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Tender greens appreciate a little shelter from the scorching summer sun. Constructing this sturdy shade tent is a quick and easy way to extend your harvest of crops that prefer cooler weather. As fall moves in, you can swap out the shade cloth for row-cover fabric to keep your crops out of the cold.
you will need:
1/2- or 3/4-inch-diameter durable plastic tubing
18-inch bamboo or rebar stakes (2 for each tubing arch)
72-inch-wide, 30 to 50 percent shade cloth, cut to the length of the bed
Garden clips (3 for each tubing arch: medium size for 1/2-inch tubing; large for 3/4-inch tubing)
1. Cut the tubing into 5- to 6-foot lengths, or lengths that will allow the tubing to arch about a foot above your plants.
2. Pound the stakes into the ground along the sides of the bed so that about 10 inches of each stake is exposed. Position them across from each other, every 3 to 4 feet.
3. Arch the tubing over the bed and secure it by sliding the ends over the stakes.
4. Drape your shade cloth over the arches, allowing the fabric to cover the entire bed. Cut to fit.
5. Attach the shade cloth to the tubing with the clips--instant shade in your sunny garden!
Made in the Shade Placing plants under 30 to 50 percent shade cloth can lower leaf temperature by 10 percent or more. Use 30 percent shade cloth in northern or coastal climates and 47 percent in hot-summer areas, and extend your harvest of arugula, lettuce, mesclun mix, and mustard greens.
A Penn State study found that shade cloth lowers soil temperatures an average of 3 degrees to 6 degrees F, which can make a big difference with fall crops that germinate best at soil temperatures under 80 degrees F, including broccoli and cabbages, chard, lettuce, mustard greens, radishes, spinach, and turnips.
