I don't know if you expect hail but when we had a bad hailstorm earlier this year my plants that were under bird netting took much less damage than those that weren't. I think a lot of the hail hit the netting before it went through which slowed its descent. Only other thing I can think of is to maybe pound some sturdy stakes in the ground to try to secure your cages. I'd also be worried about the wind picking up a vining plant like squash or melons off the ground and flinging it about like a whip.

It`s funny the things you have to do when you are a "hobbiest" to grow corn. I never see the big fields of corn laying on the ground after a storm. I guess maybe all of those rows that the big boys grow, affords some sort of wind protection barrier for the plants. I doubt it would be feasible to stand 50 acres of corn back up after it got flattened by the wind & rain! LOL! I wouldn`t want to do it I can tell you that! ;) tdscpa: I may just try that little technique of yours next year. I have tried in the past to just plant the seeds deeper but it really didn`t seem to help much. I have spoken with others who have done the same thing. They said theirs still blew over too. I think I tried planting those suckers about 6" in the ground one year. Took `em a LONG time to come out of the ground & some didn`t. I understand that the corn makes most of its roots near the surface ( about 1" to 2"down ) so what you are saying about the way that you do that would work. It would get the roots established & growing & then you pile more dirt on them, effectively re-enforcing the roots. Very good idea indeed! nchomemaker: I may try that this year since the plants are already about 3 ft high or so. I doubt I have but maybe 4 weeks left before I will be picking corn. Big aggravation to have to go to these lengths to keep my stalks up but I don`t think corn was meant to grow like watermelon vines do on the ground! LOL! Thanks everyone for the suggestions! Will save me from having to buy a few bags of concrete!! :-)

Yum! Those look great! I've got some gorgeous looking lettuces in my cold frames, and I'm debating when to cut them - I want to eat my lettuce and have it too, lol! Ellen, how did you escape? We got 5.8 inches here, but much of it went away in the yucky rain that fell for a few hours - and left a lovely coating of ice everywhere. Sometimes I wish I could be a bear and hibernate for the winter! Not necessarily sleep, but stay in my house (and even outside in my yard) and do all the things I want to do and I need to catch up on, and the outside world be damned! :) Dee who grew up on Wind in the Willows and wishes she were like Mole and Rat who stayed in for the winter by the fire and ate like kings and wrote poetry - ah, the life! (Can you tell I don't want to go to work today, lol?)

Gill, they're also born pregnant, with even the pregnancy pregnant, as well! Their life cycle is 60 days so just imagine the egg laying capacity. These are just nasty and attract scale & ants, as well. Ed, so sorry to hear you're dealing with this. I've gotten these twice on two other flowering plants. I washed them off (removed all visible sign of them) with dish washing liquid & water in an isolated corner of the yard, then sprinkled Bonide Systemic granules in the pot and watered in. They never showed their nasty little faces again. Seriously, one treatment. It also worked on a sudden mealybug attack to my one mature adenium. Try washing off and then spraying with Sevin. Maria Elena BTW, the seedlings from the seeds you sent me are doing great. The ones from your personal seed pod (2 rows on right) are bigger than most I've grown. The first row and 1st one in the 2nd row are Double Irresistible. Here they are (just watered) in 4 oz yogurt cups at age 2 months ... They are ready for a 3" pot.