Growing Vegetables In The Shade
Is growing vegetable in the shade possible? Every pack of vegetable seeds we purchase says something to the effect that the seeds should be planted in full sun if the plant is to perform at its best, or for that matter, grow at all. Sometimes an exception is made to the extent that partial of filtered shade is deemed to be allowable, at least for certain vegetables. Consequently, we've become trained to believe that growing vegetables in the shade borders on being unpatriotic, if not being downright illegal.
Many if not most home gardeners who grow vegetables in small plots have to contend with some shade for at least part of the day, due to trees, shrubs, or structures. In warm weather climates, some vegetable plants will do better if they get some shade during the hottest part of the day, but for the most part, "more is better" as far as sunshine and vegetables is concerned.
When we're talking about growing vegetables in the shade though, we're really not talking about deep shade. Only a relatively few plant species will do very well in deep shade, although there are some that thrive in that environment.
Not Just Lack Of Sunlight, But Water And Nutrients As Well - Shade can sneak up on some home gardeners. When the vegetable garden is first laid out, it will likely be in a very sunny location, and everything will work out well. A few years later, some of the vegetables may not seem to be performing as well as they did in the past. What can happen, is over the years trees and shrubs grow up, subjecting the vegetable plot to a little shade at first, then more and more with each passing year. Eventually, only the so-called cool season crops like lettuce may perform well, while peppers, tomatoes, and squash do poorly. It isn't always the lack of light that is the culprit, though it is probably the main one. If trees or shrubs are growing in the vicinity of a vegetable garden, they are very likely taking water and nutrients that otherwise might be available to the vegetable plants.
The Infamous Autumn Shade Tree - The gardener also needs to take into account how shaded areas may change at different times of the year. A tree which does not throw appreciable shade on an area of the garden in the spring may do so later in the year, and plants which enjoyed full sun as seedlings may find themselves in partial shade as they mature. If the shade is filtered shade, it can be beneficial, especially in hot weather, where cool season crops will definitely benefit from receiving some filtered shade. Other vegetables will also do well in light or filtered shade, but may not bear as heavily. The same can be said for many fruits, which will continue to produce in light or partial shade, but will yield substantially less than if they were in full sun.
Plan Ahead To Avoid Disappointment - If you live in the city, and have a small garden plot, some planning up front is definitely in order to avoid the eventual possibility of finding yourself growing vegetables in the shade. You may not be able to convince a neighbor to thin or prune a lovely shade tree which just happiness to shade your vegetables as well, but you can certainly take stock of your own landscape layout and plan things so that you will always have at least a small area which will catch the sun's rays for the better part of each day. Growing vegetables in the shade isn't totally impossible, but almost always will present a challenge.