How to Grow More Vegetables

Design: Dan Torjusen and Robert Clark

Drawing Development: Patrick Long

Text: Gaye Carlson

Illustrations: Pedro J. Gonzalez

The shadehouse/birdnetting unit costs about $2.50 per
square foot for materials. The shadenetting is rated to
last up to 15 years with good care and comes in diAerent
thread densities which screen out 3% to 98% of the sun's
light. The 3% mesh can keep insects out while letting in
most of the light; 30%, 45%, and 55% mesh fabric is
used to grow cool-loving spring and fall crops in the
summer. Experimentation will show which is best for
your area at diAerent times of the year and for diAerent
crops. Try a 30% mesh to begin with. Two or three
meshes may be needed for one crop during the season as
the weather gets hotter or cooler. Be careful not to
overwater when using meshes 30% and over. The 90%+
meshes are reportedly used to let enough light in to keep
the crops alive, but not enough to let them grow, for a 3-
to 5-day period before marketing when more grown
might involve their going to seed, bolting, or a general
loss of crop quality.
If the entire 50-square-foot unit lasts for at least 10
years, the per year cost would also be about $12.50 per
year. This would be much less than the value of the
produce grown or protected underneath.
There is also another advantage of this design—
interchangeable panels. It is possible to mix or match the