Shade cloth for Broccoli, lettuce

SarahBeth · May 13, 2018

Hi everyone. I live just south of Greenville, SC, zone 7b/8a and would like to try extending my lettuce/broccoli growing season with shade cloth. I seem to remember some tomatovillians from my area using 50% for tomatoes (though my tomatoes seem to do fine without any shade cloth), so does that mean I should try 60% or so for these cooler weather crops?

FourOaks · May 13, 2018

60 Percent would probably be overkill, causing leggy-ness in the crops.

This year im using 50 on my lettuce. The secret is also using micro sprinklers. Found at Lowes in the aisle with drip irrigation stuff. I just upped the time to every 4 hours, from the previous 6 hours. They run 5 minutes. Just enough to cool everything down.

Within a couple day after installing the shade cloth, I noticed increased growth.

SarahBeth · May 13, 2018

Thank you! Interesting about the micro sprinklers. We have drip in that bed right now, but the micro sprinklers cool thinks down better?

FourOaks · May 14, 2018

Quote:

Originally Posted by SarahBeth

Thank you! Interesting about the micro sprinklers. We have drip in that bed right now, but the micro sprinklers cool thinks down better?

Yes the sprinklers cool everything down. That is one of the problems with drip. It goes directly to the root, bypassing the plant. I know that we are always told, dont water the foliage! DANGER DANGER!!!!! But in the instance of setting up shade cloth, its no harm. Just dont water to long, as it might cause bottom rot. You just want to cool the leaves and the air around the plants down.

Heres the exact product I use. It is probably compatible with what you already have.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Mister-Land...-Spray/1098643

Then you will need this, or something similar:

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Mister-Land...sembly/1172843

MrsJustice · April 27, 2022

I need a large crop of Broccoli this year because all the children in my family love Broccoli to eat every day. So, looking for the next generation farmer for my mini farms, I must grow a large crop.

In the past, The 2 plants of Broccoli I plant each year just to get the seeds did not do well or were secretly eaten by one of my children during the time I spent in Hawaii.

Now since I know the facts about the secretly eaten Broccoli, I need all the information about Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter crops if possible, Amen!!.

The money that the next farming generation would save each year, will bring me a Family Farmer, Amen!!!

MrsJustice · June 26, 2022

I want to report my Broccoli is doing "Great". I have all healthy Plants that will be enough to supply the Family favorite vegetable and save seeds this year.

MrsJustice · September 13, 2022

I just want to report my Broccoli growth slowed Down, but still doing O K. My 6 year old said she will never wait for Broccoli to grow again: She will buy only Groceries Store Broccoli for the rest of her life.

JRinPA · September 20, 2022

That is one picky 6 yo. But it is nice that she is willing to use her allowance to buy broccoli for the family!

My broccoli here petered out a couple months back, but I have the fall crop still under cover. They went in during July and I have yet to lift the AG19. I may lift that today to give them more room, then replace it.

I was amazed this year, using BT for the first time, just how effective that it was to keep the cole crops worm free. Sideshoots continued for a long time before I pulled the plants.

After the success on broccoli and cauliflower I've had using row covers and/or BT spray, I would never consider store brought broccoli if I had a choice. But 6 yo girls have a different view of the world, I'm sure!

MrsJustice · March 3, 2024

Quote:

Originally Posted by JRinPA

That is one picky 6 yo. But it is nice that she is willing to use her allowance to buy broccoli for the family!

My broccoli here petered out a couple months back, but I have the fall crop still under cover. They went in during July and I have yet to lift the AG19. I may lift that today to give them more room, then replace it.

I was amazed this year, using BT for the first time, just how effective that it was to keep the cole crops worm free. Sideshoots continued for a long time before I pulled the plants.

After the success on broccoli and cauliflower I've had using row covers and/or BT spray, I would never consider store brought broccoli if I had a choice. But 6 yo girls have a different view of the world, I'm sure!

I had to recover my Broccoli again with this cold weather. We had weather up in the 70's for one day last week and I pulled back the Plastic. Then had my Husband help me put the Plastic back on. To Keep the Children in this family Happy with a High Broccoli in-take each year; I would have to increase the land area during the Winter.

MrsJustice · November 12, 2022

I just want to report my Broccoli growth is doing fine in this strange weather. I should be saving my first "Angel Field Broccoli Seeds" soon. My Grandchild in Happy amen. She looked at them today and told them that "I cannot wait to eat you-up. Then we saw the Heads developing.

Any "Tips on Saving these Broccoli Seeds"?

kurt · March 3, 2024

https://www.amazon.com/WindscreenSup.../dp/B0BMCD5N83

MrsJustice · March 3, 2024

I have a lot of "Respect for Broccoli Farmers". They are Farming for Children of the United States. "Broccoli and Cheese are the best Thin Since Slice Bread". If the American Families added up all of the money they spent on Broccoli in 2023, then add in The Price of Tomatoes. Farming your own yard will come back in "Garden Fashion in 2024, Amen!!

MrsJustice · March 16, 2024

I cooked my Husband some fresh Broccoli from our Farm today. It was good with Rice and onions, with Ham. I cannot believe I grew Broccoli from 2023 - 2024. I saved a lot of money on food this year from my Farms, Amen!!

