"Shade" is pretty vague. Does the area get no direct sun at all, or just less than 8 hours? I grow my whole garden in a yard that gets 6 hours of direct sun max. Cucumbers seem to do fine with only 4-5 hours. Lettuce, parsley, arugula peas, also do well with little direct sun. My beans are not doing well and I think it is due to lack of sun (though I also didnt inoculate them). Tomatoes, peppers and eggplant are getting 5-6 hours and doing fine. More sun might get me more fruit, but there isnt anything I can do about my neighbors trees.

well ... hmmmm .... you are on the right track ... but working on the wrong variables ... i am going to come at it from another angle ... hosta are VERY HEAVY WATER USERS ... and they use the most water.. in the most heat .. which is why they struggle in the deep south ... they simply cant pump enough water to offset the loss ... and part of that is ... night temps.. they can cope better up here in MI because at night it cools considerably ... hosta actually sweat ... transpire ... in england.. which is above the 60th parallel.. or 2/3 of the way to the north pole.. they are ALL FULL SUN ... partly because the sun barely shines.. lol .. but also because of the declination of the sun.. the British are a pasty peeps.. because the sun is not as strong.. so the hosta can cope ... compare that to LA.. and you can see a stark difference. .. so.. hosta can grow in full sun .. hosta are only shade tolerant.. but the sun .. or conversely.. the shade is not really the issue.... its all about how effectively they can pump.. enough water. and if they have a recovery period to cope ... the fact that a hosta looks ratty in late summer.. is more a function of not enough water.. rather than too much light ... ken ps: zone.. which is.. in its simplest form.. MINIMUM WINTER TEMP ... has nothing to do with it .... pps: i have tons of wood hyacinths.. i dont know why you failed with those.. unless there are multiple plants under that common name ... ppps: hosta also have a requisite dormancy period.. and if you go too far south.. they dont get it ...

From Pegi Ballister-Howells' "Month by Month Gardening in New Jersey", the following can be direct seeded in July: cabbage, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, greenbeans, peas, summer squash, sweet corn. August: beets, leafy greens, lettuces, chinese cabbage Radishes and cukes are listed for June, but you could given them a try, depending on how much shade and how dense - cukes sometimes appreciate a little shade from the hottest summer sun. Again, depending on the amount and density of shade, green beans may be worth a try. Zucchini is so vigorous, maybe give it a try, especially a bush type. Expect it to spread more in the shade. It will be a good experiment and learning experience for the children as long as they have some successes in there. Besides, it's always fun while gardening to test the limits and the investment in seeds is pretty low. Your cukes, zucchini and certain other veggies might be more susceptible to powdery mildew. Be especially careful about garden hygiene, water the soil not the plants, and be on the lookout for early symptoms - there are some kid and environmentally friendly options to control p.m. I also have only a few small spots that get half-day sun, but I've just got to have my veggie garden! I've even planted some in the front yard, much to my neighbor's dismay ... she's not up on the "edible landscaping" trend yet.

Apparently VT has a different definition of a "greenbelt" than I'm used to, as that refers to a natural area surrounding a development here......what you describe are referred to here as parking or "hell" strips :-) What kind of trees are currently planted? Generally these areas receive a fair amount of sun, as the parking strip trees are required to be smallish or high limbed to allow sufficient clearance for vehicles and parking. And because these tend to be high traffic areas also and can get a lot of abuse, durable, low maintenance plants like groundcovers are best suited for this purpose. I've attached an appropriate link to help you choose. Here is a link that might be useful: groundcovers for Vermont