If your garden has a limited sun, it doesn’t mean that you won’t be able to grow vegetables. While it is true that all vegetables do require a certain amount of sunlight in order to grow and thrive, some vegetables need significantly less sunlight than others. Gardeners who have shady yards can grow shade loving vegetables with no problems.
Generally, leafy vegetables are your best bet if you are gardening in a shady area. Vegetables to grow in your shade garden include all types of lettuces, cabbages, spinach and endive. Although they are not as shade tolerant as the leafy types of vegetables, such as lettuce, root vegetables are your second best bet when growing vegetables in a shady garden. Potatoes , beets, turnips and carrots are root vegetables that you can grow in you garden. Here are some shade loving vegetables that you may consider growing this year…
Kale
Include kale as one of the vegetables you grow in your garden if you want to receive the fantastic health benefits provided by the cruciferous vegetable family You’ll notice only a small reduction in growth if comparing kale grown in partial shade with kale grown in full sun.
Lettuce
Lettuce is perfect for shadier gardens because the shade protects it from the sun’s heat, preventing it from bolting as quickly. Lettuce needs rich, fertile soil that holds moisture, so work in plenty of well-rotted organic matter in advance.
Mesclun
One of the best crops for shady gardens. Grows in as little as two hours of sun per day and handles dappled shade well. The delicate leaves of this salad mix can be harvested in about four weeks, and as long as you leave the roots intact, you should be able to get at least three good harvests before you have to replant.
Broccoli
Broccoli is a great choice for your home garden. It is filled with much needed vitamins and minerals. Broccoli prefers cooler temperatures and it is one of the few vegetables that doesn’t require full sun, which means it can thrive in partial shade. You can even grow broccoli in containers placed in partial shade. Partial shade can even prevent plants from bolting (going to seed) in areas with warm spells. Provide a rich, well-drained soil, with plenty of compost.
Cauliflower
Just like broccoli, cauliflower can be grown in partial shade as it is a cool crop as well. If trees are the reason for the shade, you can consider thinning the branches to increase light penetration in the gardening site. Check for powdery mildew and other diseases that usually infest cauliflowers. To ensure that you get a pretty white head of cauliflower like this one, you may need to pull the leaves up over the head and tie them together to shade, or blanch, it.
Culinary herbs
Volumes can be written on the healing aspect of herbs, so plant some in your garden you won’t regret it. While many culinary herbs need full sun, chives, cilantro, garlic chives, golden marjoram, lemon balm, mint, oregano and parsley will usually perform well in shadier gardens.
Cabbage
The cabbage, or brassica, family is huge, and includes everything from the familiar red, white or green varieties with tightly packed leaves, to cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts .Give cabbage plenty of moisture and be sure to feed it through the season,a compost tea every two weeks will do the job.
Potato
Potato is an important food staple and the number one vegetable crop in the world.The potato belongs to the Solanaceae or nightshade family whose other members include tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, and tomatillos. Plant your potatoes as soon as soil is workable in early spring.
Peas and beans
Beans and peas are relatively easy to grow, making them a good choice for a first-time gardener or a new garden plot Growing these crops in partial shade, getting a good harvest will take longer. Try bush and dwarf varieties rather than pole varieties.
Beets
Garden beets are a cool-season vegetable with a richly colored root that can be cooked or pickled, the greens can be sauteed or used in salads. Beets are nutritious vegetables that grow in partial shade. Grow beets in rows, and make sure to plan the rows in east-west length. By doing so, the vegetables can harvest maximum sunlight for better growth.
Best Vegetables to Grow in the Shade
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