JRinPA · March 17, 2024

I started making some ham and green beans a few weeks back...I cut up the last spiral ham (fully cooked and still in package) still in the fridge from Christmas. Froze some, the rest to the crockpot. After I had the ham in the crock pot, cut onions, cut potaoes. Then, I could not find the beans! Buried in the deep freeze. So I took a head of broccoli left over from November - still good in the crisper drawer - and steamed that. Put it in the crockpot, not enough though. So I took two quart bags of frozen broccoli, thawed them, and added it in. Now it looked good.

I could not believe how good that tasted. It was almost like split pea soup, which I used to love.

The next week I used more of the ham for split pea soup...but the broccoli soup was better!

My spring starts will be going in soon.

May 13, 2018	#1
SarahBeth Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2017 Location: Upstate SC Posts: 23	Shade cloth for Broccoli, lettuce Hi everyone. I live just south of Greenville, SC, zone 7b/8a and would like to try extending my lettuce/broccoli growing season with shade cloth. I seem to remember some tomatovillians from my area using 50% for tomatoes (though my tomatoes seem to do fine without any shade cloth), so does that mean I should try 60% or so for these cooler weather crops?

April 27, 2022	#5
MrsJustice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Hampton, Virginia Posts: 1,489	I need a large crop of Broccoli this year because all the children in my family love Broccoli to eat every day. So, looking for the next generation farmer for my mini farms, I must grow a large crop. In the past, The 2 plants of Broccoli I plant each year just to get the seeds did not do well or were secretly eaten by one of my children during the time I spent in Hawaii. Now since I know the facts about the secretly eaten Broccoli, I need all the information about Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter crops if possible, Amen!!. The money that the next farming generation would save each year, will bring me a Family Farmer, Amen!!! __________________ May God Bless you and my Garden, Amen https://www.angelfieldfarms.com MrsJustice as Farmer Joyce Beggs

June 26, 2022	#6
MrsJustice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Hampton, Virginia Posts: 1,489	I want to report my Broccoli is doing "Great". I have all healthy Plants that will be enough to supply the Family favorite vegetable and save seeds this year. __________________ May God Bless you and my Garden, Amen https://www.angelfieldfarms.com MrsJustice as Farmer Joyce Beggs

September 13, 2022	#7
MrsJustice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Hampton, Virginia Posts: 1,489	I just want to report my Broccoli growth slowed Down, but still doing O K. My 6 year old said she will never wait for Broccoli to grow again: She will buy only Groceries Store Broccoli for the rest of her life. __________________ May God Bless you and my Garden, Amen https://www.angelfieldfarms.com MrsJustice as Farmer Joyce Beggs

November 12, 2022	#10
MrsJustice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Hampton, Virginia Posts: 1,489	I just want to report my Broccoli growth is doing fine in this strange weather. I should be saving my first "Angel Field Broccoli Seeds" soon. My Grandchild in Happy amen. She looked at them today and told them that "I cannot wait to eat you-up. Then we saw the Heads developing. Any "Tips on Saving these Broccoli Seeds"? __________________ May God Bless you and my Garden, Amen https://www.angelfieldfarms.com MrsJustice as Farmer Joyce Beggs

May 13, 2018	#2
FourOaks Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2016 Location: NC Posts: 511	60 Percent would probably be overkill, causing leggy-ness in the crops. This year im using 50 on my lettuce. The secret is also using micro sprinklers. Found at Lowes in the aisle with drip irrigation stuff. I just upped the time to every 4 hours, from the previous 6 hours. They run 5 minutes. Just enough to cool everything down. Within a couple day after installing the shade cloth, I noticed increased growth.

September 20, 2022	#8
JRinPA Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: SE PA Posts: 972	That is one picky 6 yo. But it is nice that she is willing to use her allowance to buy broccoli for the family! My broccoli here petered out a couple months back, but I have the fall crop still under cover. They went in during July and I have yet to lift the AG19. I may lift that today to give them more room, then replace it. I was amazed this year, using BT for the first time, just how effective that it was to keep the cole crops worm free. Sideshoots continued for a long time before I pulled the plants. After the success on broccoli and cauliflower I've had using row covers and/or BT spray, I would never consider store brought broccoli if I had a choice. But 6 yo girls have a different view of the world, I'm sure!

March 3, 2024	#11
kurt Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Homestead,Everglades City Fl. Posts: 2,500	Shade cloth we use for our 90 plus summers. https://www.amazon.com/WindscreenSup.../dp/B0BMCD5N83 __________________ KURT

March 16, 2024	#13
MrsJustice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Hampton, Virginia Posts: 1,489	I cooked my Husband some fresh Broccoli from our Farm today. It was good with Rice and onions, with Ham. I cannot believe I grew Broccoli from 2023 - 2024. I saved a lot of money on food this year from my Farms, Amen!! __________________ May God Bless you and my Garden, Amen https://www.angelfieldfarms.com MrsJustice as Farmer Joyce Beggs

March 17, 2024	#14
JRinPA Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2013 Location: SE PA Posts: 972	I started making some ham and green beans a few weeks back...I cut up the last spiral ham (fully cooked and still in package) still in the fridge from Christmas. Froze some, the rest to the crockpot. After I had the ham in the crock pot, cut onions, cut potaoes. Then, I could not find the beans! Buried in the deep freeze. So I took a head of broccoli left over from November - still good in the crisper drawer - and steamed that. Put it in the crockpot, not enough though. So I took two quart bags of frozen broccoli, thawed them, and added it in. Now it looked good. I could not believe how good that tasted. It was almost like split pea soup, which I used to love. The next week I used more of the ham for split pea soup...but the broccoli soup was better! My spring starts will be going in soon.