Okay lets see if you guys can make sense of this babble.
I took a soil reading in my raised bed in direct sun light as deep as the probe would go, about 6 inches.
It was I think 85F but I watered the devil out of them this morning.
The tubs in the sunlight are 90 in the middle.
The temps in the shade on the porch are 89.
The temps in the tubs right at the edge are around 98.
If you go 2 inches from the edge they drop back down to 90.
So yes they are warm but nothing is ((((COOKING))))) in the black tubs.
I did this with two thermometers calibrated with ice water to read 32F.
I did that calibration right before I did the testing.
Insulation would help but to what end.
Then you would be insulating heat in the evening as well not letting it escape.
The yellow and red stripped container is just as warm as the black container with the tomatoes in them.
Most of the sunlight at this time of year is going directly onto the soil on top not the side of the tubs.