Shading your plants can increase vegetable production and quality

In those parts of the world where sun light is intense and air temperature is hot providing shade cover for your vegetables can increase yield and quality.



Kay Wheeler holds up a piece of floating row cover (insect barrier)
that can be used to shade plants.

A number of vegetables to include tomatoes, peppers, eggplant and okra drop flower buds and young fruit when the plant’s temperature exceeds 32 degrees C. (90 degrees F.). These plants also may abort flower buds and fruit when evening air temperatures drop below 10 degrees C. (50 degrees F.). Shading the plants helps correct these problems.

Even when air temperature exceeds 32 degrees C. (90 degrees F.) shading the plants helps keep the plant below this critical temperature. When shade is provided it also helps retain night temperatures above the critical 10 degrees C. (50 degrees Fahrenheit).

Shade cloth, sheeting or even brush stuck into the ground on the south and west sides of these plants can be used. Shade cloth, sheeting or other fabrics should be suspended above the plants. This will permit insects to reach the blossoms for pollination. Brush pushed into the ground on the south and west sides of these plants will also provide the shade necessary to increase production. Shading also helps prevent sun burn on tomatoes, egg plant, okra and other vegetables improving the length of time they can be kept in storage.


Pepper fruit damaged by sunburn.



Polyester fabric is a great insect barrier.

This material is sold as floating row cover, and insect barrier. This polyester fabric weighs ~0.6 ounce per square yard, and allows 75% light transmission. A layer of this material is reported to protect plants down to 30o F. Air and water are not affected by this material.

To prevent insect damage cover the row before the seedlings emerge leaving enough slack to allow for plant growth. Cover the edges of the fabric with soil to keep insects from crawling under the fabric. This will prevent problems with leaf miners, cabbage worms, etc. When harvesting, roll the fabric back, harvest what is needed, and then recover the plants being sure to secure the edges with soil.
A heavier weight fabric (~1.5 ounces/yard) is sold as a frost barrier. This is reported to protect plants down to 24 to 26o F. This product should not be used as a floating row cover due to the reduced light transmission. Place this product over your frost sensitive plants when frost is expected. Be sure to remove the fabric when temperatures again reach 32o F. degrees or greater.

To find out where you can find this material in Mesa, Delta and Montrose counties go to http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/TRA/PLANTS/INSECT%20BARRIER%20list%20of%20suppliers.pdf.