Hi! I actually bought the products I talk about in this post. If you want to try them, please use the link on this page to check them out. I’ll make a little money if you do. That would be awesome! You could even drop me a line via Twitter @decentmadam to let me know it was you! And then we can talk about whether you love them!

It’s too sunny to work in the garden. We’re on our third or fourth day of heatwave this unseasonably fine January morning in Livermore, and I’m too lazy to slather on the sunscreen. This has me daydreaming about some of the advanced greenhouses I’ve seen with automated shade curtains that drape along the roof when the weather is too hot. Glorious, glorious mechanical UV protection.

Surely, if I built the right structure, I could use it to warm the soil in the dead of winter, defend against pests the rest of the year, and shade the veggie patch when I’m working in it on sunny days?

A girl can dream right?

This project could actually happen. I have the skills to put together a custom build, but I’m not really interested in spending the money right now. I’ve only been at this veggie gardening gig for… yeah, less than a month. On the other hand, if my alternative is working in long sleeves in a hat in hundred degree weather, then I guess it could happen.

But, key to happiness is lower expectations, right? So instead I’m buying this cheap bug net tent. It’s big enough to protect my whole patch, will keep dogs and birds out (and maybe rodents too). Hopefully the mosquito netting lets in enough light for my plants, although it doesn’t seem like much of a concern today. The shade on the top should have very little effect on how much sun my plants get until the sun is overhead in the summer…

At which point maybe they’ll like a little high-noon shade, since it’ll be a hundred degrees out.

Update January 19, 2021

I ended up cancelling this order before it shipped. A wind storm kicked up and the above screen house doesn’t have great reviews for durability. The wind is supposed to turn to rain by the end of the week, so I’ll keep this concept in mind for a later date… but maybe I’ll chose a trusted brand instead so It’ll last a little longer.