Just an update on the Shade Cloth install for those who are wondering. The tomatoes and peanuts did great under the shade cloth. Had a bumper crop of tomatoes this year under the shade cloth. Jicama did great under shade cloth. The cucumbers still did not make it: :( Live and Learn. I have not removed the shade cloth to finish out the season.
I agree John, I only shade cloth half of the garden during the summer months. I also read that if the soil is over 80 degrees that the plants cannot access the nutrients in the soil as well and am experimenting with foliar feeding at sundown to see if that helps. My summer garden is a real challenge here in the southern california desert.
Being frugal and liking natural products I have gone to the thrift store and bought packs of 100% cotton single flat sheets in dark brown for $1-2 and used them for shade cloth in the garden. Or if they are all out of the dark brown I buy the white cotton flat sheets and dye them with the Rit dyes I have stocked up on sale for $1 per bottle.
Good idea! My mom had some old white lace curtains that I used as a canopy over my pepper and cucumber plants. I didn't dye them but the drooping stopped. The plants definitely benefited.
AgFabric Sunblock Shade Cloth at the 20% to 40% level at the 6:33 minute timestamp. It is agonizing to anticipate when John will simply say what he is using. I appreciate greatly the helpful information and tips and look forward to his suggestions on being a better gardener, and maximizing one's gardening efforts. I also live in Las Vegas and struggle with the scorching heat furnace conditions for growing anything. Thanks for all you do, John.
I recently bought a "Mesh Tarp" from Harbor Freight. It was cheaper than the purpose built shade cloths I had been seeing at the big box home stores. Comes with a nice sturdy hem and grommets installed. Seeing as it was not made specifically for agriculture the shade % is kind of unknown but I raised both tomatoes and Butternut squash under it in our 100+ heat. Hope this helps!
This is very helpful! I am starting my first garden this year and started from seeds! They’re now transplanted into my mini garden and now have flowers on them. I live in Texas and it’s been such a hot summer so I was thinking about a shade cloth! Your garden looks impressive 😊
I think another issue you have is the cinder-block wall acting as a biomass heat absorber. It IS probably beneficial as the season gets colder, extending your growing season, but this time of year it is probably creates a micro-climate that is just too much.
I tried some 30% shade cloth for part of my garden this year and was happy with the results. In fact, I'll be using is for much of my garden next spring. i love your "good", "better", "best" philosophy and encourage us to try new things. It makes gardening much more fun when trying new things whether that be new varieties, uses trellises, new amendments, etc. And even though my garden was not as productive overall as last year, I learned some things that will make my garden next year even better. btw, I think it's time to ditch the aqua-flop irrigation system. It sounded like a great idea but seems to have proven itself to be more trouble than it's worth. I think I heard your cukes also say "please replace the aqua-jet with a drip system John".
I've been using shade cloth for my garden in Vegas too. The plants do seem to like it but don't grow as big as the ones in the sun. I believe that they don't fruit as much but that can be due to the high temps. I think that the shade cloth does help when it gets over 110 but needs to come off right when it cools down. Armenian cucumbers do very well. I love them, thank you for recommending them. Market more are OK. The lemon and Smr 58 cucumbers are awful to grow here. Just some things I've learned. It's nice seeing you trying it out. Must keep us updated. Thanks John 😀
I've found with cucumber it's really hard to bring them back once they get dehydrated/sun damaged. I have had horrible success growing them in my climate. Definitely going to make sure I try and protect them from the heat this year.
oh my goodness, I just love you John! lol I'm new to gardening (learning to can my food as well) and your videos are awesome. You're funny, enthusiastic about what you do, and most importantly, you're so thorough and easy to understand! Really enjoying your channel, keep up the GREAT work!
Have you ever looked into tensiometers like Irrometer? They come in many different configurations for depth, range and control. Depending on how your irrigation system works, you can put one inline with your irrigation timer to interrupt watering if your beds don't need water. Might be a great addition for someone trying to conserve resources.
