If you garden in climates where the summer sun is intense, it’s best to provide afternoon shade for many vegetables in the garden. Adding shade to your garden is like putting “sun screen” on your plants. Wondering how to create shade in the garden? Here are our favourite ways to add shade and help your garden survive during the hottest months of summer.
3 reasons to provide afternoon shade
- Morning sun provides plenty of energy through photosynthesis without the excessive heat stress of prolonged all-day sun exposure.
- Providing shade for plants can lower the amount of moisture loss through transpiration (evaporation of water from plant leaves).
- Most vegetables are stressed when temperatures are above 37 degrees. Shade keeps direct sun off foliage, and the shaded area can be about 12 degrees cooler than areas without shade.
Which Veggies Need Shade?
Which Veggies Need Some Shade (To extend their season)
Which Veggies Don't Need Shade?
You can create shade through thoughtful garden design, shade cloth, sunflowers, umbrellas, and vining plants all can be used in different ways to provide shade for tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and any other vegetable that needs some relief from the sun.