Shade houses for the heat

[Keger]

For lack of a better name I guess going with a shade house instead of greenhouse might make sense.

Down here near Houston, my tomato farm got whacked by a 100 year flood at Memorial Day weekend and then a tropical storm in June, 90+ % loss. Then of course it turned of 100 degrees right after that. Only okra is happy then.

So this year, my challenge is to figure out how to grow through the summer. I am thinking grow bags off the ground to help with the weeds and insects, and some sort of structure with shade cloth and fans to keep the temperatures down as much as possible.

Any of you all have experience with anything like this?

Thanks in advance.

[whoose]

Build a typical greenhouse (glass or plastic) and then put on a shade cloth to help with the temp. You will want the option to regulate the temp when it is fall/spring. Grow bags work well and are cheap.

[Ricky Shaw]

When that sun gets blazing in July and it's a 100 degree day with 10% humidity, It's something that I've wondered about even in Colorado.

If a person had the money he could do hoop houses on wheels and pulleys, something fashioned like the covers for large end dumps or bean haulers. A straight tarp, like on tandems, could cover a couple of beds.

The hoop thing has more latitude, use it with clear poly in the Spring for heat, and use shading material in the Summer.

[Worth1]

For some reason I dont think you guys are grasping what the weather is like in Richmond Texas.

Just kidding guys.

Worth

[Ricky Shaw]

I'm sure it'd be more helpful to me in an arid climate, but the man asked about shade ideas.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Ricky Shaw

I'm sure it'd be more helpful to me in an arid climate, but the man asked about shade ideas.

Like I said I was kidding.

I lived south of him for about ten years and the only tomato I could grow in the summer was cherries in the shade.
Most successful people put out plants in February.
Yes people do have green houses here and there but they spend most of their time keeping them cool.
The darn thing better be automated or with an alarm too.
I like the idea of a big hoop house with shade cloth.
That is why I am growing under trees.
I experimented one year and the shade garden did much much better.

You guys are also at around 5000 feet elevation.
It cools off fast there and sunburn can be bad.
Worth

[Salsacharley]

In 2014 I used 70% shade cloth and grew in 5 gallon black plastic grow bags. Those bags did a poor job of retaining water, even with leaf mulch. My genius idea was to avoid weeding and perhaps disease. First of all the cost of potting soil for those grow bags was brutal. I'm talking for 100 plants. Then the weeds grew all around the bags and I had to be very careful weeding so I didn't damage the bags. This year I went back to in-ground with landscape fabric for weed control and it worked much better, the plants looked better (until the spider mites visited), and my watering wasn't as heavy. I still used the shade cloth and I think I got more flowering into the high heat season. Of course when it gets way hot over 100 nothing is going to help the flowering except indoor AC and that ain't gonna happen at my patch.

[Ricky Shaw]

The heat problems here, while not as acute or prolonged as Texas, have become garden destroyers here too. Planting earlier and getting some fruit set before the 95+ days hit is the ticket, but 2 of the last 3 years it's snowed on Mother's Day. Always something.

Then I pick the hottest spot possible within the metro to live. Here's a wacky weather fact about my town. Mind you, 15 miles from Denver.

"Broomfield has a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification BSk). The city seems to have a unique microclimate within the metro area. Of the 54 days each year that Broomfield reaches 90 °F (32 °C) or higher, approximately 8 of those days are 100 °F (38 °C) or warmer. In comparison, Denver sees just 31 days of 90 °F (32 °C) temperatures."

[Worth1]

I have friends that live all over Colorado and every one of them garden.
One lives a stones throw from Mesa Verde.

Worth

[Ricky Shaw]

Excellent! I was born in Shreveport and have family spread all through east Texas down to Houston. Mother lives on Caddo Lake and grows tomatoes. We know a lot of people in Texas and Colorado that garden obviously.

[Barb_FL]

When it is brutally hot, what are your nightly lows?

I've tried it; even with 'HEAT' Variety tomatoes and even though it rarely gets over 90 during the day, it stays above 75 at night.

I did best with Porter tomatoes, grown in an Earthbox with casters. In 2014, I rolled the EB out in the AM for sun and back under the porch for shade around 1PM. I did this with 4 EB's and early August was the last tomato I ate. I have to think the fruit set much earlier.

This year, I tried with the 'Heat' Varieties. I won't bother trying again.
I was able to grow peppers all summer. I didn't try this year, but in the past was able to grow eggplant too.

This pic was taken in 2014. This summer I broke my wrist, so other than growing peppers, didn't even put up the shade cloth.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

When it is brutally hot, what are your nightly lows?

I've tried it; even with 'HEAT' Variety tomatoes and even though it rarely gets over 90 during the day, it stays above 75 at night.

I did best with Porter tomatoes, grown in an Earthbox with casters. In 2014, I rolled the EB out in the AM for sun and back under the porch for shade around 1PM. I did this with 4 EB's and early August was the last tomato I ate. I have to think the fruit set much earlier.

This year, I tried with the 'Heat' Varieties. I won't bother trying again.
I was able to grow peppers all summer. I didn't try this year, but in the past was able to grow eggplant too.

This pic was taken in 2014. This summer I broke my wrist, so other than growing peppers, didn't even put up the shade cloth.

Barb we only wish it would be in the 70's at night.
Brutally hot is 100 or more and sometimes it doesn't get below 90 at night.

We also dont have the southerly trade winds.
In the summer night time means no wind and it is like a hot wet blanket settling over you full of mosquitoes.
The winters are fantastic most of the time.
I used to live about 40 miles directly south of Richmond.
Worth

[MendozaMark]

I haven't done this myself but if it is low humidity heat then you could use a swamp cooler for your greenhouses. I seem to recall someone was using one in Las Vegas and had great results.

[Keger]

Originally Posted by Barb_FL

When it is brutally hot, what are your nightly lows?

I've tried it; even with 'HEAT' Variety tomatoes and even though it rarely gets over 90 during the day, it stays above 75 at night.

I did best with Porter tomatoes, grown in an Earthbox with casters. In 2014, I rolled the EB out in the AM for sun and back under the porch for shade around 1PM. I did this with 4 EB's and early August was the last tomato I ate. I have to think the fruit set much earlier.

This year, I tried with the 'Heat' Varieties. I won't bother trying again.
I was able to grow peppers all summer. I didn't try this year, but in the past was able to grow eggplant too.

This pic was taken in 2014. This summer I broke my wrist, so other than growing peppers, didn't even put up the shade cloth.

Sounds plumb pleasant there in the summer time...

We get this.... 78 or so at night, 95-105 during the day. Oh, and the humidity is around 65% or more.

So yes, it's a challenge. I have heard the Porters can hang pretty good, might try time heat tolerant stuff. I am putting down plastic mulch, with grow bags (7 gallon) on top of that. Going to put a fan at one end of the hoop, the cloth over the hoop, and see what happens. I do have a drip line that is hooked to a fertilizer tank, so watering is not an issue.

Peppers and eggplant do great in the heat, if you like them the Florida High Bush eggplant is a great grower, sure it would do well there. Purple hull peas thrive in the heat, and okra will cover you up.

Thanks for the help!