boy, you are not kidding! it also has been pretty windy here (arizona)lately. i can't remember when the last time was that the wind blew as much as this as it has this spring. seems like every other day at least. luckily, my plants have been doing ok, but it sure doesn't help with my allergies.

And we surely have more coming...last year after losing many prized seedlings to brutal spring winds I swore I was gonna quit Spring planting altogether and go with fall planting only ('course my "plan" didn't address the annuals and veggies...so here I am, planting and cussing the wind). This year I used coffee cans with both ends cut off, soda bottles with the bottom cut out and little cloth "tents" made out of bent coat hangers and cloth. All seem to be reducing the damage. When the wind FINALLY dies down it'll be time for the triple digit temps to set in (sigh...but still love desert gardening even with it's challenges)!
Cynthia

Oklahoma is the same..in fact we get the New Mexico wind occasionally (SW dry winds). All I can suggest is plant larger sturdier plants...they do adjust to the windiness :)
It blows pretty much all the time here too.

We're getting the same winds here in Nevada... Today was pretty strong @ 50 or so. After 2 years of having my seedlings dry up and blow away, I got a greenhouse. We still use the raised beds but I've installed shade cloth (47%) and wind protection for them as well.
I did notice, last year, that I had a number of ravens attacking my peas. You may be having bird damage as well as wind...

Well, I am happy to report great success with the oatmeal containers and paper towel tubes... I knew they'd have a good use someday!
Looks like things are calming down a bit .. but I'm with kazooie, I don't think I can remember ever having such strong, bad, and long term winds as we had this year ... but it looks like it is finally coming to an end, the week long wind-capades we had. Only good thing to come of it (but not for my neighbor) was this old juniper tree lost a huge limb, right on top of their car. They said I could take as much as I wanted, so now I have lots of LONG straight beautiful juniper branches I am making a rustic climbing rose arbor from :)
Have a great day everyone!!!

I'm not in your area of NM - I'm in the NW section. Up here, we don't expect the winds to even slack up any until closer to Memorial Day. (We sure don't plant anything in the ground until then - last year our last frost was June 7th)!

Hi, I'm formerly from Socorro and remember those winds very well! I used to use overturned plastic milk contaniners with the tops cut out. They made perfect little tents for small things and the light still got to the plants ok. Now I'm in Arizona and we are having quite a lot of wind here too. The blowing dust is a real pain! Hope it is getting nice in NM now. Happy Gardening!

Hate to say, but djanes is right. Don't look for the wind to stop until June. I remember a very CALM spring about 12 years ago and then suddenly, near the end of May all heck broke loose. Friends were visiting from Colo. considering moving down here.......HAH! they went home and haven't seen them since.

Look at waffle garden plans used by Hopi where plants are put into depressions to avoid having the seedling sawed off by blowing sand.

For tomatoes and like growing plants, surround your tomato cages with the white insect barrier or floating row cover cloth. Secure well (I've been known to sew them on) to cage and secure cage well into ground!! Save extra for top to fold over and secure. In addition to keeping wind and sand off plants, by setting cloth into ground and securing the top, you keep off leaf hoppers that transmit curly top virus. When the tomatoes start poking at the top, open the lid. Remove the cloth at your leisure...I've kept it on until fruit began ripening.

Even though My winds are different, I was glad to finally find a thread about protection. I've just moved to MT and have "chinook winds" throughout the year. If you have found some new ideas about stopping soil erosion from the wind, I'd love any help you have to offer. With the exception of grass. It's already covering most all of my yard.

Hi List,
I am a new member from Las Vegas, New Mexico. It is great to find List with members from New Mexico. The winds will always be unpredictable here. The only thing I can suggest is row covers.
my 2 cents
larry

That's what windbreaks are for. I have them on the entire perimeter of my half acre, and have never lost a seedling,etc. all of which are otherwise grown unprotected.

Wind is very common in spring due to the shift of temperatures from winter to summer. The atmosphere hold pockets of hot and cold air, and when they stir around each other creating wind. The whole country seems to be experencing high winds this spring, but thats just what happends some years.

I am dredging up this old post because I believe my seedlings and new transplants (in the veggie garden) are all suffering wind damage. I live in Fort Worth, TX.

No, they are not being ripped up by the roots, but I read someplace that winds in excess of even 15 mph can stunt plant growth and keep things from growing. The area is really too large for row covers...

Does anyone have suggestions for windbreak trees? What if I want to expand the area of the garden someday?

Thanks for any advice!!!

Some people use bales of hay as wind barriers. I put up wood fencing and some wooden lattice. It is really important to give plants extra water when the winds are blowing.