What is the effect of intense sunshine on vegetable plants?

Question

It's a rudimentary question, but I've had problems finding answers. I live in Cyprus, which 'enjoys' a Mediterranean climate, where summers are humid and tend to hover between 38 and 43 degrees C between July and early October. I'm trying to grow some vegetables, such as cherry tomatoes and peppers, in a place where they will receive all-day sunshine. Will this intense sunshine destroy my crops? I am also able to plant some crops in the shade of a tree. Would this function as a good workaround for late planting of vegetables that would probably not enjoy direct sunlight?

Answer 1

Both peppers and tomatoes require as much sun and warmth as they can get, but with one caveat - if your overnight temperatures do not fall below 30 deg C, so that they have a sustained period where temperatures never go below that point, they may suffer heat stress. In those situations, providing some shade in the middle of the day when the sun is hottest is appropriate.

In general, most other vegetables prefer a sunny position, and where you are, they may do fine in half sun half shade, but you haven't said what else you're considering growing. In other words, a very shady place isn't ideal for any vegetable growing.

Answer 2

Peppers and tomatoes generally love lots of sun. Rocoto peppers may prefer a little less sun than most peppers, though, I hear.

You may need to water your plants more frequently because of the sun. Also, the sun may make transplanting more difficult. If the sun is shining a lot when you're planting, it may make your plants' leaves wilt, and hurt them. However, if you can shade them for a couple days, that should help a lot. Even putting milk jugs over them helps somewhat, but I'm not sure if it alone would help enough in very powerful sun. At the very least, it would block UV rays. I recommend planting when the sun isn't out (and isn't about to be out soon), too.