Vegetables You Can Grow in the Shade

Vegetables You Can Grow in the Shade

Plants require sunlight for their growth and in fact, most of them only grow if they are provided with at least six hours of sunlight in their day for nourishment. While no vegetables can actually grow in complete darkness, some of them can do remarkably well when grown in the shade. This is contrary to the expectations of many people who tend to think that a vegetable garden must be baked in complete sunlight all day long. Actually, this might not be very far from the truth as some vegetables like peppers, squash and tomatoes require sunlight in plenty to grow.

On the other hand, there are so many vegetables that will grow fantastically well even when full sun is not available. It is possible to grow vegetables in shade and get remarkable yields. The rule of thumb that every enthusiastic gardener should know is that plants that are grown for roots or fruits require full sun. However, those that are grown for the stems, leaves or even buds might do just fine with some little shade. This doesn't however that you grow your vegetables in complete, dense shade as they will simply not grow. Sunlight is essential for photosynthesis and it is thus important that you don’t deny your vegetables light completely.

Here are some vegetables that will grow in the shade and give satisfactory yields:

• Cauliflower
• Broccoli
• Salad greens like arugula, leaf lettuce, cress and endive.
• Beets
• Peas
• Radishes
• Brussels sprouts
• Beans
• Leafy greens like mustard greens, kale, spinach collards and kale

For you to grow these vegetables in the shade successfully, it is essential that low hanging branches of nearby trees are removed. Using liners and raised beds is essential in discouraging water from being wicked away from the crops by the tree looks. Investing in reflective mulches will help a lot in supplying the vegetables with more light. Growing vegetables in the shade is not always an option for some gardeners as they really have no choice than do so. This is because generally speaking the optimum conditions preferred by most vegetables is between 8 and 10 hours of full sunlight, which is technically not possible. 

Ranging from shade being cast by nearby buildings to trees in the garde, shade is generally a common fact that every gardener must deal with. The good thing is that shade shouldn't prohibit you from growing your own vegetables at home. Most shade tolerant vegetables will grow fantastically well provided you provide them with other ideal conditions for growth like ample water and fertile soil that contains all the needed nutrients to facilitate growth.

Generally speaking, the amount of shade that vegetables tolerate varies from one vegetable to another. Some vegetables will do quite well in more shade while others while others will require relatively more sunlight to do well. To give you a much broader idea on what your options are when it comes to vegetables you can grow in the shade, here is a more intensive guide:

Asian greens: The Asian greens require just about two hours of sunlight in a day and will thus grow well in the shade. For instance, bok choi is one of the most popular type of Asian greens as well as tatsoi and komatsuna which grow wonderfully well in the shade and give satisfactory yields.

Arugula: The arugula will grow in the shade and in fact, it is recommended that you don’t grow it in bright sunlight rest it starts bolting and fails to yield accordingly. So if your garden is endowed with relative shady environment, consider planting arugula and you will surely not regret your decision.

Chard: most people grow chard for awesomely tender baby leaves while others are more interested with its crisp stalks. Whichever the reason why you are growing chard, you can rest assured that it will do pretty well in the shade. But as usual, since chard grown in the full sunlight is known to have quite big leaves, growing chard in the shade means that you should expect relatively smaller leaves. Nevertheless, you can be sure that it will really not disappoint you and you will be able to enjoy your delicious chard stew.

Kale: this vegetable essentially doesn't need quite a lot amount of light as it will yield remarkably in low light conditions. The only thing that you are likely to notice is that kale grown in the shade tends to have relatively reduced growth compared to the one grown in the full sunlight.

Lettuce: experts recommend that you grow lettuce in the shade in order to protect its leaves from the scorching effects of the sun. Growing lattice in the shade is very important as it helps prevent the vegetable from bolting rather quickly. Of course, you should expect that your lettuce will take a little more time to grow to maturity compared to the one grown in the sun.

Mesclun: this is one of the best vegetables that you can grow in your shady garden. It can grow even with as little as just two hours of sunlight per day, and it is able to handle dappled shade quite well. Generally, mesclun is known for its relatively delicate leaves that are used for making salad mix. As such, the leaves are more vulnerable to damage when grown in full sunlight and providing a shade for your mesclun is always recommended.

Root vegetables: to get a decent produce, your root vegetables don’t have to be planted in the sunlight as a shady environment will do just fine. Some of those root vegetables that you can grow in partial shade are such as carrots, beets, potatoes, turnips and radishes. You will only need to wait a little bit longer for them to mature. Having more light will of course mean that they will mature much faster but there is no harm in growing them under the shade, especially of you are not in a great hurry of getting the produce.


Source: http://www.homesteadbackyard.com/2014/05/vegetables-you-can-grow-in-shade.html