Four months with and without shade cloth was a total game changer

I put up a 40% shade cloth over my east facing balcony last June because my tomatoes kept getting fried by 10am. The difference was wild - my cherry tomatoes went from dropping flowers to producing 3x more fruit per week. My basil stopped bolting and actually got bushy instead of leggy. But now I'm wondering if I should drop to a 30% cloth for spring since I miss some of that morning sun on my peppers. Has anyone else seen big yield changes after adding shade?

2 comments

2 Comments

nelson.finley15d ago

I switched from no shade to 50% cloth on my south facing deck two years ago and my bell peppers went from tiny and tough to big and sweet. They were dropping blossoms like crazy before and now they actually set fruit through July. I’d say try the 30% for spring and swap back up when summer heat hits hard, I do that with mine since the morning light helps them get going.

wrenwilson15d ago

Yeah and I run 30% all summer on my east side and the peppers still do fine.