Here are some useful links to prepare for storms and where to go for assistance after a storm.
Info by John Bartok, Extension Professor Emeritus and Agricultural Engineer, NRME Department, University of Connecticut
- Reducing Storm Damage to Your Greenhouses - UMass Extension (with additional links to MA resources on storm preparation and response)
- Reducing Storm Damage to Your Greenhouses (More info) - UConn Greenhouse IPM.
- 10 Snow-Related Causes of Greenhouse Failure 2013. Greenhouse Grower Magazine.
- Snow Melting Tips 2015. Greenhouse Management Magazine.
Preparing Your Greenhouse for a Hurricane, 2013, Skip Paul, Wishingstone Farm, Little Compton, RI.
Also, in recent winters, frigid temperatures and frequent snow storms caused delays of shipments of plugs and cuttings for spring production which arrived chilled or frozen. The damage often showed within a few hours after exposure to warmer temperatures.
Learn to recognize the damage. See this article with photos: “Chilling Injury on Cuttings: What to look for” by Tom Dudek, Michigan State University Extension.
Fact Sheet: Reducing Storm Damage to Your Greenhouse
Massachusetts Emergency Management
https://www.mass.gov/orgs/massachusetts-emergency-management-agency
Mass. Dept. of Agricultural Resources Farm Emergency Plan Template
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/farm-emergency-plan
Updated 2024