The BIG TOMATO LIE: Why Tomato Plants REALLY Get Disease & Pests (And How To Stop It)
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- Опубликовано: 5 июн 2024
- In this video, I explain the real reason why tomato plants get disease and pests and how to stop it! Most gardeners believe the best way to prevent tomato diseases and prevent insects on a tomato plant is to spray them with fungicides and pesticides, but if you're spraying tomato plants, you've already lost the war. Don't believe the big tomato lie! Do this instead!
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
0:00 Introduction
1:24 Everyone Is Wrong About Growing Tomatoes
3:58 Wild Tomatoes VS Modern Tomatoes
5:58 The Real Reason Why Tomato Plants Get Sick
10:06 Stop Tomato Diseases Without Sprays
11:42 3 Secrets For Healthy Tomato Plants
12:10 When To Install Shade Cloth
13:03 Avoid Shade Planting Tomatoes
13:58 This Works For Nearly ALL Crops
14:41 Lessons Learned From Last Year
18:12 Adventures With Dale
If you have any questions about how to grow tomatoes without disease or pest problems, want to know about the things I grow in my raised bed vegetable garden and edible landscaping food forest, are looking for more gardening tips and tricks and garden hacks, have questions about vegetable gardening and organic gardening in general, or want to share some DIY and "how to" garden tips and gardening hacks of your own, please ask in the Comments below!
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ABOUT MY GARDEN
Location: Southeastern NC, Brunswick County (Wilmington area)
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#gardening #garden #gardeningtips #tomatoes #growingtomatoes
If you enjoyed this video, please “Like” and share to help increase its reach! Thanks for watching!😀TIMESTAMPS for convenience:
0:00 Introduction
1:24 Everyone Is Wrong About Growing Tomatoes
3:58 Wild Tomatoes VS Modern Tomatoes
5:58 The Real Reason Why Tomato Plants Get Sick
10:06 Stop Tomato Diseases Without Sprays
11:42 3 Secrets For Healthy Tomato Plants
12:10 When To Install Shade Cloth
13:03 Avoid Shade Planting Tomatoes
13:58 This Works For Nearly ALL Crops
14:41 Lessons Learned From Last Year
18:12 Adventures With Dale
This is so logical and informative. Thank you for making these videos. It is so nice to learn from other's experiences to know what to do and what to avoid. I also absolutely love seeing Dale as well. He is a true ham, so handsome.
This was awesome thank you
@@donnabrooks1173 I'm glad I could help! Dale says hello
@@rawhoney2199 you're welcome!
@@TheMillennialGardener Right back at him!!!!
WOW... I have been organic gardening for over 50 years and I am so impressed with your pursuit of gardening knowledge! I have incredible gardens every year, but I always learn something from you. You are a model for humanity in these trying times. thank you
I used to be jealous of your warm climate. Not anymore. I remove 50% of the tomato leaves, cucumber leaves and pole beans, to improve air circulation and to expose the fruit to pollinators and to the sun, so it would ripen before the frost comes. I grow strictly indeterminate tomatoes. Half of my veggies are grown vertically on a trellis, with other veggies in between. I also employ successive planting to minimize the loss of plants due to bad weather conditions, or infestation. This way, I extend the harvest season. I have never had to use sprays on my plants. The most annoying insects in my veggie garden are earwigs and slugs. They love to eat Romaine lettuce. I stopped growing Romaine and started growing other varieties of lettuces that are not bothered by insects. For example, red leaf lettuce and oak leaf lettuce. I also manage to get healthy Boston lettuce heads if I plant the seeds early enough in my cold frame. This way, they mature before the heat comes and before the earwigs reach adulthood.
I always say if you're jealous of my climate, you've never lived here. Too cold in the winter, too hot in the summer, too much rain, too many bugs. I can't really complain, because as a human, we get well over 300 usable days a year, and I'll take the climate here any day over where I used to live in NJ and PA. *But,* it is really tough to grow food here for the reasons mentioned above. It's a beautiful place for people, but a terrible place for most plants. Shade cloth has turned my NC summers into something manageable. It's really incredible how it's changed how my tomatoes respond.
