This is Ben Scow with Utah State University Extension down in Washington County.
Spring often comes in like a lion and out like a lamb, that's one of the old sayings that we have.
The reason for that in Utah is the wind. We get a lot of wind in the spring and again in the fall.
That has to do with our topography, the mountains, and the temperature fluctuations that we get. It all kind of drives the wind, and we get a lot of it.
Some of the things that you can do and think about this spring are wind protection.
Tomatoes, peppers, and some of our other taller plants that we stick in the ground, can actually be planted at an angle so they go with the wind. That way, they don't snap as easy.
A couple things to think about as well is staking and trellising. These keep the plants from snapping and breaking off in a good, hard wind storm.
Some techniques that work well include wind breaks. There are some temporary ones that we can build, like a temporary fence.
We can put a hoop structure over our garden beds, and then drape burlap, shade cloth, frost cloth, or something else over it that we can secure and fasten.
That's not going to get blown away in the wind, and that will break up the wind before it hits our plants.
Some of the long term things you can think about include planting some taller shrubs, trees, and building a permanent fence to block the wind and help our plants survive those windstorms a little bit more.
The other thing to keep in mind with wind is it dries out the soil really quick. Think about trying different mulches.
This is an experiment, because the wind is hard on mulch as well and can blow it away.
I personally like to use grass clippings or some of the smaller barks that I can keep moist and the wind doesn't blow them away nearly as much.
The soil does get dried out by the wind and it's really hard on new seedlings.
If we don't keep an eye on those, the wind can dry them out completely and kill those.
Keep an eye out, I hope no one gets blown away this windy season.
Have a great gardening season, and we'll talk to you in May.