When To Shade?

[DannyS1951]

As a complete novice I need some advice for growing vegetables from seed in the Bangkok area. Which vegetables need shade while growing and if so which part of their growing life do they need shade?

[loong]

That's a very difficult question to answer as it varies from area and time of year. If I am growing from seed, I prefer to start all under shade net and transplant when stronger. Especially April to July, you will find many seeds germinate and then die because they can't cope with the direct hot sun.

Rule of thumb, the bigger the seed (or deeper you plant it), the better it will cope with the sun. Most beans, peas, sweetcorn, pumpkin and other squashes etc will not need shading. These can even be used to shade other plants.

I find that brassicas and tomatoes grow best in shade for their whole growing period.

Root crops, - sweet potato, chinese and other radish cope well with full sun, but I'm not so sure about carrots.

see also

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Plants-Enjoy...de-t238482.html

[DannyS1951]

That's a very difficult question to answer as it varies from area and time of year. If I am growing from seed, I prefer to start all under shade net and transplant when stronger. Especially April to July, you will find many seeds germinate and then die because they can't cope with the direct hot sun.

Rule of thumb, the bigger the seed (or deeper you plant it), the better it will cope with the sun. Most beans, peas, sweetcorn, pumpkin and other squashes etc will not need shading. These can even be used to shade other plants.

I find that brassicas and tomatoes grow best in shade for their whole growing period.

Root crops, - sweet potato, chinese and other radish cope well with full sun, but I'm not so sure about carrots.

see also

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/Plants-Enjoy...de-t238482.html

Thanks Loong

[loong]

You're welcome Danny.

You will only know what works well from experience. I've lived in the North and now in the North-East and things are so much different because of the slightly different climate.

Experiment, enjoy the success's and learn from your mistakes. Don't forget to share with the people here, we are always interested in what you have to add.

Nature is a wonderful thing and full of surprises............Enjoy.

[jandtaa]

Hi Danny

As loong says experimentation is the best way to find out what works for you and your location.

You could try using sun loving plants (such as those Loong has mentioned) grown up a trellis to provide some shade for more delicate varieties, orientate the trellis along the east/west axis of your plot so that the plants are shaded during the heat of the day but recieve morning and evening sun.

I tend to germinate most veggie seeds under shade netting and then transplant them to the plot. Below is a list giving a rough guide to the number of weeks needed from sowing to planting out (although as always this depends on time of year and local conditions) :

Broccoli 5-7

Cabbage 5-7

Cauliflower 5-7

Celery 10-12

Corn, sweet 3-4

Cucumber 3-4

Eggplant 6-8

Lettuce 5-7

Muskmelon 3-4

Onion 10-12

Pepper 6-8

Summer squash 3-4

Tomato 5-7

Watermelon 3-4

(remember to sun harden them first and plant out in the evening to lessen the shock of transplanting)

Loong I think the carrots will benefit from some shade as even in the summer in the UK we sow varieties that are selected for heat tolerance. I'll be growing carrots for the first time in LOS later in the year and it is a variety called "Nelson" that I will try so will report back on that later. Anyone had success with carrots out here ??

cheers for now J

 

[DannyS1951]

Hi Danny

As loong says experimentation is the best way to find out what works for you and your location.

You could try using sun loving plants (such as those Loong has mentioned) grown up a trellis to provide some shade for more delicate varieties, orientate the trellis along the east/west axis of your plot so that the plants are shaded during the heat of the day but recieve morning and evening sun.

I tend to germinate most veggie seeds under shade netting and then transplant them to the plot. Below is a list giving a rough guide to the number of weeks needed from sowing to planting out (although as always this depends on time of year and local conditions) :

Broccoli 5-7

Brussels sprouts 5-7

Cabbage 5-7

Cauliflower 5-7

Celery 10-12

Corn, sweet 3-4

Cucumber 3-4

Eggplant 6-8

Lettuce 5-7

Muskmelon 3-4

Onion 10-12

Pepper 6-8

Summer squash 3-4

Tomato 5-7

Watermelon 3-4

(remember to sun harden them first and plant out in the evening to lessen the shock of transplanting)

Loong I think the carrots will benefit from some shade as even in the summer in the UK we sow varieties that are selected for heat tolerance. I'll be growing carrots for the first time in LOS later in the year and it is a variety called "Nelson" that I will try so will report back on that later. Anyone had success with carrots out here ??

cheers for now J

Thanks Jandtaa and Loong

I have a big garden that has been more like a kampong garden for more than 20 years. It has mainly fruit trees and various bushes so there are lots of shaded areas. Very few spots get all day sun. Although it is the usual Bangkok clay, years of leaves and dead weeds have helped the top few inches of soil. Hope to get lots of good vegetables all year round although the only successes so far have been cucumbers, the purple stemmed basil, wild rocket and mustard leaves.

[jandtaa]

Hi Danny

Well keep reading here and I'm sure with the help of the knowledgeable advice of the forum members you'll have even more success with a wide range of fruit and vegetables in the future, all without any chemical imputs ! I recommend you have a read of the pinned topics that focus on building up and maintaining soil fertility via organic inputs such as compost and green manures as well as those that discuss building up the soil micro-herd (the workhorses that break down organic matter and make nutrients available to the plants) via compost teas or effective micro-organisms.  Mulching is also essential and there is some useful information about materials to use and how and when to mulch. Also check out the useful resources thread for some good reading material about growing organically in the tropics.

Best of luck with your endeavours

J

 

[loong]

I have never grown carrots in the Uk - I didn't have a vegetable garden, just flowers and plants.

I have carrots growing at the moment, but not sure how far apart they should be. I used seed bought in Thailand. I may get better results when I have finished improving the soil, but one problem that I do have is rot. They need friable soil and good drainage, but I find that they grow so much foliage that it traps moisture and rots them. I have stopped this by occasionally trimming that foliage that lays flat and leaving the upright new growth. I don't know if this is a good idea or not, but if I leave all the foliage, my carrots will just rot.

I've been taking them as baby carrots as my soil encourages deformed growth and they are not at all bad.

What distance is usual between carrots?

Edit - ps Carrots grown in full sun do not suffer with rot so much.