Thanks for the great tips 👍
@TheMillennialGardener but NJ is the garden state! Thanks again for all the tips. You have helped me a lot back home here.
Can understand the slug issues .. we've quit growing lettuce altogether for precisely that reason. In a wet summer, you can walk up the driveway in the morning and there'll be 4-6 slugs PER SQUARE FOOT just on the exposed gravel!
@@EducatedSkeptic Is it possible to grow salads in structures the snails and slugs can't crawl into? I think of hanging baskets or tower planters with some unpassable slug traps underneath...
That confirms what I’ve been observing the last couple seasons. I live in ARKANSAS, close to the Tennessee/Mississippi borders. Wicked hot and humid. I grow 15-18 indeterminates in a 4’-8’ grow bed. Rough 24” between rows and 12”-14” between plants.. they are tall and bushy by the time it’s gets blazing inJuly. I’ve observed that all the leaves and shading kept each other alive as compared to my in ground plants that are 30” apart and 32” between rows… just an observation.. the grow bed plants were still producing into Oct/Nov… the in ground were cooked by August/Sept
Everyone around me said they’ll never make it due to over crowding… they have been amazing! Tons of fruit and most are large!
Lots of marygolds and basil work well for pests also companion planting helps
The form of pest control you described is called Integrated Pest Management (aka IPM). It’s an organic/sustainable practice used to strengthen crops immune system in order to make them more resistant to pests. I have a bachelors in wildlife sustainability and we were taught to use this practice, it’s very interesting to me that through experience and error you were able to come to your own conclusions and naturally integrated IPM into your system.
Amazing work! I live in Texas and have struggled to find a gardening page that grows in hot temperate regions, looking forward to more of your videos!
You basically summed up the pandemic and why telling everyone to stay inside was a bad idea.👌
Fantastic video! You did crack the code! All these years, we have been abusing our tomatoes with full sun locations! Thanks for sharing your epiphany!
John McHatton
It's true! But, planting in shade doesn't work well, either, in most places. This has been my solution. It blew my mind last year. I'd never grown such healthy tomatoes down here.
Lemme tell you, you have saved us SO MUCH MONEY w/ your research. I live in Hampton Roads, VA and shade cloth has proven to be an outright necessity for our climates. I appreciate the primo gardening knowledge.
Glad to hear it is also successful north of me! It blew my mind last year. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.
I agree, he is my go to when it comes doing things naturally. I love his knowledge. People do too much with all these big farmer products.
Hi from Newport News!
@marinadoyle7593 Hello back from south Suffolk!
hey from Yorktown, Va. Thank you @themillennialGardener for all your content. I will definitely being employing the shade tent this year.
This makes a lot of sense to me! Last year I had tomatoes in a full sun bed and also in a part sun bed. My full sun plants got massive, but ultimately got sick and died. My part sun beds yielded smaller plants, but they produced until mid fall. Ultimately, I actually got more fruit from my part shade plants.
❤But they taste so good when you grow them yourself
Back in the day when our grandpas told us to grow them in full sun, the sun wasn’t this darn hot! Last year I grew my cherry tomatoes under a 60% shaded area. They are the only ones that lasted.
The sun is hotter now?
@@freedomliberty7611
Ya I am in Texas and I remember it was way hotter when I was younger.
Have not seen hot weather like when I was a kid in years.
But I suppose location means everything.
@@freedomliberty7611
Lmao unless you were trolling and ment the actual temperature of the sun’s surface.
😂
@@ragnar9886 Summers here aren't really warmer either. We still haven't seen anything near as hot as the 1936 heat wave in my area (Great Lakes). Winter has definitely gotten warmer, and spring and fall have gotten warmer too, but summer hasn't really changed. The exception is in the big cities where it's gotten warmer due to larger urban heat islands. Toronto summers are probably 4-5F warmer due to all the pavement. But in the surrounding countryside, it's basically the same.
I live in the deep South and same heat as always.
However, what has changed is the sky.
