After a brutal hailstorm damaged cars, trees, and buildings, one home gardener shared their very different story.
Here's what to know
On Reddit's r/gardening forum, the person shared striking photos of large hailstones as well as a vegetable garden that remained intact despite the storm.
"Lots of damage to cars, trees and buildings. But my hail netting protected the garden," the original poster wrote. The attached photos showed the massive hailstones in the netting and in the hand of the gardener.
The post drew support and jokes from other gardeners. "This is probably the most visually satisfying thing I will see today," one commenter wrote. "So good when a garden thing does what it's supposed to, and well!"
Another added: "I just clipped all of the fruit off of my tomato plants so they could grow back their leaves because they were decimated from hail. I'm going to look into netting."
"I don't remember the brand, but I got it through Walmart," the OP explained. "This is the fourth year using it and the second big hail storm. I will have a few tears and holes I will have to fix with zip ties."
TCD Picks » Quince Spotlight
💡These best-sellers from Quince deliver affordable, sustainable luxury for all
More background
Home gardens can help households save money on produce, especially during harvest season, while also providing fresher, better-tasting fruits and vegetables than store-bought options.
Because of those benefits, losing plants to severe weather can be more than a minor inconvenience. Hail can shred leaves, bruise fruit, snap stems, and delay harvests, leading to less food from a garden and more money spent replacing lost produce.
For home gardeners in hail-prone areas, protective coverings such as netting, row covers, or similar barriers may reduce the impact of storms. While they may not prevent every type of damage, this shows they can keep crops safe enough.
Get TCD's free newsletters for easy tips, smart advice, and a chance to earn $5,000 toward home upgrades. To see more stories like this one, change your Google preferences here.
