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Vegetable Gardening

What veggies don't need full sun.

15 years ago

I am putting a veggie garden in and it is behind a building.Half of it get shade until 11am when the sun is over the building.

I am wondering what veggies can handle shade the most.

I am planting Beets, yellow beans, tomatoes, peppers, carrots, peas, corn and spinach or swiss chard

Maybe in order of Most sun loving to most shade tolerant.

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Comments (7)

pnbrown
15 years ago
"shade-tolerant" is kind of mis-leading when speaking of veggies. None of them tolerate much shade.

In general the leafy green crops will produce under some shade conditions.
digdirt2
15 years ago
Agree - leafy greens will do best and the cole crops (broccoil, cauliflower, cabbage, etc.) will tolerate some shade. That's about it. On your list only the spinach and swiss chard.

But morning shade is better than afternoon shade so if they get sun from noon on your beets, carrots, and peas should be ok there. Tomatoes, corn, peppers, and beans need the sunny end as for all practical purposes, they won't tolerate shade at all.

Dave
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lilacs_of_may
15 years ago
I was thinking of planting corn in a bed that's 6x20, but it gets shade or dappled sun for a lot of the day. No go, I take it. In the sunny part of the yard, I have raised beds that are 3x3, but they're only 11 inches high and they're situated on an area that's covered in lava rock. Is that enough soil for them?

The only other place is by the fence. Lots of sun, but I'm told they should be in a patch for good fertilization, not a row.

Am I doomed to supermarket corn?

In the more shady patch, I'm planting garlic, carrots, and leafy vegetables. I have to admit the garlic planted in the sunny raised beds are doing much better than the garlic in the shaded beds.

OTOH, I've planted iris in the shaded area, and they're the only ones with flower buds. The iris is full sun hasn't given any indications of blooming.
mastiff
Original Author
15 years ago
Thank you all very much.
I love this website and all the info you can get from it.
mwoods
15 years ago
Half of the area where I plant tomatoes is now shady from about 2:30 on. The other half is full sun. Both sides produce the same amount of tomatos with no problems. Sometimes mother nature can surprise you and it doesn't hurt to experiment with some of the hard and fast gardening rules.
bomber095
15 years ago
I have, in two raised beds, peppers, celery, radishes, cukes, tomatoes, zuchinni and celery. In pots, I have peppers, cukes, broccoli, carrots, onions, and tomatoes. The reason? I'm conducting the exact test this thread suggests; where is my best option for next year. Both setups get sun for about 6 hrs a day, but it's broken. The beds get sun from 8a-10a, and then 3p till sundown. The pots get sun from 11a-5p. The types of plants I have in both locations are at about the same stage.

So I guess the moral of this story is as long as adequate sun is received, it doesnt matter how it happens!
rdback
15 years ago
If I understand you correctly, you get sun from 11 AM until dark? That's at least 8 hours during the Summer. Sounds like plenty to me. I'd plant whatever you want and forget about "shade tolerant". I don't think it's an issue. In fact, if you're planting up against this building, be careful of the reflective heat from the hot afternoon sun. It could cook your plants.

JMHO

Have a great growing season!

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