Weather being man.ipulated with chem.trails. The s.k.y used to be beautiful🔵 90% during summer, and now 🌥️☁️😢
True. I live in Bulgaria, as soon as May comes, the sun starts killing everything. In the summer time, it is usual to see 55C or above at ground level, which is normal, but let's just imagine how difficult it is to survive it day after day for pretty fragile plants.
Keeping tomatoes, peppers and aubergines in the shade is common practice here.
Our shadecloth here in Arizona has saved our tomatoes the last few years. We can get upwards of 115 in the hottest part of summer. Doing this has helped so much!
115 tomatoes on how many plants? 🙂
@@EducatedSkeptic Sorry, I meant 115 degrees F. 😅
@@dawnteskey3259 Oh, yeah. Too hot isn't good for most things! Happy gardening!
You are my favorite gardening channel !!!!!
Thank you!! I really appreciate that.
I accidently discovered this same thing. We had that massive heatwave in early June a couple of years back, and we built a canopy for the garden. We continued to use it through the summer, and got massive, gorgeous, healthy plants! It really does work, and it does prevent most pests, too.
P.S, I sub a lot of garden channels, but you are by far my favorite!! Keep up the great work, and thank you!
Very educational video as usual! Thank you ! The shade cloth helped so much last year!👍
Excellent video. Thank you for all your hard work researching this! You saved us all a bunch of headache. Happy growing💚🌻
Thanks for all you do!! I’ll probably try this in the summer!
You are such a hard worker. It’s amazing all the great information you provide. I take notes on all your videos. I have learned so much from you. Thank you so much!
I'm so happy to know that my videos are helping you! It's a lot of work, but it's rewarding to know the videos are helping so many people/
I bought shade cloth at the end of season last year with your advice. I can't wait to put it to test this year. I love your RUclips channel.
Makes so much sense, going to use the shade cloth this season. Good stuff here.
Wow. Will definitely try it this year. This looks so promising ! Thank you for sharing your garden wisdom ! This is my favorite gardening channel on youtube
This was incredibly educational. Like all your videos. The way you explain things is so easy to listen to. I always learn from your channel. Thank you.
Thank you so much. Just plated tomatoes in seed boxes today. Your information is invaluable.
The best gardening channel on RUclips
Thanks so much for the info! It’s so helpful. I had a suspicion of this last year and your confirmation is so helpful. Thanks again!
I did this last year, i used the 30% clothshade and i did not spray a single thing in my garden. Acrually when i was searching youtube about shade cloth in summer, your video is what gave me confidence that it's okay to donthis. My zucchinis and cucumbers were healthy, no disease, my tomatoes were great. Only mistake I did was i put the shade cloth on too early. I will have to watch the weather app. Thank you so much for your wisdomatic content 🙏
Phenominal info on this video! Thanks! I will love my partial shade raised garden plot more now.
As a fellow North Carolinian (just outside of Wilmington), you have REALLY helped our garden! Thank you for this and all your great videos!
Your exactly correct as I'm a 64 year old gardener and this dog did learn a new trick. Growing with shade cloth in southern alabama is a game changer. For the first time using shade cloth I was able to grow purple boy tomatoes til November without any major disease. Thank you for sharing this information with others as it's amazing using shade cloth. I use 40 % shade cloth.
Wow, I was captivated by this video! This sounds logical to me. I look forward to trying it in my pollen-sterilizing heat this summer. Thank you!
I just moved to Utah last year so it will be my first summer gardening here. We don’t have high humidity, but the sun is super strong and hot in the summer. I’m so glad that the garden area in my backyard is right next to a tree because hopefully when it develops leaves, it’ll help shade the garden area a bit, I’m so glad to have learned this info!
You are the man. Last year as you know it was burning hot here. My tomatos were unhappy and really did not get a good harvest. I had already bought the shade cloth and made the frame from pvc over one of my raised gardens. I normally grow tomatos in the big bags and will do so again this year. Will have to figure a way to attach to the fence. On OKI space is a premium. Thanks for this one!!
I love how Dale starts licking his lips just when he sees the bowl coming! 😂❤ I love dogs!
