Edible plants that grow in shade

mapcr77

I was about to ask exactly the same question. I also have a patch of about the same size as yours that barely gets any sunlight.

Any advice is much appreciated.

Solomon_Broad

How about a patch of comfrey? It makes a great liquid feed and compost activator.

MrsTinks

I put my Wormery in the shady part of the garden it only gets a light bit of sun first thing and they seem very happy down there... Next to it is my newly purchased rhubarb :rotfl:

mjr600

Cabbages, I grew a winter variety in the shade of my greenhouse/fence no direct sun to speak of and they were fine

The larger the leaf the better, more area and so more chlorophyll to convert the available light to energy to grow.

Just look at what does grow in shade, hostas, ferns, gunnera all have leaves with a large surface area.

sammy_kaye18

OK, next year i am going to tackle vegetable and fruit growning head on. My only problem is that my garden is a) very small and b) gets lots of shade. I mena it gets sun in the morning from sun up till about 8 - 9ish, then thats it - it is fairly light but hte sun isnt directly on the garden. I do have a slated fence at the end of the garden that the sun hits though in sort of an L shape.. I was hoping to get some ideas of things i could grow - i have soem over fence storage hanging things and have some hanging baskets to put up so can anyone suggest things that like the shade to grow in?? i was thinking of trying to grow raspberries (not sure they'll work though) carrots, brocolli, peas, cucumbers, tomatoes, possibly onions. Any ideas though???? and will these all work in pots???

WestonDave

There is certainly plenty you can grow in pots but maybe not everything you want. I'd be reluctant to waste money on raspberry plants in a garden that size - you'll need very big pots and a fair few of them to make it worth while. Much as I love raspberries my experience is that each bush only produces a smallish number of fruits at any moment in time so you need a lot to make a decent serving.

Tomatoes will be fine in pots but might struggle with the light - you can now get cherry tomatoes in a tumbling form that will go in your hanging baskets if that works better. It might be that you get enough fruits on them but they won't ripen in which case pick them and put them on a sunny windowsill and/or put them with a banana (which gives off a chemical which encourages ripening).

Carrots and onions will be fine in pots (deep ones obviously for carrots) - maybe try some beetroot as well (much underrated as everyone thinks of the pickled ones).

No idea on cucumbers - I suspect these need more heat that you'll get without direct sun.

Peas and broccolli might be too big for pots - peas get very bushy and broccoli plants are quite large so in both cases you will need some very big pots to get just a couple of plants in. It is worth looking through the seeds tho as these days there are often compact varieties which might work for you.

In terms of other ideas - firstly to make space have a look at http://www.squarefootgardening.com/ - you may not have room to try this but it might give you some ideas on what you can grow even if you can't build the beds in that way. Secondly things to try - obviously only ever grow things you want to eat, and if you aren't sure try getting cheap seeds (Wilkinsons often sell them off in around April time which is still plenty early enough to plant most things). I'd add a cut and come again lettuce like salad bowl to your list (you just keep picking leaves off and they last for ages), maybe some dwarf beans (sold as fine beans in supermarkets), courgettes are apparently easy to grow (i've only just acquired a taste for them so have never grown them yet!).

Finally looking at your avatar don't be afraid to get the little one involved - my nearly 3yo was helping me build raised beds at the weekend, and is already compiling a list of things he wants to grow next year - carrots being his number one. One of my main reasons for going for veg next year is so he knows how his food grows.

ceridwen

Anyone got any suggestions as to what foods I can grow in containers in the shady bits of my courtyard garden (aka backyard) please?

I've got some tomatoes and other sun-loving stuff now in pots in the sunny bit of the backyard - but a large proportion of the tiny space I have out back is in shade for much of the day (despite being south-facing) due to mega-height walls all around.

I'm not bothered if its not something conventionally regarded as "food". After all - I have a nasturtium growing and thats for the flowers and leaves for salad purposes.

arkonite_babe

This older thread may be of help:
Container Growing

HTH

MRSMCAWBER

Hi there

A lot of salad leaves should be fine..they may grow a bit slower but things like spinach bolt really quickly if they get too warm.. as i would know as i have had one lot do it allready and its only May :mad: ..

Would you be able to place an old mirror anywhere to bounce the sunlight in to the area? only my sister did this as she had the same problem;)

Wondering about beans too as they don' like to get too hot, and they love being sheltered from the wind -so your conditions should suit

annie123

I've grown parsley against a north facing wall and it did fine.
A few ideas here:
http://www.nvsuk.org.uk/growing_show_vegetables_1/grow_vegetables_shade.php
http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/todo_now/faqs.php?id=79

must be more...