Shading Plants

**jamesindetroit** 5/6/2011, 1:36 pm

Anyone on the forum have luck using weed barrier as a shade cloth?

Miss M 5/7/2011, 2:32 am

I haven't tried it, but it seems doable. I figured I'd post here to bump your question back up and let more people have a chance to see it. Very Happy

**jamesindetroit** 5/7/2011, 8:35 am

Miss M wrote:I haven't tried it, but it seems doable. I figured I'd post here to bump your question back up and let more people have a chance to see it.

Thanks a bunch!

elliephant 5/7/2011, 10:40 am

Hmmm...I do have extra weed cloth and really need shade cloth (plan to put it in the budget next year) Shading Plants 385266

quiltbea 5/7/2011, 11:14 am

I thought I posted an answer last nite but its not here. Must have forgot to click 'post.'

Use cheesecloth. I use wire coathangers shaped in arcs over the plant and with clothes hangars I clip the cheesecloth to them.

Shading Plants 04-24-12

Here's some lettuces under hangers. Its cheap and easy.

The wire hangars and pins are easy ways to cover with plastic if one wants a little more heat, or with lightweight insect barrier (light row cover) to keep insects at bay or even heavy row cover to protect during an expected freeze.

jbh29 5/8/2011, 7:03 pm

Can you tell me when you shade things? And what things need shade?

Pam Hazelwood 5/8/2011, 8:15 pm

My sugar snap peas are getting ready to bloom (actually there is one flower I've seen so far) and it's supposed to be hot (89 or 90) in Middle Tennessee this week, so I hung a frost cloth over the peas to protect them from the hot sun. I just hope the wind doesn't blow the trellis down. I've secured it with clothes pins. We'll see! You'll want to shade your lettuce if you want it to last.

quiltbea 5/8/2011, 9:16 pm

I shade mine on two occasions.
One.... when I first transplant anything out in the garden, I place the cheesecloth over them for 2 days til they are better acclimated to the sunshine. Even if I've hardened them off, I want that added protection a couple of days because I usually only take a week for hardening.
Two..... when temps start getting hot, high 70s around here for cool-weather crops, I shade greens like Mizuna and Claytonia, lettuce, radishes, and spinach. They are less apt to 'go to seed' until later if they are kept from overheating.

Others might do things differently. I can only tell you what works for me.

jbh29 5/8/2011, 10:37 pm

By shading the lettuces and peas in hot weather, do you allow any sun? Or are they in complete shade all day?

quiltbea 5/9/2011, 10:53 am

They all need sunshine, but if you use a cheesecloth or shadecloth or tulle fabric or even old lace curtains you've got stored in the attic, sun is filtering thru but not at full strength which is the culprit.
Yes, they need sunshine, just not so much of it to overheat them.

If you shade them with something solid, like a board, allow them to have the morning sunshine, then place the board between your plants and the sun's rays to protect them from the strong heat of afternoon sunshine and remove the board in late afternoon when the sun isn't as strong

Another route to take is to transplant lettuces beneath the leaves of broccoli, cauliflower and other taller, leafy plants. They'll be protected from the sun much of the time, and they'll mature and be harvested before the bigger plant needs the rest of the soil's nutrients for its roots.

duhh 5/9/2011, 5:26 pm

Weed cloth would not work here in Az with our intense sun. I left a piece of weed cloth out for a couple weeks and when I went to pick it up, it just fell apart, and it isn't even summer yet! It might work where you are though!

We finally got all our shade cloth up I just try to get it up before it hits 100F here. I will try for 90F next year so my peas and lettuce will last a little longer next year.

Quiltbea: I like your idea of cheese cloth over the smaller transplants. I'm gonna try that next year.. Or in Sept when the winter garden goes in!

BackyardBirdGardner 5/9/2011, 6:02 pm

Anyone thought of doubling the use of their 6mm plastic?

It would likely work to get another trellis going about 4-5 feet high and clip the plastic to the top, run it down to the ground at a 45 degree-ish angle to the ground. Kind of half-tent style. You would be completely open on the back, allowing airflow, but would be blocking the sun in the front with an opaque filter. Any heat caused by the plastic would just waft away with the wind before ever hitting your garden.

I have my hoops up permanently with netting on them in the summer. So, I would just cover the sunny side of the hoops and leave the back completely open.

Does that make sense? Can anyone picture this? I just figured a lot of us already have 6mm clear plastic on hand from early spring hoop/soil heating.

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