Hi John, Annie Malaysia here, yes eventually the shade cloth will shred and the plants will grow through the cloth, but definitely they will get some relief from the unrelenting heat. I should know, our weather can be very hot 3 degrees away from the Equator and it is not only searingly hot at times, it is humid too, all the time
Great video! I have one question regarding the placement of the cucumber plants: could the block wall be affecting the growth of the plants? I know that a masonry wall can hold an intense amount of heat; the plant could feel like it's being hit by the sun on both sides! Have you always planted your cucumbers next to that wall? That might be the reason for the low success rate. Thanks for the info Nathan
not only the heat and sun reflection but also that wall is sucking up the water itself. being a concrete contractor people dont relize how much concrete is like a sponge. go outside when 100 and dump a cup of water on your driveway. thats not evaporation that happens its the concrete or block wall thats sucking it up. good luck with the shade cloth and i would like to see the follow up on this because i do believe it will help but dont think its the cure all for reasons above
I was in LV last week, 113 f with burning hot wind. I am totally in favor of using shading cloth in extreme months. I am in zone 4B with over 16 hours of daylight and even I have to use some shade to avoid bolting. Same shade cloth is available at Home Depot at around same price. In my next visit to LV I am ordering cloth for cabbage as its bit more transparent and 1,000 ft in length for $99.95.
Cinder block walls are a heat sink and relentless for retaining heat causing it to linger around near your trellised cucumber plants. Does your CA cucumbers have cinder block walls they are trellised nearby?
Hi John, I have lived in Las Vegas my entire life and I believe what is burning your plants is the heat radiating off of the concrete block wall. I feel that it would be good for you to put the shade cloth over the wall.
They need afternoon shades. The sun is not the cause of your plants drying out; the low relative humidity is the problem. Shade cloth will provide a cooling effect, raising the relative humidity surrounding your plants.
John Need to consider the fact that the block wall behind your cucumbers holds a lot of heat. Maybe paint the wall white or use elastameric roof paint.
thumbs up. But I like longer videos too. it's become my bedtime ritual. way better than anything on tv. I need something that lasts 40 minutes or so for me to get sleepy. But thanks.
Definitely doing shade cloth next summer. I put my new garden in full sun, which I thought would be great...but there is NO shade, and my plants suffered. Thanks from GA!
The sun here in Texas is brutal on my veggies, and I've had terrible issues with mockingbirds tearing up my tomatoes, so shade cloth might be a good "2 for". My question is, for crops needing bee pollination, would bees be able to get through shade cloth/bird netting? Does the cloth interfere with wind pollination RE tomatoes/peppers?
Four times a day is TOO MUCH water! I'm in Phoenix and using a coir based mix and I only water my raised beds once a day. Leaf wilt during the hottest part of the day is normal with squash and cucurbits. They probably have plenty of water, just can't take it up quickly enough.
Great video. Looking for a net for my Lime tree. I've had it for nearly a year and it's been doing great, up until this Vegas heat started a few weeks ago. It survived last summers heat but I hopefully it does better this year.
Next to green shade cloths, black shade cloths are the least good you can buy. The best at the moment imo are Aluminet shade cloth. They don't absorb heat like your black one, they scatter like and reflect UV rays which the other colours just absord which turns into heat. Next to the aluminium shade cloths I would get a white shade cloth which is more affordable. So Good better best is black, white, aluminium
Have you checked into hybridized cucumbers for the heat in your area? We have to do that here in the southeast with some plants, esp tomatoes. Also, do you raise from seed? Thanks for the shade cloth info. Needed one myself for the heat here. BTW, my husband loves your hat. He needs one like it for mowing the lawn.
John, your problem with the cucumbers could be because of the brick wall next to them. Bricks absorb heat and it could be getting hotter still. Insulation with cardboard between the cucumbers and the wall could do the trick. Much respect! Best!
I had a client with a glass wall on their home. In the summer the light would reflect off the windows and burn a giant swath over their lawn. You're surrounded by windows in your track row setting.
Maybe try some other heat tolerant varieties? I have not had much luck either with cucumbers, although I have only tried 2 varieties. But I do use other plants to shade. I may have a net with a vining plant (like a passion fruit or malabar spinach or even hops) to help break some of that direct sun. I am in central FL and have been getting 100+ degrees here as well (plus humidity!). Also, plant some indian head ginger to create a shade barrier (they have edible flowers and can take extreme heat...but keep them in check). Also Aunt Molly ground cherries stay low but have a spreading canopy. They are good ground shaders and high producers.
Great video. As usual, I learn alot. Cucumbers planted in the spring (North Texas) are pretty much done by the end of June. Replant September 1st. Where can we get your hat? The tag is still on it. 😍
I Just Ordered 30% For My Succulents For The Summer Heat And I Get Alot Of Sun Light.Is It Would It Help The Plants.I'm New At This Shade Fabric Thing.
