Plant next to a west facing brick wall in Toronto?

I really want more trellis space for tomatoes and the back of my house is west facing. Can I put a trellis there if I move it, say, 6-8 inches from the red brick wall? Sun comes around at 1pm and lasts until about 8pm in the summer. We have hot summer afternoons in Toronto and we’re zone 7.

You will find out!  I have 2 small trellised beds a few inches from the east side of the house and the pole beans used to fry.  I tried installing shade cloth on the east side of the trellises but it didn't help.  Then I realized that it was the reflected and radiant heat of the wall and windows that were doing the damage.  Moved the shade cloths to the house side of the trellises and problem solved.



PS: How are you going to get to the tomatoes if the bed and trellis are only 6-8" from the wall?

I put two 1x4 beds in front of a regular PT solid board fence (Small gap between the boards). I used tomato spirals like these:


(I got them from Dollarama for like $2 each. They are 5 for $35 at Lee Valley).

I used waterproof glue to glue a scrap of Styrofoam (1 inch thick, about 3 inches square) with a slightly undersized hole in it to the weedcloth. I pushed the spiral through the hole and into the ground about a foot, then sealed it all with aquarium grade silicone. I filled the beds the next day. the weeds are no worse than the rest of the garden (they do not grow around the spiral). The spirals work well with some ties (I am going to try clips this year). I think the sun (mostly the heat) reflected from the wood is just enough to boost production, but not enough to overheat. They do seem  to need extra watering. They face due south and are usually my first fruit of the season.

I would guess red brick would not reflect much more light than aged PT wood. It might heat up and reflect heat later into the night (which might be a good thing).

sanderson wrote:
PS: How are you going to get to the tomatoes if the bed and trellis are only 6-8" from the wall?

You mean they don't just grow on the convenient side of the trellis?  How inconsiderate of them! Thanks for pointing out my newbie palm slap to the head moment!   

I made my second box today (completely ignoring @AtlantaMarie's advice to start small - you can tell me I told you so at the end of the season) and I put it about 20 inches away from the wall. Too late for my first box(beans, peas and cucumbers up the trellis) - apparently a 3x5 ft garden table filled with waterlogged mel's mix is just too heavy to move. Maybe my daughter will be able to squeeze back there enough to pick the peas and beans. 

FRED58 wrote:
I would guess red brick would not reflect much more light than aged PT wood. It might heat up and reflect heat later into the night (which might be a good thing).

Good point Fred 58, especially since I probably over-estimated how much sun this space will get. I timed it today and only got about 4-5 hours of full sun followed by about 3 hours of filtered sun (once the leaves come on the trees). I guess I'll see (and learn!) as I go.

cholyk wrote:

sanderson wrote:
PS: How are you going to get to the tomatoes if the bed and trellis are only 6-8" from the wall?

You mean they don't just grow on the convenient side of the trellis?  How inconsiderate of them! Thanks for pointing out my newbie palm slap to the head moment!   

I made my second box today (completely ignoring @AtlantaMarie's advice to start small - you can tell me I told you so at the end of the season) and I put it about 20 inches away from the wall.

Aren't you glad to have Marie and I to advise you?