Shade Cloth Savior

Remember when I said my fall garden was going to kick ass. Well it's gonna, if the heat lets up and if it ever rains. Did I mention we here in central Texas are in a serious drought. It literally hasn't rained since May. 

The last good day to plant tomatoes and peppers in Austin was around July 25th from what I have been reading and from what the good folks at the garden store told me. So, I planted mine. Round two. Here we go. I swear if I don't grow at least three good tomatoes this fall, I'm going to..................... yell and hell I don't know keep trying I guess. 

Since it's so hot and sunny, the mid day sun is killer on the tomatoes, peppers, and squash. My savior is a 40% shade cloth I set up. Because it's 40% it's supposed to cover all of the boxes for the full day and allow 60% of the UV rays to soak through, enough for ample plant growth. So far everything looks good. By the end of the day the peppers look a little sluggish, but I give them a little water and they perk right up. 

I really just want this to work. 

Btw, the black around the boxes are weed barrier. My next project is to edge the garden area off and add some gravel. Soon.