As lockdowns continue across the country, more and more Australians are retreating to their backyards, putting energy and time into cultivating stunning vegetable gardens that will provide a range of delicious produce for their household all year round.
It’s a wonderful way to get out and about in the sun, and a fun activity that can involve the whole family – especially children, who love to watch their hard work turn into succulent veggies!
Australia boasts some of the best summer weather around, but this heat and sun exposure can be hazardous to some plants. Some of the most common house-grown vegetables such as tomatoes, pumpkins, chard, garlic, eggplant, carrot, peas, lettuce, spinach and capsicum require at least some shade to prosper.
So how can you help your veggies grow and beat the heat? Keep reading to find our tips for keeping your veggies in the shade.
Be careful with your garden placement
Before you put on the overalls, it’s important to be thoughtful and careful about how their placement and exposure to sun will affect their growth. In a hot climate like Australia, you’ll need to learn how to work withsunlight as effectively as possible.
Before planting observe which parts of your backyard receive the most morning light and receive reasonable shade in the afternoon. This will be the perfect place to plant vegetables that need shade to grow. In places where sun exposure is high, and where shade is lesser, you should plant veggies and fruit that do well in full sun – like corn, grapes, sweet potatoes.
Add a shade cloth
If your backyard doesn’t get much shade, you could consider installing a shade cloth. These cloths are made specifically for gardening. While they won’t block out the sun completely, they will provide relief from the harshest of UV rays, which is necessary for vegetables like tomatoes, whose skin can easily be burnt by the sweltering sun. You can purchase a range of sun cloths from local hardware stores, which will provide a range of coverage.
Shade cloths that provide 40 per cent will be suitable for most vegetables, though sensitive plants like tomatoes will need a bit more coverage with a 50 per cent cloth. Sixty per cent to 70 per cent sun cloths will be needed for light-sensitive plants.
Use your verandah!
A verandah is a smart and savvy way to help keep your plants away from the sun and in the shade. At Innovative Verandahs we are proud to be an Authorised Stratco Dealer and can work with you to find an Stratco verandah option that suits your home and your vegetable garden.
We often find clients opt for a flexible verandah design like the Outback Sunroof, which features remote-controlled louvres that can be opened and closed at your discretion. This means you’ll be able to control the amount of sun and shade your veggies receive throughout the day.
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Looking to install a verandah to help your veggie patch flourish? Get in touch with the team at Innovative Verandahs today!
