[citygreens]

I just received a 50% and a 30% shade cloth.

This is the first time I have used a shade cloth. I am in southwest Texas. Wish you the best.

[KatyYvette]

I am in Michigan. I use 40% shade cloths usually in July and August for tomatoes. Last year was the first year using them. Worked wonderful.

[JerseyGiantChick]

Is there a guideline for each zone, or how can you decide for the right shade cloth?

[Orangeball]

I’m in NC and will be following this thread. I don’t even know where to buy shade cloth or how to install but I’ve got so many tomatoes in the ground and don’t want to lose them to the sun…

[Hippocrates_Garden]

just one place, but any greenhouse / high tunnel / caterpillar tunnel suppler should have it.

Shade Cloth | Well-designed, quality tools and equipment | Farmers Friend

[Hippocrates_Garden]

another thing to consider (and I got this during the Epic Tomato live, online course with Craig Lehouiller & Joe Lamp’l) is, shade cloth percentages can be cumulative. So if you say have a 30% and a 50% and put them on top of each other, you have approx 80%. Perhaps a bit of extra work, but could come in handy such as when initially hardening off. Two layers of 30% (one large cloth doubled over or whatever) gives 60% shade, remove one a few days later and it’s only 30%, then remove both for 0%. Or have 80, 50, 30 then zero, just depends on the need and how much work you wish to do changing them.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by  Hippocrates_Garden.

[JerseyGiantChick]

That is a good trick and logical, but you must think of that.

We are in zone 7b, 40 and 50 they said. Still not sure though, think 40 least and maybe ad a 10 or 20 just in case things get crazy.

[MartHale7]

Being here in Florida I have come to the conclusion that I plant clumping bamboo and let that be my shade cloth. The problems I had with shade cloth was mold, and excess heat build up mid summer, can be useful in the spring and fall. Getting the right type of shade cloth useful, and know when to pull it off also helpful.

[CherithCreek]

Related; a few years back, my wife and I were visiting Israel, and it was interesting to see entire orchards covered with shade nets, a very strange sight, but they have learned to produce things like bananas on a large scale, in the desert. The wilderness and the dry land will be glad; the desert will rejoice and blossom like a rose. Isaish 35:1.

Increased use of Shading Nets to Overcome Global Warming Damages – Israel Agricultural Technology & innovations Hub

[FaithK]

Shade cloth in the desert can be so useful in so many ways. The way it is woven is ideal for what they call “fog farming”. Basically it’s the cloth stretched in a frame, and it catches water in the air overnight, goes down into a receptacle where it is filtered. Israel would be awesome for it because of the damp sea breeze that goes over the land. But it also works in the Saraha. It’s a great technology.

[1898_Homestead]

We are in Nebraska and summers are going to be brutal if they are like our first one here last summer.

[Firedog11969]

i’m also in east tennessee i used a 40% shade cloth last year and it really helped my tomato’s with the harsh sun i will be setting it up again this year also i got mine off of amazon don’t remember the link not here to make a profit off a link . just use the search for shade cloth’s you will have plenty to choose from .

[SLINGSHOT]

Your doing good then. Best of luck to ya.

[Firedog11969]

thanks and good luck to you

[Firefly]

Hi I’m in East Tennessee. Yes, I need one too. We did plant some drought resistant beans. But we still need a shade cloth.

[stitchthrifty]

Has anyone tried using fabric shade cloth – such as bed sheets? I bought a shade cloth and used it one summer and it was then trash. It was a loosely woven plastic material. It worked well but was made in china and very disposable. I would prefer something that was either not plastic or at least durable and useful for a few seasons. Also if you have any recommendations that would be great.

[Gizmo]

Good morning

Danny from Deep South Homestead talked about shade cloth recently. In my opinion shade cloth falls into the arena of you get what you pay for. I worked for a greenhouse years ago. I remember we took great care of the shade clothes. If you want it to last for years I suggest making the investment in a professional grade one.

• This reply was modified 1 year, 7 months ago by  Gizmo.

[HalfBuBBleOffPlumb]

I’ve been thinking about investing in shade cloth but how do you install it? Would I need to install 4x4x10 posts every so many feet the attach the cloth to the posts somehow? Currently I have one garden that’s ard 1100sqft, another that’s 625sqft and looking to put in another next spring double of those. Do you only use it over a portion of the garden? I’m in Florida, plant directly in ground, no raised beds, no high tunnels, no green house.

[Gizmo]

When I used it we installed it over greenhouses.

[Hanidu-Acres]

Great question! Listening in…

[Private_Cluck]

We are in Texas and have a roughly 30×80 garden with containers and raised beds. It is partially shaded and only gets full sun for about 3-4 hours each day. But tomatoes and peppers (about a third of the garden) still sun-scalded. We have just purchased 10×20 40% shade cloth panels to cover most of the garden area. We plan to drive either 1-1/2 or 2 in x 10 ft steel conduit (I believe 1-1/2 conduit is what was supplied for posts on our high tunnel) 20 ft apart about 2 ft down with our gas powered t-post pounded to support the panels. Although the panels only weigh 3 lbs each, if needed we can come in half way and add more posts. Plan to drill holes and use eye-bolts and thin (maybe like 1/8″) stranded steel cables with turnbuckles to zip tie the panels to.

[sunshine-homestead]

Yes! Shade cloth is necessary here in NW OK. I use 30% shade block. Saves my crops.

[sunshine-homestead]

Bed sheets, etc., don’t work for me because of the windy weather we almost constantly have here. The wind just rips the sheets loose, while the shade cloth allows the wind to flow through.

[Fossilman]

Concerning using electrical conduit. Some of the conduit sold today has a very high lead content so the conduit can be bent without crushing.