comments:
Continuing to reply to u/DarthSmashMouth -- About the shade cloth: I use 35% or 40%. Anything above that, and my plants get into trouble. They need some sun, just not quite such an excess. This year I put extenders on my 7’ t-posts to make them about 12 inches taller. Used ½” electrical conduit, cut into 2-foot sections, because it has less flex than same-size PVC. More rigid. Used radiator hose clamps to secure it to the t-posts. They look like this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-1-3-4-2-3-4-in-Stainless-Steel-Hose-Clamp-6736595/202309380 Secured the shade cloth to the overhead trellis with 2.4” PVC pool cover clamps. They look like this: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BN62CCW8?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_4 Last year and the year before, I rigged up the shade cloth with overhanging sides that covered the plants about halfway to the ground. That reduced air circulation too much and made it nearly impossible to keep them from getting badly infected with fungal disease. This year, I only set it up across the top, as a “ceiling only” with minimal overhang. It has worked much better. I’ll attach a picture. (It was taken before the project was completely finished.)