The juice factory starts flowing 😂
Amazing video as always. Thank you again.
i live down the road a piece in Calabash and enjoy your videos! I used to be from NJ going on 8 years ago and I'm a Southerner in Training! Zone 8B here sure is different than NJ with different planting schedules. Your videos are very informative and I'll try the shade cloth trick this year. My potted tomatoes do better than the ones in the garden probably because they get afternoon shade.
Nice one Anthony, l believe you have hit the nail on the head. We have just came out of summer here in Melbourne Australia and l have purposely left some tomato plants growing. Many of the varieties took a huge hit to the sun with a large proportion of each plant dying back. Now we are in Autumn there is many plants showing new green growth. Whether they have enough energy to continue growing fruit before winter is another story. Shade cloth at 40% is going to be my next seasons plan for tomatoes. Great sharing and best wishes. Jason from Melbourne Australia.
I live in Wilmington and appreciate this info as I am growing tomatoes now.
I totally agree about the shade cloth. They protect from driving rain, high winds and hail if you tie them down well enough.
Running a clothesline through the grommets ties them down really well. I show how to do it on the video I linked in the video description. It held it in place all season with minimal shifting.
We just had a freak storm come through here on Tuesday, it dropped 2" of rain and 2" of hail that ranged from pencil eraser size up to almost golf ball size. It was crazy. I must admit I'm glad we didn't have our shadecloth up yet. 😅
I absolutely will do this when it gets hot. Great great video!
It will make an enormous difference!
Now I know why some of my plants didn’t get sick.
They were the ones that recived morning to noon sun only and more shade as the season went on .
Makes perfect sense!
Thanks for another great informative video.
Anthony, you are my hero! Thanks for this wonderful information!
You're welcome! I'm glad I can help!
Definitely gonna try this in my garden this summer... Thanks for the info Boss... Galveston area here. Howdy from Texas 🤠
I've given up on tomatoes in the Maryland climate, but I don't have a house and was growing them only in planters. Just got a house so excited to try growing them again with these tips.
Great research! Such good information.
This definitely works! I'm in NJ and last year's sun was brutal! Everyone else's tomatoes were dropping flowers but mine weren't! And I definitely think it helps with pest and disease too.
Last year at the end of July I ordered and implemented shade cloth after watching your video on the results you were having. During that time we were having temps of 100-110 here in Dallas. Using your shade cloth idea, even that late in the season, kept my tomatoes and peppers alive until frost. You can believe that shade cloth is ready to go up again much, much earlier this summer. My deck garden will look like it’s draped for Halloween, but it will still be alive! Best idea ever!
I live near Atlanta and share your humid woes regarding tomatoes. I moved from Wisconsin where my parents still live. Although I can brag because of my warmer climate, they always have tons more tomatoes than me. I bought a shade cloth end of last season because of your videos and am looking forward to competing with my parents who will get a better tomato harvest. P.s. I share your videos with everyone who loves gardening since our climates are so similar. Thank you!
I'm here in Wilmington NC too and I've been worried that my patio only gets 5 hours of sun a day but now I'm thinking that's not so bad. I'm trying 6 different varieties and I'm hoping at least some of them will do well. You are the first person to give me any hope my patio won't kill my plants!
I’m so glad you verified my suspicions from last year! I’ve done a lot to fight what seems like blight and bug damage over the last few years. Last year I noticed that the tomato vines that grew up sapling trees near my compost bins did much better than the ones growing up cattle panels in full sun. Because of this, I allowed Sweet Annie to grow in the rows between the cattle panels. The tomatoes on the protected side on the Sweet Annie did better than on the southeastern side but still the leaves were a little too lacy so probably didn’t shade enough. I thought it might help if I supported with bamboo instead of hot metal so I’m going to change that but I’ll try the shade cloth, too, now. Thanks!
Outstanding explanation. And even without any secondary verification, this discussion screams out with obvious accuracy, given what all of us lifelong gardeners have observed. It's just that we never all put it together.
