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Vegetable Gardening

Shaded East-Facing Garden...Hopeless for Vegetable Gardening?

6 years ago

Wonderful Gardeners,

I'm quite new to gardening, especially so with vegetable gardens. I moved into a home a couple of years ago and focused on flowers. Vegetables seemed like they would be impossible to grow in the east-facing lot which is really tiny and also shaded by two large trees.

Last fall, I tried to grow kale since it is a cool weather vegetable but lost the battle to slugs who loved the young leaves. What's interesting is that, half of this small lot is covered by a large deck which gets the sun first and by noon the shade takes over. The other half then gets covered by the shade of the trees so the sun does not get to descend directly on anything I grow there.

From your experience, are there any vegetables, that might thrive in the summer, that I could try and grow. I am happy to get containers and grow some things on the deck since it gets bright morning sun. What would be your recommendations, if it is possible?

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Comments (4)

digdirt2
6 years ago
If one reads through all the 'shade gardening' discussions here - and there are many - the things always recommended for best chance of success are the leafy greens. Lettuces, chard, kale, spinach, etc. are about the only vegetables that can survive in heavily shaded areas.

But if you have access to any sunny spots you could always try other sun-loving vegetables in containers there.

Dave
goldblush thanked digdirt2
nancyjane_gardener
6 years ago
Sounds like you might want to look into a community garden. Even bright morning sun for a couple of hours isn't going to grow much of the summer stuff IME. Most things need at least 6 hours of sun. Nancy
goldblush thanked nancyjane_gardener
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daninthedirt (USDA 8b, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)
6 years ago
There are two kinds of shade. One is where the sky itself is blocked. The other is where just the sun is blocked. Leafy greens will do OK in the latter, and I think root crops as well. You can grow leafy greens in a climate that is almost perpetually cloudy. As in, no direct sun at all. I grew them in the Pacific Northwest in the winter with no trouble, and up there, you forget what the sun looks like in the winter. But the light from the sky is important. From a clear sky, the light is coming mainly from the sun. Blue sky is pretty dim. In a cloudy sky it's dimmer than direct sunlight, but coming from all angles. In fact, your plants will get more sunlight on a cloudy day than on a clear day where the sun itself is blocked.

This is all well understood by people with solar power generators.
goldblush thanked daninthedirt (USDA 8b, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)
goldblush
Original Author
6 years ago
Thank you all for your helpful suggestions. It looks like leafy greens and possibly root vegetables are my best bet. I will explore which ones to dive into! Some vegetables to grow and enjoy are better than none. Thanks again!

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