I would have just taken them off the trellis and let them shade themselves. Tomatoes and cucumbers actually do better without a trellis in dry areas. Trellises are best in wet areas, where you have trouble with rot and mold.
100+ temps kept my garden from producing but the plants stayed alive - when the temp broke it really started producing. I did shade my tomato row because I was losing them.
Possibly the brick wall behind heats the area up also...here downunder im going to try 80% shadecloth for my basil and parsley. ...its daily over 40 degrees C....😢😢😢
It's been heat waves all summer here in New York. All my cucumbers died off. Does anyone know how to put a photo on here (utube)??? I got one up on facebook but can't get one up on utube. It says it's hooked up to goggle...
I do have shade cloths due to 100°+ temp. But I can see problems I'm dealing with because of it. #1 fungus, too much shade #2 the bees can't get in to pollinate #3 photosynthesis.
I live in the high desert heavy clay soil. I have Pueblo Indian formed mounds. what can I do here in apple valley ca. The cells of this clay mound were dug up by that long skinny shovel
Isn't it going to cause contact burn like this? I would've attached it to that wall behind you with some steel cable, I assume there is a wall like that in front of you as well? Could your soil be lacking clay? I literally only water my plants every couple of days and it is 110+ degrees pretty much every day here in summer. Since I didn't have the money to buy tonnes of good garden soil so I filled my raised beds with mostly native clay + some amendments like manure and biochar.
i ordered this. just got in the mail. some of the stuff fall on the ground. isn't that bad for our environment? those are plastic right? so my soil will have plastic in it if a gust of wind comes along and it will fall on my plants
I had to use anything I could get free-'covid no job... burlap worked better than nothing to keep them alive till now... took it off and BAM! NOW I GET FLOWER and fruit. But will it last
Here in central Texas, I did not get ONE danged cucumber this year! Monsoon season in the spring, riDICulous heat and sun all summer, BUT... had a few that did pollinate, but a few days into growth, just gave up the ghost and turned yellow! I'm convinced that here (and MAYBE where you are) the summer growing season is earlier than most places. I "got nuttin' to lose" by planting out NEXT season a month earlier. Good luck with the shade cloth... my next chore is to eradicate the ants. If you have ants, the aphids will seem impervious to anything you can do! ANTS~~~ HATE 'em!!!
putting up shade cloth is not a bad thing... isnt it the same thing as if a plant was growing in the shade of another plant. Just mimicking nature really...
Ok, you look depressed, where's the girlfriend, it looks like you need her loven and huggen right now. Don't make me come over there....maybe you need a hug feast. We all love you out here you silly, don't let one man get you in a grip, let it go, you have more friends all over this world that would give you a hug, then most, lean back and float, let the water clean you, then get back up and do what you love, PLANT! :)
Dang , 5 minutes already . I really just need information on putting up a vegetable garden shade . People waste too much time on subjects not associated with their title . Thanks anyway
idk what "animal products" you eat bro. But I am prob. about 90% paleo (not for health reasons, just cause that's the diet I grew up with in my home country). I am pretty healthy, and my family (parents, grandparents) grew up eating the same and they were always strong and healthy. I do eat vegetables and fruits, in fact I LOVE vegetables man, I love food in general. But I eat animal products for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Could eat a little bit more vegetables but I think you've got it wrong. You know, eating meat doesn't mean you have to eat chicken nuggets or some other crappie low nutrient animal products. I am very active, I feel strong healthy and could not live without my eggs, smoked non sweetened bacon, chicken, fish, steak. It is all about balance man. Eat too many fruits and you'll end up eating too much sugar. I don't know.. I like being strong. I honestly think the current health issues in humanity are due to life style, and that includes unbalanced diet heavy on SUGAR, BAD FATS, PROCESSED MEATS. Going all fruits, vegetables, and good quality grains nuts is for sure better than the average american diet, much much better. But nothing like a traditional diet, rich in whole foods.
Amado Diaz P.A. I know!!! I had to fast forward! I usually turn them off when they can’t get to the point, but I just wanted to see how to install shade cloth!
Have you ever looked into tensiometers like Irrometer? They come in many different configurations for depth, range and control. Depending on how your irrigation system works, you can put one inline with your irrigation timer to interrupt watering if your beds don't need water. Might be a great addition for someone trying to conserve resources.
Have you ever looked into tensiometers like Irrometer? They come in many different configurations for depth, range and control. Depending on how your irrigation system works, you can put one inline with your irrigation timer to interrupt watering if your beds don't need water. Might be a great addition for someone trying to conserve resources.