I'm from north Florida, but lived (and grew) in Wilmington and Leland for a dozen or so years. I'm back home now and the Everglades tomato has done well for me in both places. I probably won't be erecting a tomato tent, but I did learn a few things so I appreciate you for that. I think next year I'll be relocating some of my larger tomatoes to see if that helps. Thank you!
Thank you for all the information, links, and deal alerts in regards to the shade cloth. Here in east Texas, the shade cloth has really extended the growing season and I plan on purchasing lots more since it worked so well last year and into the start of fall growing season. 😃👍
You just changed my mind about cutting down a well-maintained shade tree that impacts my small garden for a few hours in the heat of the day.
I plan to keep it thinned and small producing partial shade.
I love your explanations and totally agree with the shade cloth idea, especially here in Phoenix. I've had tomato plants that live and produce for years before I finally replace them. This year, I'm trying pots under a steel enclosed structure (to foil rats and ground squirrels), covered in shade cloth. I noted your comment, to not cover too early. Thanks, I'll keep following you!
I am in south-central Texas and it gets HOT here. It’s also insanely humid overnight and in the mornings and then desert dry in the extreme heat of the afternoons. I grow my tomatoes in morning sun and full shade after about 2 pm. They LOVE it. I can generally harvest tomatoes all summer regardless of the afternoon high temperatures simply due to the shade.
Thanks for the tips 😊
I tossed some shade cloth over the tower frames of our tomatoes last summer after seeing what you were doing. The tomato plants looked so much happier! We are in middle TN and I was still getting tomatoes in August, though not as many as I had hoped from the slicer varieties. The cherry tomato did the best and survived the longest.
Great video, last year I moved into a condo where I have a huge deck and there is a deck above mine, so I grew all my plants in 5 gallon pails 20 of them and I put the pails on wheels and moved them around as the sun moved, in my old garden my plants would all be diseased by late July and all dead by September, my new pail garden was still putting out tomatoes in November, healthiest garden I’ve ever had bar none, and that’s because the plants got a lot of shade during the day and I live on the ocean so there is a lot of wind here ..So I agree with you 100% my friend full sun is no good for tomatoes..Love your videos I always say you are a mad scientist!! lol thank you keep up the hard work and GREAT INFORMATION
I could listen and learn from you all day.
I'm happy I can help!
Brilliant! Working on shade this year. SE Texas is brutal! Blessings and happy Easter!
So funny- I had the same epiphany! I’m growing my tomatoes on the screened porch this year in FL, hoping keeping them drier and without direct sunlight helps. I also just planted red and yellow Everglades tomatoes, apparently they are native to FL and indestructible 🤞 happy gardening!
You really make a lot of sense. Thank you very much. I will do that for my tomatoes this year.
It's fun to figure this stuff out. I'm happy I can share the results with people and help them.
Thank you for the idea of the shade covers!!! It saved my tomatoes from the burning sun
You're welcome! Thanks for watching!
I watched your video last year on shade growing tomatoes and I tried it. And it worked! I still have a tomatoe and eggplant alive from last year.And most of my tomatoes survived through the end of the summer.I'll try it again this year.
Thank you MG! Hi Dale💕
Incredibly important video. I live in a region of Northern California where we have several weeks of triple digit heat. My entire garden, most of which gets 12 hours of sunlight during the summer, is beneath a 50% filter shade cloth. And in some cases I add additional filters for the lateday scortching sunlight. I sell veggie plants and tell all my customers to invest in shade cloth. It's a game changer. Thanks for posting this video.
This will be my second year growing fruits and vegetables, after a first year guided largely by your advice - thank you for your innovative ideas and detailed explanations disease prevention!
This is still the best fruit & veg gardening channel on YT.
You're welcome! I really appreciate that. Thank you!
Great, Great, Great video...Thanks for sharing...
This is exactly what I'm going to do this year...I need to can some tomatoes. Thank you!
I live okeechobee florida and currently have over 30 tomatoe plants all fruiting ...shade is key here ..I learned quick here plant in multiple areas use grow bags for better drainage due to heavy summer rains and keep native flowers close by for pollination...same with peppers
Ty sir love your chanel .....see ya when you move here.
