Is it possible growing a vegetable garden in the shade?

by Eva April 27, 2021

written by Eva April 27, 2021

Is it possible growing a vegetable garden in the shade?

It is not always possible to choose the location of your vegetable garden and therefore the exposure to the sun of your piece of land. While many vegetables require a minimum of 5 to 6 hours of sun per day, be aware that many other vegetable plants are well suited to less sunny and even shady exposure. Here are some tips for having a productive vegetable garden, even in the shade.

Become a Super Shadow Gardener

It would be a shame to give up your vegetable garden cravings when you know that many vegetables, berries, greens and herbs will easily please. Even in the “worst” sunshine conditions, less than 3 hours a day, it is possible to consider crops.

Home vegetable gardens – the necessary steps to create them perfectly

Leafy vegetables in particular tolerate shady exposures rather well: lamb’s lettuce, asparagus, chopped chard, ribbed celery, kale, watercress, spinach, lettuce, leeks. As for root vegetables, radish, horseradish, artichoke, storage carrot can also be grown in partial shade. Beets and turnips can grow in partial shade, although the size of the vegetables may be reduced. Plants of the Alliaceae family like garlic, onion, shallot are also successful.

Generally, fruit and vegetables need a lot of sunlight to produce. However beans seem to be an exception to the rule. You can try planting zucchini, taking care not to plant too tightly: one plant per m² only. Even if a shady situation does not allow for planting large-fruited tomatoes, you have the option of growing small-caliber, cherry-type, or early tomatoes. Forget about eggplants, peppers and melons, which require full sun…

Aromatic plants are also present with chervil, chives, chives, lovage, mint, sorrel and parsley. Being undergrowth plants, small fruit plants such as strawberries, raspberries, mulberries also do very well in shaded exposure.

Creating a vegetable garden – helpful tips for beginners

Make shade your best ally

We do not necessarily think about it, but a shaded vegetable garden requires much less water for watering than a sunny vegetable garden, it is a real strong point especially in summer It is therefore necessarily less time, energy and of water wasted and that’s great. Be careful not to overwater, however, to prevent your plants from rotting or developing diseases from too much water.

Finally, during the winter season, vegetable gardens in the shade are sometimes even brighter, when the surrounding trees have lost their leaves. So it is often in winter and early spring that you harvest the most in this situation. Take advantage of this setting to favor sowing and planting of fall and winter vegetables.