Shading Tomato Plants

[Gardeneer]

Background..I am in SW North Carolina . My climate is more like SC.
My garden gets full sun all day. That combined with high temperatures
In 90s, ..Well it is too much heat and sun for the tomatoes.
DEBATE..I want to make a Structure and provide shade .
The Question... What type or schade cloth I should use, mainly what percentage
to Block the sun, ..?
I have just one row running in South to North direction. I think I know how to
build the structure, install the cloth.

I would appreciate your input.

[biscuitridge]

I use 50% white shade cloth, previously I was using 30% aluminet, but that just wasn't quite enough. Here's one section of my setup, I use the double leader system with clips,love it!

[Gardeneer]

Originally Posted by biscuitridge

I use 50% white shade cloth, previously I was using 30% aluminet, but that just wasn't quite enough. Here's one section of my setup, I use the double leader system with clips,love it!

Thanks very much.
you have a nice set up.

[b54red]

I used to think that I needed shade cloth and actually used it for a few summers in experimenting to see if it made a big difference. I found it helped with sun scald on some varieties but found that my disease presence under the shade increased noticeably. I had better luck when the shade cloth was well above the tops of the plants so air flow was better but it required too much work to set up every year. I think that shade cloth would be much more productive used over bell peppers than tomatoes down here. We certainly get as much heat down here in southern Alabama but I have found the most crucial thing to combat the affects of extreme heat is a good heavy mulch to keep the ground moist and cool.

Bill

[AKmark]

In AK we have extremely long days, too many days in the mid eighties and nineties fries everything in a GH, the temps will surpass 130 degrees without venting, and stays over 100 unless we pull shade cloth. We pull black 30-50 percent, whatever we have. Every few years this happens up here and its no joke. Immediate plant happiness emerges.

[Gardeneer]

Originally Posted by b54red

I used to think that I needed shade cloth and actually used it for a few summers in experimenting to see if it made a big difference. I found it helped with sun scald on some varieties but found that my disease presence under the shade increased noticeably. I had better luck when the shade cloth was well above the tops of the plants so air flow was better but it required too much work to set up every year. I think that shade cloth would be much more productive used over bell peppers than tomatoes down here. We certainly get as much heat down here in southern Alabama but I have found the most crucial thing to combat the affects of extreme heat is a good heavy mulch to keep the ground moist and cool.

Bill

Bill, thank you for sharing your experience..
I have a design to install the shade cloth 8 foot high. it will provide plenty of room for air flow. It will be 6 foot wide, slanted at about 25 degrees toward west-south-west direction.

so it would just shade the top, mostly in the afternoon when the sun altitude/angle is high.
My intention is just to cut back on the intensity of direct sun .
Twelve hours of direct sun in June, July and August combined with highs in 90s are just too much for tomatoes. But my peppers love it.

[Gardeneer]

Originally Posted by AKmark

In AK we have extremely long days, too many days in the mid eighties and nineties fries everything in a GH, the temps will surpass 130 degrees without venting, and stays over 100 unless we pull shade cloth. We pull black 30-50 percent, whatever we have. Every few years this happens up here and its no joke. Immediate plant happiness emerges.

Hi there Mark.

In our latitude our days are not as long as AK. Like by June 20th our daylight will be over 14 hours. But our heat is more consistent and higher.

Those commercial growers around here, using high tunnel, pretty much are done by June. No amount of venting can help when the temperatures outside are in mid90s.

[AKmark]

Originally Posted by Gardeneer

Hi there Mark.

In our latitude our days are not as long as AK. Like by June 20th our daylight will be over 14 hours. But our heat is more consistent and higher.

Those commercial growers around here, using high tunnel, pretty much are done by June. No amount of venting can help when the temperatures outside are in mid90s.

Two years ago we had two straight months of 80's and 90's, it was insane, I was literally depressed when I saw the sunny forecast week after week. Too much heat for our long days, we would be a desert if that happened annually. Hard to fathom I'm sure, but note I grew up in the midwest, that kinda heat is harsh here for any duration.
Good luck

[slugworth]

I had a catch-22 last year.
Growing indigo blue beauty tomato-they need full exposure to the sun to turn blue.
But we had such a nasty summer, every one ended up with sunscald.
I gave up on growing the blues.
A shame,since the mice and rats left them alone.They eat any green/red tomato close to the ground.

[slugworth]

Even the godfather shaded his tomatoes living in new york.

[zipcode]

The standard for central-ish Europe is 40%. I think where you are it's a lot stronger, so at least 50%.

[slugworth]

It's a shame when they start cooking on the vine.
Last year I measured ground temps in my container plants of 87 F
I tried to shield the container portion with wet cardboard,but it was too late.

[Gardeneer]

Originally Posted by slugworth

It's a shame when they start cooking on the vine.
Last year I measured ground temps in my container plants of 87 F
I tried to shield the container portion with wet cardboard,but it was too late.

Where in CT are you ?
I have lived in CT (Fairfield County) for about 10 years.
But containers can get hot in direct sun, especially if they are black/grey plastic and have small volume. I would paint them white to reflect light and heat.

Anyway. I have come to believe that tomatoes don.t need more than 6 to 7 hours of direct sun So the recommendation 'FULL SUN' is not quite accurate.

[Gardeneer]

Originally Posted by zipcode

The standard for central-ish Europe is 40%. I think where you are it's a lot stronger, so at least 50%.

Where I am is called Deep South.Past May no cole/cool crops can survive,That is about when I harvest my potatoes , onions and garlic.

[Dewayne mater]

IMO, it depends on your environment. One of my beds has its own micro climate that is defined by southern exposure that gives it full sun from 10 a.m. to 4 or 5 (closer to 4 as a neighbor's Red Oak approaches 60 feet tall) It is bordered by my house on one side - all brick wall that retains heat and a wooden fence on the other. 50% sun shade cloth plus heavy mulching has made this bed thrive where it used to have one early push and be done by June 1 bc of head. Having worked under that cloth, I can tell you it feels like going from full sun to shade even though it is 50%.