Ironite and shade

Well, it did not look at first like the Ironite had done much good when I got home from work today. However, once the sun started going behind the trees and the plants started recovering from another day of 95 degree heat, the picture kind of changed. No miracles but nearly everything looked much perkier than it had before. Maybe it will have more effect with more time and as watering brings more of it to the roots.

The experiment with the shade structure for the tomato plants worked! When I got home in the heat of the day, the plants in the covered mound showed no signs of heat stress. The small, kind of stunted one was even a bit taller.

I had also placed one pallet over the strawberry planter last night. The soil is well below the top. The remaining plants looked much healthier than they had been looking!

So, guess I need to start scouting pallets again. I had a decent pile by the shed and had stopped looking for a while. I can probably build some shelters from 2x4's and pallets for the hottest part of the day. By the time the sun passes far enough west to go beyond the shelters, it's only a short time until it goes behind the trees. Partial and indirect sunlight should work well here. Only problem is how to anchor the structures cheaply, not unattractively and not permanently but still able to withstand the occasional winds here.