey. trying to stay in a good mood for the kids. the last thing they need is a stressed out mom (or they will all end up in my bed tonight, and that's the last thing I need!)

We've been in strong winds and heavy rain since around 2 am, but nothing flying across the yard. The sunflowers are bent over, a few cosmos got knocked flat, and the corn is not looking too great. It shouldn't be too hard to straighten everything up in the mud tomorrow.

Near here (western Catskills), many rivers are near flood stage, and the business district of the closest town is forecast to be under three feet of water from the Delaware River. Keeping fingers crossed that damage to a vegetable farm in the river's flood plain will be limited. I hope you all are safe.

well, so far so good, or not bad I should say.
we lost power for a few hrs last night, but its back on for now.
have 4 inches of water in our crawlspace (no basements here)
a bunch of large branches down in the street and in neighbors yards.
tomato and cuke vines are looking a bit ragged, from what I can see from my window, one pepper plant snapped but the rest look ok.
still raining here, and windy but they say the storm will have passed by noon or so.