Vegetables Gardening - Growing Organic Vegetables

Grace and peace to you,
In listening to the last Garden Doctor interview with Mr. Strohmeyer from AZ (zone 9b ?)I was led to believe that he was using some shading in his garden. Central Texas (Austin zone 8b)has had drought and some 100 degree temps already. What are the pros and cons of shading and how and when is it best utilized?

Greg & Group:

The first law of plant growth is light - direct sunlight, all day long if possible.

Any shading used in the garden obviously REDUCES the available light, but sometimes it becomes necessary to mitigate extreme TEMPERATURES (2nd law of plant growth).

If you are having +95 degree days, with night-time temperatures not falling below 80, you may need some shading. I recommend as little as necessary to get the job done (which is keeping your plants alive). Usually 25-30% shade cloth directly over the plants, to give them some shade between 11 and 3, is sufficient.

Jim Kennard

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