In South Central Texas providing shade is essential. In direct sun the fruit basically cooks on the vine in the summer months. I grow in sub-irragated containers in a structure similar to the one illustrated in the video with great results, having tomato plants survive well into November. A bonus use of the structure it protects the plants in heavy weather and a tarpaulin can be added when tropical weather threatens. TMG is a great channel with great advise. Thanks for your hard work presenting clear and well explained information.
Wow! I live in rural Georgia, about 45 minutes from Augusta, GA. And I had almost given up on growing heirloom tomatoes because of the pests and diseases and so little yield for so much hard work. But I am definitely going to try your shade cloth method. I am also adding a couple of good hybrids to ensure I get a decent crop for all of my hard work, and to be able to preserve some tomatoes for food security with all the craziness going on in the U.S. these days.
I knew as soon as you started, you were heading for the shade cloth! But, your analogies were brilliant. You are a natural teacher. I listened to you last year and took advantage of your Amazon price drops recently. I am ready for this summer in the foothills of western North Carolina. Thank you!
You're welcome! It's too important not to share. This year, I'm trying to get ahead of the heat so people are prepared. I'm hoping every gardener treats shade cloth as essential as a shovel or a hose. If you don't have shade cloth, you aren't gardening. Having it on-hand now will lead to so many more harvests for so many more people.
I appreciate this it gets really hot here in Raeford NC will try this for my plants thanks for sharing
I bought shade cloth last year, at the end of the season, and I look forward to trying it for the first time this year. I noticed how some of the blossoms just fell off from the heat last year here in NC.
You are the best. Thank you for the detailed explanation.
You’re welcome!
I am going to do this, this year!! I am so tired of losing my tomatoes!! Thank you so so very much!!!!!!! Savannah, GA
You’re welcome! This will make an *enormous* difference in your climate.
I actually just purchased the shade cloth. I normally don’t have problems with tomatoes. My problem is all types of squash I get powdering mildew.Since I moved this ground is way different this is my forth year here . I have to till one of my gardens and I have a container and grow bags in another garden. Great video thank you
Shade cloth for the win. Good to see you're planning for hot weather - both for your plants and for your furry bestie.
It seems we go from "too cold" to "too hot" too soon. Since we can't have the climate we want, we'll modify it.
Thank you for this video! I'm in zone 9, hot south TX. I don't have an in-ground garden and use grow bags and GreenStalk vertical planters to grow veggies. Last year was the first time I grew tomatoes. I did the seedling thing and transplanted late March. By June, I noticed my tomatoes seemed stressed. I believed that tomatoes need at least 6-8 hours of sun to produce fruit. My logic told me it was just too hot and the sun too strong for the plants. I have a large backyard pergola with a slated wood cover that provides diffused sunlight. I put the tomato plants under the pergola, and they did much better. Even put some of my other plants under the pergola too and they did better. What you are saying makes sense and works. I'm a believer. Transplanted 11 varieties of tomatoes one week ago into 10-gallon potato grow bags, which are 16" tall providing lots of room for the root system to expand. I let them get morning sunlight and roll them under the pergola early afternoon to enjoy the diffused sunlight. Happy gardening.
Good information. Will move my plants to the shadier spot. Thanks
Greetings from Mallorca, the island in the middle of the western Mediterranean sea.
The professional vegetable gardener nearby grows his plants year around under shading cloth.
So will I do now.
Thanks for your explanations on health. You are completely right say I as a retired medical doctor.
I did your shade cloth remedy this year and it saved my tomatoes. This is a must
It's a total game changer. I bet if you start the process even earlier this year, it'll be even better!
Outstanding video! Thank you for sharing your knowledge!
My pleasure! Thanks for watching!
great video! FYI in some parts of the world, tomato greens are a very popular dish. I have been cooking tomato greens for years without any problems and they are quite delicious. I usually mix them with other veggies and sometimes with fried green tomatoes. Of course, I also heard my whole life that tomato greens were poisonous. Another wonderful green is cooked zucchini greens with the stems. Just chop the stems into small pieces.
