Two or three hot days and I am glad I had already shaded my greenhouse from the sun.

It bis easier to remove in Autumn if you apply the cool-shade on the inside. For years I have struggled to clean the high apex from the outside!

Why Shade Your Greenhouse

• Direct sun can bleach the chlorophyll out of plant leaves and leave them scorched.
• Burnt and dehydrated plants will be distresses and will fail or perform badly.
• Greenhouse trap heat and you can have too much of a good thing.
• Keep the heat down but allow the maximum amount of light.

How to Shade your Greenhouse

• The cheapest method I have found is to use Coolglass a powder you mix into a suspension and paint or spray on.
• Old fashioned whitewash with a bit of size to make it stick is an old gardeners tip.
• The aim is to keep down the heat whilst still getting the light so a thin covering is best.
• You can use shade netting and there are many varieties available. Horticultural fleece may provide enough shade.
• Roller blinds or wooden slatted blinds can be adjusted to suit the conditions each day.
• Automatic blinds can be installed to suit many purses (that are reasonably full to start with).

Other Related Tips

• Keep up the humidity in your greenhouse. In the morning and during very hot days I pour water on the floor.
• Water plants at night so they can take up a drink for half the day and are turgid in the morning.
• Avoid splashing the plants if watering during the heat of the day.
• Remove the shading later in the year (end August) to help the last tomatoes ripen.
• I only paint the South East and West faces of the greenhouse as you can see in the photo.