It is not always possible to choose the location of your vegetable garden and therefore the sun exposure of your plot! While many vegetables require at least 5 to 6 hours of sun per day, keep in mind that many other vegetable plants will do just fine with less sunny and even shady exposure! Here are some tips for a productive vegetable garden, even in the shade.
Become a Super Shadow Gardener!
It would be a shame to give up your desire for a vegetable garden when you know that many vegetables, soft fruits, herbs and aromatic plants will be easily enjoyed there. Even in the “worst” sunshine conditions, less than 3 hours a day, it is possible to consider crops!
Leafy vegetables especially tolerates shady places quite well: lamb’s lettuce, asparagus, chard, celery, kale, cress, spinach, lettuce, leek. Side root vegetables, radishes, horseradish, Jerusalem artichoke, storage carrot can also be grown in partial shade. Beets and turnips can grow in partial shade, although the size of the vegetables can be reduced. Plants of the Alliaceae family such as garlic, onion, shallot also do well.
usual, fruit vegetables need a lot of sun to produce. However, beans seem to be an exception to the rule. You can try planting zucchini, but be careful not to plant too tightly: only one plant per m². Even if a shady situation does not allow you to plant large-fruited tomatoes, you have the option of growing small, cherry-like or early tomatoes. On the other hand, forget about aubergines, peppers and melons, which need full sun…
aromatic plants are also in play with chervil, chives, Chinese chives, lovage, mint, sorrel or even parsley. Because they are undergrowth plants, small fruit plants such as strawberries, raspberries, mulberries also like shady lighting very much.
Make shadow your best ally!
You don’t necessarily think about it, but a shady vegetable garden needs much less water for irrigation than a sunny vegetable garden, it is really a strong point, especially in summer So it necessarily takes less time, energy and wasted water and that is awesome! However, be careful not to overwater to prevent your plants from rotting or developing diseases related to excess water.
Finally, during the winter season, shaded vegetable gardens are sometimes even brighter, when the surrounding trees have lost their leaves. It is therefore often in winter and at the beginning of spring that we harvest the most in this situation! Take advantage of this parameter to give preference to sowing and planting autumn and winter vegetables.
