Coloradans are pretty used to random adverse weather by this point, but your plants aren't.

While it won't help your garden much against tornadoes, like the ones that touched down in a few Colorado counties Sunday, Loveland resident Frank Bustos has a tip that could save your plants from summer hailstorms.

"All I did was take a piece of rabbit wire and cut it to the length I need and fold it over the baskets," Bustos said, referring to tomato cages. "The hail just bounces right off."

Bustos worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Fort Collins for 15 years. He has been working with plants and gardening for much of his life.

"I've been (covering my plants) for about five years. Had a couple of hailstorms and it protects from it," he said. "Not many people know to do this."

He recalled a time when working at the USDA that a hailstorm caused around $40,000 in damage to a greenhouse. Bustos has constructed an aluminum frame to cover his personal greenhouse with wire mesh to protect it as well. Odds are the wire will deflect most hail.

"You gotta let the sun through," he said, advising against using boards or tarps. "If you get those golf ball-sized hail, it'll beat everything into the ground without protection."

He said he's seen hail as late as the June 19, which happened last year. He typically removes the screens after the 19th.

Bustos has lived in Loveland since 1959 and recently replaced his backyard grass with a rock garden in gravel.

He grows plants ranging from hot peppers to zucchini, protecting most of his garden with his simple and cost-effective method. For plants that do not use a cage, he uses posts stuck in the ground to hold up the wire mesh.
