Arugula! I grow tomatoes in about that much sun--not the highest yields, but okay. I have mostly half-sun garden areas for vegetables because I don't have a super reliable watering system for the drought months in my full sun areas, and I have concentrated on "quality of life" harvests. For me that is greens and herbs that I can add to other foods and that "hold" awhile in the garden so if workweek is busy, I can still use, and things that overwinter so I get late fall, winter and spring use. Things that I can wander out and pick or cut a little to perk up a meal. --cilantro and parsley--add a few leaves or grow enough to add a whole bunch to specific recipes--instead of having to buy and then find it slimy in the frig just when you need it. --arugula is high-value 'cause you can harvest a cupful of leaves every few days and add to purchased Romaine or other lettuce and mmmmm good. Also mizuna, red mustard, kale. Of course in your site you could grow actual other leaf and head lettuces but I find it more efficient to grow the spicy additions. --collards--I cook both the greens, and the "flowers" when they start to go, in the spring (now). I overplanted this past fall and finally had to put some on the compost pile this spring so I could move on. Agree that peas and some other things tolerate shade better than say eggplant. --basil really does better for me in partial sun--it wilts in all day sun unless totally watered. Here is another thing I am going to work on--in areas that have less sun, you may need to get a really good start on the seedlings. So, I had been putting out transplants of things too late, or starting seeds in mid-fall when if I had started earlier when the sun was "higher" then I think they would have done better. Or if you find that seeds grow too spindly you might find that transplants do better.

I'm a novice compared to many on the forum but this is what I do. Since the nurseries in my area rarely stock many plants for fall planting, I take advantage of the late July/early August sales to buy shrubs that I like. Then I repot them into the next larger size pot, untangling the pot-bound roots, using a good potting mix. This allows the the plants a couple of months to develop a larger root system and makes regular watering (essential) easier than if I had put them out in a large bed. When it is cooler and less need for aggressive watering in mid to late Sept I move them into the ground. This has worked well for me over the last few years. Much easier on me and the plants than trying to plant in 90 degree weather with 70% humidity.

There is an awful lot of confusion as to what is "mulch". Mulch is only a protective covering that is intended to suppress weeds, insulate soil and reduce moisture evaporation. It can be made of anything - organic or non-organic - that will accomplish those tasks, including compost. While there are a number of products that are generically labeled as "mulch", there is NO single product that is considered mulch and defined as such. Bark, wood chips, sawdust, leaves, compost, grass clippings, even manures are examples of organic mulches. River rock, pea gravel, crushed or lava rock, shredded tires and various recycled products are examples of inorganic mulches. They all work so what you choose is only a matter of personal preference. There is no valid reason not to underplant trees - you just want to avoid something that needs frequent division or replanting so that roots are not disturbed unnecessarily. As Brandon states, lots of plants are suited to this purpose......various groundcovers come to mind immediately - I consider groundcovers to be 'living mulches' - but ferns, epimediums, hostas and small shrubs are also appropriate.

Chilipete - both of those roses are typically hardy and healthy and shouldn't need much fussing. Veilchenblau mostly blooms in the spring with lovely purple blooms and it gets BIG. My picture below is when it was only two years old and it's nearly double that size while I'm waiting for it to bloom this year. Give it space, particularly in zone 7 - she's probably about 6-8' wide already here. Beverly is also healthy and gets tall, but not as wide. In my zone 5, she tops out at about 5' so far. As she starts to bush out more coming into her third year, I think she'll bloom more frequently. This one has more traditional cutting type flowers that people expect from roses, and it's supposed to have some scent. Anything on the east coast is liable to get some blackspot, but this rose is more resistant to it than most HTs. What's notable about her blooms for me is how BIG they are individually, as you can see with my hand next to this one. Good choices for roses and I expect they'll do well for you without too much fussing. They'll probably appreciate a little cleaning up pruning in the spring and maybe some shaping in the growing season, but they should be roses you don't have to pamper particularly in your yard. Cynthia