How to protect your crops from too much sun

[Emily Peagram]

Hello forum members!

Here in Essex we've experienced a few days of gorgeous sunshine! Do you have any tips for protecting your crops from strong levels of sunlight during the summer?

Please note that answers may be edited and used in the July issue of Grow Your Own magazine.

Happy growing

Emily

[Penellype]

Hmm, too much sun is not something I have a great deal of experience of as most of my garden is shady much of the time. I did have a cucumber that wilted badly in the sun last year and I shaded it with a piece of fleece, which seemed to do the trick. I've also just put some greenhouse shading up on the sunniest side of my friend's greenhouse as some of the tomato plants became rather limp in there last year.

In general though my main problem is finding enough sunshine for the plants rather than having to deal with too much.

[Nicos]

We sometimes hit 40C in summer here in Northern France.

What we find helps is a mesh covering or tent over the vulnerable plants - very much like the shading used in greenhouses.
It lets some of the light through and any rain which may fall.

I have seen bamboo canopies or strung together small branches used locally too .Some people are very inventive!

[Lumpy]

I know that enviromesh not only keeps the bugs off but also provides some shade - it work quite well with some cauliflowers a couple of years ago - they did not bolt.

[Bren In Pots]

Net curtains from charity shops are handy for draping over a GH to protect plants from the sun.

[Greenleaves]

My plot faces due south and the afternoon sun can really make the temperature rise in the greenhouse so I purchased two cheap ( £5 each ) venetian blinds and fitted it to the inside of the greenhouse roof. This stops the worse of the direct sunlight but still allows plenty of light through the sides.

[Jungle Jane]

Sun loving plants are good for providing shade to other plants eg tomato growth will protect peppers from the sun.

[Bigmallly]

Watered down emulsion paint can be applied to the greenhouse glass to keep the heat down but I prefer Debris netting, far mess lessy..............

[Guest]

I just make sure that plants have a good drink in the evening so they can recover over night.

[Bacchus]

I have a strip of enviromesh attached to the uprights of the polytunnel to reduce the direct sunlight from the most southern side. This is in addition to the diffusing ability of the polythene.

[planetologist]

Both from what I've read and what I see in my south facing garden, it's not an issue, because pretty much all food plants can't get too much sun, only too little water, or too high temperatures in a greenhouse and even then I've seen plants survive in a polytunnel that was too hot to walk into. Having said that, I think hardening off indoor grown seedlings after April is mostly acclimation to light (UV) and not temperature, as evidenced by the red colouration (photoprotective carotenoids) that unhappy seedlings get when transplanted straight into full sunlight, so I put my seedlings where they get only morning sun for 3 days.

[Snadger]

Plant a grapevine and train it across your greenhouse roof. Problems solved!

I have two greenhouses with a different grapevine varieties in each It works for me.

[rary]

I dont have a great problem with too much sun, as when I was working it was 12hr. shifts and had no way to apply shading when required, so I used large gravel trays with water added and sat my plants on top of the gravel, now I use capillary matting, and for any plants that like to be kept dry I raise them off the matting slightly

[BUFFS]

Hello forum members!

Here in Essex we've experienced a few days of gorgeous sunshine! Do you have any tips for protecting your crops from strong levels of sunlight during the summer?

Please note that answers may be edited and used in the July issue of Grow Your Own magazine.

Happy growing

Emily

that's easy, i live in Scotland...