Shade cloth for Broccoli, lettuce

[SarahBeth]

Hi everyone. I live just south of Greenville, SC, zone 7b/8a and would like to try extending my lettuce/broccoli growing season with shade cloth. I seem to remember some tomatovillians from my area using 50% for tomatoes (though my tomatoes seem to do fine without any shade cloth), so does that mean I should try 60% or so for these cooler weather crops?

[FourOaks]

60 Percent would probably be overkill, causing leggy-ness in the crops.


This year im using 50 on my lettuce. The secret is also using micro sprinklers. Found at Lowes in the aisle with drip irrigation stuff. I just upped the time to every 4 hours, from the previous 6 hours. They run 5 minutes. Just enough to cool everything down.


Within a couple day after installing the shade cloth, I noticed increased growth.

[SarahBeth]

Thank you! Interesting about the micro sprinklers. We have drip in that bed right now, but the micro sprinklers cool thinks down better?

[FourOaks]

Originally Posted by SarahBeth

Thank you! Interesting about the micro sprinklers. We have drip in that bed right now, but the micro sprinklers cool thinks down better?

Yes the sprinklers cool everything down. That is one of the problems with drip. It goes directly to the root, bypassing the plant. I know that we are always told, dont water the foliage! DANGER DANGER!!!!! But in the instance of setting up shade cloth, its no harm. Just dont water to long, as it might cause bottom rot. You just want to cool the leaves and the air around the plants down.


Heres the exact product I use. It is probably compatible with what you already have.


https://www.lowes.com/pd/Mister-Land...-Spray/1098643


Then you will need this, or something similar:


https://www.lowes.com/pd/Mister-Land...sembly/1172843

[MrsJustice]

I need a large crop of Broccoli this year because all the children in my family love Broccoli to eat every day. So, looking for the next generation farmer for my mini farms, I must grow a large crop.

In the past, The 2 plants of Broccoli I plant each year just to get the seeds did not do well or were secretly eaten by one of my children during the time I spent in Hawaii.

Now since I know the facts about the secretly eaten Broccoli, I need all the information about Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter crops if possible, Amen!!.

The money that the next farming generation would save each year, will bring me a Family Farmer, Amen!!!

[MrsJustice]

I want to report my Broccoli is doing "Great". I have all healthy Plants that will be enough to supply the Family favorite vegetable and save seeds this year.

[MrsJustice]

I just want to report my Broccoli growth slowed Down, but still doing O K. My 6 year old said she will never wait for Broccoli to grow again: She will buy only Groceries Store Broccoli for the rest of her life.

[JRinPA]

That is one picky 6 yo. But it is nice that she is willing to use her allowance to buy broccoli for the family!



My broccoli here petered out a couple months back, but I have the fall crop still under cover. They went in during July and I have yet to lift the AG19. I may lift that today to give them more room, then replace it.



I was amazed this year, using BT for the first time, just how effective that it was to keep the cole crops worm free. Sideshoots continued for a long time before I pulled the plants.


After the success on broccoli and cauliflower I've had using row covers and/or BT spray, I would never consider store brought broccoli if I had a choice. But 6 yo girls have a different view of the world, I'm sure!

[MrsJustice]

I just want to report my Broccoli growth is doing fine in this strange weather. I should be saving my first "Angel Field Broccoli Seeds" soon. My Grandchild in Happy amen. She looked at them today and told them that "I cannot wait to eat you-up. Then we saw the Heads developing.

Any "Tips on Saving these Broccoli Seeds"?