you can kill magnolias fairly easily because of those shallow roots so best to stay far away. Back when I had an irrigation license one of the things we always told people was that their magnolia could die when we put in the system so they had to sign a waiver or we didn`t put the system in that part of the yard. They are fussy trees about their roots!
Tally HO!

The one Magnolia I have ever had when I lived in East Texas was too shady underneath to grow anything, especially vegetables.

I'm not a big veggie grower, but at the organic vegetable seminar I attended last Saturaday Bob Webster said to get a good crop fruiting vegetables need sun from morning until night. He said you'll get a few tomatoes and peppers, for instance, in light shade, but nothing like the baskets full you'll get in full sun. However, he said you can grow leaf crops, such as Swiss chard, etc., in part sun. You can grow just about anything in large containers so if you opt to go that way place them in as much sun as possible. Wishing you well in your veggie gardening venture.

Here is a link that might be useful: Here's another way it can be done ....

Magnolia fruits are magnets for opossums in our neighborhood. If the critters are common in your area, you may want to favor plants they find less desirable.

I've never tired to gown anything under the magnolia and it remains largely a dead zone left to its own. But native trumpet vine and ruellia frequently take root there, so maybe something cultivated could survive.

We had good luck with green onions/scallions in dappled shade last year, though time to maturity (60 days) was extended 30 to 50%. The seeds are planted shallow and roots are not extensive (or break off easily), so should not disturb the magnolia too badly. Another bonus is that they're evergreen in our part of the world, so could be kept looking half-way decent year round if you stagger the harvesting. We used Burpee "Big Bunch" seed purchased at one of the big box home improvement stores. Oh... and none of the many opossums or squirrels that visited the garden bothered them.

There are some herbs that might also work even if the guides list them as needing full sunlight. We put spearmint (mentha spicata) at the base of a 6' nandina under a 25' crepe myrtle where the heavy dapple shade actually made it a much better behaved plant by stunting it during it's peak growing season. Been told it can become a bully if it ever gets all the light it wants.

I'd love to know how Bob Webster keeps things going in full sun. I have found that I have to shade my peppers and tomatoes from afternoon sun or the plants will burn up.

You've all been mighty helpful, thank you so much! :)

We're loaded with empty formula cans I've held onto because throwing them away seems too wasteful, and the nearest recycling center that takes them is a bit far. The husband and I just might give partial shade edibles a go on them.

As far as tomatoes go, which I'm hell-bent on growing, I found a very nice sunny spot out front.

Again, thanks everyone!