Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: JimS on June 02, 2009, 12:38

Title: Veggies in the shade?
Post by: JimS on June 02, 2009, 12:38

Having not long moved into our new place, I notice that I have a patch of ground that has been dug over but empty. It's about 2m x 1m.

It is shaded by a large tree until about 1.30 onwards. Plus it is against a North (ish) facing fence, so it doesn't even get a bit of morning Sun.

I was wondering, rather than having it sit empty, is there any particular veggies that actually prefer to be shaded for a part of the day? In Winter, I would imagine that it gets no direct Sun at all.

Any thoughts? :)

Jim

Title: Re: Veggies in the shade?
Post by: MrsD on June 02, 2009, 12:44

I've got the same problem (north facing fence and piece of garden)  I've planted various salad leaves in my "problem piece" of garden, and they all seem to love it and are thriving (more so than the ones in full sunlight)  I have also planted out 4 courgettes as have got way too many already just as an experiment to see how they fare. So far they seem to be doing well, but I guess the proof will be in the development of the Courgettes themselves.  I also put in a thornless blackberry bush and am hopeful of it being okay.....

I'm looking forward to experienced people to come along and add to this thread to give me some ideas too  :)

Title: Re: Veggies in the shade?
Post by: whippersnapper on June 02, 2009, 12:47

Rhubarb?

Title: Re: Veggies in the shade?
Post by: Eatyourgreens on June 02, 2009, 13:13

Just around the corner from me there is a cottage with (For an island) lots of tallish trees and hedges and the woman there does a really good job of growing flowers and veg in a "Cottage garden" style, it seems, as long as the shade isn't total and the tree actually over the top of the veg, most veg will grow.

If in doubt, try it and see what happens.



Bob

Title: Re: Veggies in the shade?
Post by: mumofstig on June 02, 2009, 13:35

Just looked out and the farthest back of my 3 beds is in full shade now (it gets morning sun only) and i've grown anything i fancied with no problems. :)
Bed near the house gets no sun in the morning only in the afternoon, and that's fine as well :)

So I agree with Eatyourgreens, as long as not total shade everything should be fine :)

Title: Re: Veggies in the shade?
Post by: aelf on June 02, 2009, 13:53

thinking outside the box, could you put a compost bin there, or a store shed? Make use of the space that way...  or turn it into a wild area and encourage frogs, hedgehogs etc to help with the pest problems?