Hi Rachylee
Im in a pretty dry hot area in south Australia having too many days in the 40 plus celcius this summer
We also get very cold dry winters this impacts on bees
2018 measured 6 inches of rain , long term average is around 10 inches
Ive been here 4 yrs and have had to learn what plants do well here , where I used to live was a lot kinder on plants
So here ive found they run to seed , don't set fruits (flowers fail) , on the very hot days if we get strong wind , plants suffer a lot .
Ive used a mixture of 50% and 70% shadecloth on pretty well everything I grow
Long term (I have most of my components) I am building a shade house where I can roll shade cloth and green house plastic back and forth on rollers quickly (crank handle on the ends) as the seasons change.
This will cover most bases
At the moment I have a pretty strong frame with 70% shade over the top , one side is sheltered by a shed wall , the other side has "Shade sails" that I can put up and down . The system is running east / west so the sun tracks over perfect and no direct sun hits the growbeds / tanks during the hot season .
Ive found a heat / mildew tolerant cucumber that is going great (suyo cucumber) I have a heat tolerant tomato that I grow mid season here to cover the worst weather months .
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