Help me source windbreak fabric for my skygarden
May 26, 2024 4:14 PM   Subscribe

I am looking to mitigate wind on my balcony. I'm finally getting around to starting a balcony container garden with a focus on fruits, vegetables, and herbs (and hopefully eventually some flowers too). However, it's very windy out there, and that is creating extra stress on the plants that I'd like to alleviate. I read in my container-gardening book about using windbreak fabric, but so far everything I find is direct-sale to businesses (farmers) only, and/or in huge agricultural quantities. Where can I find and purchase small quantities of sturdy windbreak fabric?

Allow me to pre-empt any "what about this other non-balcony gardening option?" answers:
- I cannot have a garden inside (very small apartment, very mouthy cat).
- There are no community gardens available in my neighborhood (years-long waitlists).
- This is where I live, and I want to figure out how to make the balcony work!

I am planning to add some sturdier edible plants serve as shelter for my other, floppier and more delicate plants, but my balcony is sufficiently windy that either way I'm going to need additional more aggressive wind mitigation.

Specs I'm looking for:
- NOT shade cloth. I'm not trying to shade my garden! Otherwise something like this would be basically perfect.
- roughly 50% wind mitigation (this is semi-arbitrarily based on something I read in the container gardening book -- the author says that significantly higher percentages of wind mitigation create additional turbulence and recommends 50%. Def let me know if you have additional knowledge on this topic)
- ideally clear, a minimal white, or gray in color to blend in with my gray apartment building, so I don't catch flak from my landlord for altering the aesthetics
- Dimensions of approximately 12'-6" x 3', plus two smaller 3'x3' panels that will curve around the corners and overlap a little (alternatively I could use one long continuous panel that's roughly 18' long)
- Grommets for pre-made attachment points are a major bonus because they allow me to easily zip-tie it to the sturdy steel balcony fence/railing structure (the railing has lots of small individual steel slats so it's easy to attach to at any location), but I'm open to other attachment options.
- Cost is a consideration; I don't have hundreds of dollars throw at this problem. I can do $100 if absolutely necessary but ideally I'd like to keep the solution under $50 max.
posted by cnidaria to Home & Garden (13 answers total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Response by poster: I guess I do get a lot of sun, so maybe up to 50% shade might be fine? But I'm having a hard time finding mesh that isn't trying to give 90% shade, which seems like too much!
posted by cnidaria at 4:46 PM on May 26, 2024


Hm, this is interesting. I can't picture exactly what you're looking for. But just in case it's helpful, the first thing that came to mind -- white, large, affordable, grommets -- was a surplus military surplus parachute, something like this or this.

My suspicion is that that wouldn't do the trick as-is -- it might need some slits cut in or slots cut out of it to get the 50% number? You don't say how crafty you are. Good luck in your search.

Edited to fix the links that didn't work.
posted by AbelMelveny at 5:22 PM on May 26, 2024


Response by poster: Ah, thanks AbelMelveny! In case a picture helps, this is the kind of thing I'm looking for. Just having issues finding it in small quantities.

I might try some Coolaroo 50% UV Shade Cloth and see if it blocks wind too, since my Lowes seems to have it on sale for $5 for enough to do my whole balcony. But definitely still interested in other ideas, and plants other than rosemary (already planning on this) or lavender (don't actually like the smell!) that make good living windbreaks!
posted by cnidaria at 5:26 PM on May 26, 2024


Best answer: The pictures in the link to windbreak netting look exactly like shadecloth, so I think that's your answer (albeit possibly not the only one). I have used 50% shade cloth for windbreaks before and it works really well. I've used black because it allows a reasonable view through it, but you can buy it in other colours - not sure about white, but definitely beige and maybe grey.

if you use shadecloth, you'll likely need to built a light frame to hold it stretched out, as it tends to want to bow inwards along the sides.
posted by dg at 5:38 PM on May 26, 2024 [1 favorite]


Coffee sacks from a local roaster would be free, and have cool logos!
posted by wenestvedt at 5:50 PM on May 26, 2024 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Grommets are not at all difficult to install in whatever fabric, just so you know. Hardware stores generally have little kits you use with a hammer. One every 18-24" is usually good.
posted by teremala at 5:51 PM on May 26, 2024 [4 favorites]


Or buy bug netting to put over you while camping, and cut out a strip. They are usually quite large and only cost about ten bucks.

We use it to cover strawberries, and also to screen our central air conditioning in the office season.

A grommet setter kit is cheap and comes with a handful of grommets. You just need to borrow a hammer to put them in, through doubled-up netting.
posted by wenestvedt at 5:53 PM on May 26, 2024 [1 favorite]


Tulle by the yard?
Multiple colors, comes in glittery or not.
The same search on Google suggested a Temu product. No judgement, this is probably what Temu is good at?
posted by fiercekitten at 5:58 PM on May 26, 2024 [1 favorite]


Have you tried contacting the producers/sellers of the type of net you want - you could ask if they have offcuts or scrap that they would sell you.
posted by lulu68 at 6:56 PM on May 26, 2024 [2 favorites]


The windbreak netting in your link reminds me a lot of the textile used to make Mexican mercado bags.

You can find it as tarp (pre-grommetted!) at this supplier. (No implied recommendation, that's just the first one that came up.)

This fabric supplier has another version ("bag mesh") by the yard in various threads per inch.

For what it's worth, I think regular shade cloth would be too thick, blocking more sun than you want.
posted by cocoagirl at 7:27 PM on May 26, 2024


How about an outdoor mesh banner? Most online store can cut to the size you need, add hemming and grommets. And you can even print whatever color you need.
posted by gloturtle at 7:32 PM on May 26, 2024


Response by poster: I ended up grabbing some 30% shade cloth that was on sale at Lowe's -- $5 for 15'x6', I can cut it in half and have more than enough for my space. Going to give it a try and see if it helps.

DIY grommet kits sound great, thanks teremala!
posted by cnidaria at 10:10 PM on May 26, 2024 [1 favorite]


Response by poster: Oh, and I have a modern steel grate balcony that is pretty much 100% potential tie-down locations, so no need to build a frame, as long as I grommet and zip tie prolifically! :-D
posted by cnidaria at 10:11 PM on May 26, 2024 [1 favorite]


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