What to grow in the shade??

[Adelewis]

Hi,

I am pretty new to veg growing, had some moderate success last year and am looking to improve this year.

I have a section of my garden that was left to "pasture" last year, it is of a reasonable size, but it is under a couple of large (tall) apple trees and gets little light.

Any advice on what veg would "thrive" in an area in the shade for much of the day?

Thanks & Regards

A

[mor]

Broccoli
Cauliflower
Peas
Beets
Brussels Sprouts
but you do need some hours of sun

[Toppooky]

I find that marrows do quite well in the shade for me. I plant mine near the shed and fill in the gaps with French breakfast radishes.

Let's face it, any plant has got two chances. Trial and error is my gardening manual, but I'm not a hugely sucessful gardener

Good luck

[paul]

you could try mushrooms and radashish.

[jlottie]

Sounds like a good place for some comfrey

[GreenSonja]

I have a damp, shady patch in the garden that I wanted to plant peas in, but I'm worried the ground will be too wet...

If I keep them in pots, will they still grow ok with limited Sun (2 hrs max per day)??

[paul]

Hi Sonjia,

probably not. plants need light. To start with it shouldn't cause any problems, but as they grow, plants need plenty of light to photosynthesize and things, so 2 hours per day is probably nowhere near enough light. The only things taht would grow are mushrooms and weeds.

[GreenSonja]

lol, thanks Paul - I hate both mushrooms and weeds, so I guess it'll have to stay as a muddy damp patch.

[Adrien]

Sonja
Well, weeds are plants too, so if you can grow weeds you could try growing something else. I don't know of a vegetable that will grow well in heavy shade; I wouldn't want to mislead you. But leafy vegetables such as spinach, chard, broccoli, cabbage, and kale can produce even in a shady spot that has some reflected light. If you really want to give it a try anyway, I'd opt for lettuce and spinach and just possibly bush beans (all grown in containers if the soil is too moist). They will be thinner leaved and less robust, but they will be tasty even though their growth is not luxurious.

[GreenSonja]

Thanks Paul.

I have been totally wrong about the amount of light that spot gets - having been in the garden all day, It gets sun from about 3.30/4pm....

[Adrien]

Oh, that's really to little sun exposure to grow vegetables.

[Powerscape]

Originally Posted by GreenSonja

Thanks Paul.

I have been totally wrong about the amount of light that spot gets - having been in the garden all day, It gets sun from about 3.30/4pm....

I wish I could have sun from 3.30 - 4 I would grow very well then :-)

[sawfish]

I find large leaved plants are better in the shade. Salads, chard, beetroot should grow well enough. Broad beans seem to be able to grow anywhere.