How much shade for fall seedlings?

12 years ago

I'm trying some greens, potato and alliums for my fall garden. Like the rest of the backyard garden, the plot doesn't get full sun all day due to some trees to the east and south.

Even so, it's so hot right now that I made some makeshift shade from an old bedsheet to protect them while they get established:

Excuse the cardboard all over the place. I'm in the middle of mulching all the paths around the beds.

Anyway, the 2 sheets are currently folded in half to double the shade over the seedlings. It's fairly shady in there and cooler than the surrounding exposed area. The soil is even downright cool to the touch under the straw.

I was thinking of pulling back one layer of sheet in a few days and then if the plants seem to be doing well in the next couple of weeks removing the shade altogether.

Is this too much shade right now for cabbage, lettuce, collards and kale etc? Let's say they get about 6 to 8 hours of sun (hot sun right now!).

What is your experience with this in NE oklahoma in august?

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Comment (1)

chickencoupe
12 years ago
At first, I didn't think I had any answer. Earlier this spring we started using a side shade for my 'monster' planter with lettuce and other greens. In fact, we used a welding sheet, if that's a clue to the sun's intensity. This was on the side of the planter. I noticed the plants just inside the planter along the edge of the welding sheet caught the most shade. They did not grow as fast, but they were terrific anyway. When everything got big enough it seemed the crowded greens shaded the soil and the welding sheet wasn't necessary. We also put it there to help block the drying wind. As with the heat, the mature foliage seemed to help keep the soil moist. And all this is on the south side of my house which receives dappled shade in the heat of the day. It was worth the trouble.

I would play around with it. You could unclasp one end of the sheet, fold it back and expose some of the plants for longer periods of the day while comparing its growth to those under continuous shade.

bon

You can see the welding tarp hanging off the back end, here. Boy, I cannot wait until it's filled again. Maybe I should tarp on top and start now.
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