pumkins / winter squash

Question

I have 2 small raised garden beds and one is made out of a pallet that has pumpkin plants on one side and winter squash on the other and of coarse you can’t control how they grow so they have inter mingled with each other with I don’t care about but I live in Central Texas and most days it is 100 or more degrees and my plants get direct sun all day from sun to sun down. My pallet garden does not really have a lot of soil so it gets more water than typical pumpkin plants. My question is should I shade them during the hottest part of the day like the 2pm – 5pm time frame? I have a sun shade I have that I was using when before I knew that they get wilty leaves in the middle of the day. It does block UV and UVB rays. I’m afraid the stalks and roots are just getting to hot. Any thoughts?

Answer 1

8 plus hours are needed for the plants.
Most vines wilt under the bright, hot afternoon sun, but if you see foliage wilting before 11:00 a.m., that’s a sign that they need water.

If you have been using the shade you can gradually use it less to harden off the seedlings. If you confident they are receiving enough sun and they are growing well; you certainly can continue to use the shade cloth.