solutions for shading young tomato plants

[jamserg]

I'm trying to find a cheap solution to shade young (not tall) tomato plants individually. The only simple solution I know is a chair over a plant. But I wonder if there's a do it yourself solution for a portable shade (probably involving a shade cloth), like a shade box, or shade screen. If anyone created such a contraption, I'd appreciate to hear about it. The sun is brutal right now and already claimed a few plants (yes, they were hardened off).

[ArcticCat]

I'm no expert here, but what about window screen from a screen door/window. If your cages are already up. Just wrap them in window screen. I just bought a roll for another project from home depot for $6. 36" x 84"

Just a thought.

[kath]

Not sure how tall the plants are but I've used milk crates upside-down over young transplants, wire hoops, tunnels or circles of old wire, etc. for support covered with strips of shadecloth or pieces of row cover clipped to the top with clothespins.

[KarenO]

wire tomato cages are cheap. wrap in row cover or shade cloth. clothespins are a good idea for attaching . You can keep the supplies to protect next year's seedlings too when you are done with it this year. will help with wind too. I use a similar set up but using clear plastic for heat retention and wind protection early in the season up here. never thought of clothespins Kath, that's a good idea. I always used tape but i am getting some clothespins for sure this year. thanks!
KO

[jerryinfla]

I make little quonset hut frames out of hardware cloth (rabbit cage wire) then stretch pieces of old bed sheet over them secured with clothes pins. Then I place the little quonset huts over young plants that I transplant to the garden. I usually remove them at night then replace them mid morning the next day until plants can withstand our brutal Florida sun.

[jerryinfla]

Here are photos of my little quonset huts with and without the bed sheet cover. I make them it various sizes to accommodate different size plants. When not in use they nest easily for storage.

[kath]

KO- glad you found a useful tip. When my parents moved into an apartment I inherited a huge # of plastic and wooden spring pins but you can find them in the $ stores, I think.

Jerry- I love your huts- we have an extra piece of hardware cloth that we came across the other day and were wondering what we could use it for! I like the fact that they're stackable and will be easy to store.

kath

[jerryinfla]

Kath - Sounds like me -- I hate to throw anything away that might be useful someday. Years ago I used to raise lovebirds and built my on breeding cages out of hardware cloth. I've moved pieces of rolls of left over hardware cloth from North Carolina to Arkansas to Florida knowing it would be of use somewhere someday. Now my compost bins, shredded leaf bins and little huts are made from that leftover wire.

[trout250]

we use old bed sheets to wrap our cages until the plants are up and going good. last yr. we used empty onion bags and grapefruit bags split in half to offer some shade but not hold out the water, they worked suppriselying well

[Stvrob]

Im a bit curious why you want to shade your tomato seedlings?