Great info ❤️ My favorite gardening tools are shade cloth, frost cloth and insect netting
Yes, yes and yes! I have a shed full of them!
I took your advice, and planted my first tomatoes EVER under a 40% shade cloth. As an experiment, I kept one tomato section without the cloth. Same types of tomatoes, and all started from seed. OMG, you weren't kidding! The tomatoes under the cloth measure about 24" long now. The ones without the cloth are half the height. This def changes my garden layout for next year. I did a garden tour where you can see them on my channel. Thank you for sharing.
I found a lot of plants don’t like the hot summer sun part shade is great
The Texas Gulf Coast is brutally hot and humid in the summer. I followed your advice about the shade cloth last year over my fruit trees. Made an amazing difference! Have already built a structure to hold a shade cloth over my raised gardens. Will probably attach the shade cloth in mid-April at the latest. Thanks for all your fantastic advice!
I think I'm now up to owning 6 shade tarps. They're just amazing. I would consider them 100% mandatory for Texas. If you're gardening without shade cloth, you're not gardening!
Thanks for the info. I grow cherry tomatoes in SE Texas. They are prolific. They used to be in a spot that got afternoon so continued producing thru the summer. Now they are out in full sun where they stop fruiting in the super hot months. Have been shading my peppers and will now extend that to the tomatoes. Don’t spray my plants. This year I went off the deep end on flowers around the garden to confuse troublesome insects and attract the helpful ones. Trying my hand at some larger tomatoes this year. Will see how it goes. 😊 Have been shading the fall garden for a few years. 90’s in November causes the brassicas and others to bolt.
You hit the nail on the head !! Thanks for a new perspective and analysis of keeping a favorite vegetable happy and healthy in turn making us happy and healthy. I did notice when the weather got 90 degrees and over, the tomatoes dropped flowers and looked stressed. Also, I noticed a tomato vine thriving up till the frost as it was planted farther back in the garden and got more shade. Also, I had a terrible time with the Leaf-legged bug wrecking my tomatoes when the weather was in the 90's. Maybe the shade cloth would deter these awful pests ??
Leaf footed bugs are a total nightmare here. This is what I do:
1. Erect shade cloth overhead, cover plants directly in insect netting.
2. Plant a bed of sunflowers 20 feet from the tomatoes.
Leaf footed bugs go nuts for sunflower heads as they begin to die back. The sunflowers attract 90% of the leaf footed bugs, and then you spray the bugs directly with insecticide on the sunflowers. It's no problem with bees, because the leaf footed bugs are attracted to the dying sunflowers, not the healthy flowers the bees want. You'll only have the odd leaf footed bug here and there go after your tomatoes, but the shade cloth and insect netting keep them off. The result was a 95% reduction in leaf footed bugs.
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This is awesome. I can't wait to try!
Yes!! I have always read tomatoes need 6 hours of direct sunlight! We moved and our backyard was all shaded except a few hours of early morning sun. I still put a garden in anyway and my tomatoes (and peppers)thrived!! I was shocked…. and I never sprayed a thing. I interplant basil, chives and marigolds and to help keep pests away.
My Texas raised bed garden is under a tree. The tomatoes get AM sun and then spotty sun. People thought I was crazy.
I’m ecstatic about all this new information. You have saved me so much anxiety.
I'm happy I can help! Figuring this out has been life changing for me, personally.
I'm in Zone 10a, So Cal. Shade cloth is an absolute winner. Unless you're running cactus, no plant is really prepared for 90-100+ degree weather and getting blasted by sun for a consistent amount of time. The cloth cuts the temps down to the optimal level for most plants which is usually in that 70-80ish degree range. I even put cloth over my dragonfruits in the dead of summer because I was getting burning and rust issues which the cloth made magically go away. You're creating a spring-like climate in summer, its pretty great.
Great video, shade is a factor for sure.
Here in Alberta zone 3, i love growing my tomatoes. We don't often get into the 30s during our summer. I will however get some shade cloth and be ready this summer. "They" are warning us drought will be bad this year. Shade, mulch and aspirin will be in my toolbox. I've had great success treating my tomatoes with aspirin.