07/08/2026
After a few days of watching my tomatoes boil and burst (thus attracting bugs and birds who had been kept away by Neem’s Oil and a motion sensor) I purchased this 60% shade clothe from Amazon. I went with black to allow a broader spectrum of light to reach the plants. This is 16x20ft, but they have a variety of other sizes. The clothe arrived overnight and only cost $46 dollars. It is lightweight, so was easy to lift and spread over the lines I use to string up the tomatoes from the wicking planters, but also very sturdy weave that is reinforced with binding tape on the edges and corners. I really pulled the hell out of this thing so it was it tight, but it didn’t rip or fray. The grommets are wide enough for normal quick clamps or the triangles I used. I’ve designed this so it can be unhooked and guided towards the repurposed playscape for morning light, but it’s still allowing a lot of sunlight through so might not need it. It is 97 degrees at 2 pm in central Texas and underneath this clothe it is 10 degrees cooler and should reduce sun damage to the plants. This might make your Texas Summer Garden better. Here’s an Amazon Affiliate Link if you want to check out more info: https://amzn.to/3SMvLRm
