If you're like me and you love to grow your own food but have limited access to all day sun, do not fret - a bountiful harvest is still well within your reach. Just like the gardeners that grow them, many vegetables will actually appreciate a little respite from the sun during the hottest months of the growing season. If youlive in an apartment or want to grow food & vegetables inside, also find out how here.
As a general guideline, plants that are grown for their leaves or stems will do better in partial shade and dappled sunlight. Plants that are grown for their roots or their fruit will do best with full sun exposure, though many of these plants will still produce in partial sun, just with a smaller yield. Below you'll find a list of both.
These are just the plants I have grown personally, so if I've left anything out or if you have had a different experience, please share your thoughts in the comments at the bottom.
Veggies and greens that thrive in partial shade:
Arugula, endive, watercress:3-4 hours of sun per day. These greens welcome shade as they tend to bolt and become bitter in too much sun or heat.
Asian greens (bok choi, pak choi, komatsuna, tatsoi):As little as 2 hours of sun per day. They enjoy bright shade with ambient light.
Chard:3-5 hours of sun per day. Though the plants will be smaller than they would be if grown in full sun, they will still produce plenty of tender greens when grown in partial shade.
Kale, mustard greens, collards: 3-4 hours of sun exposure per day. Again, your plants may be a bit smaller than those grown in full sun, but will still be worthy of your time and energy, producing plenty for consumption!
Lettuce:Minimum 3-4 hour sun exposure. Again, shade is actually beneficial in this scenario as lettuce tends to bolt when the heat comes on. Partial shade may actually extend the harvesting life of your lettuce by 2 or 3 weeks, if not longer.
Mesclun:每天只要2-3小时的阳光就足以让这款沙拉变成水果。幼叶可以在4-5周内收获。如果你在收获叶子的时候很小心，不打扰根部，那么在重新种植之前，你应该可以重复3到4次这个过程。
Mustard greens:每天只需要3-4小时的阳光就可以种植蔬菜。芥菜绿叶菜如果在充足的阳光下生长，通常会变得非常强壮。部分遮荫有助于这些叶子保持精致的辣味，非常适合做沙拉。
Green onions (scallions):每天3小时以上的阳光。这些洋葱在局部荫凉下整个季节都长得很好。
Spinach: 3-4 hours of sun per day. Another early bolter, best grown both early and late in the season as spinach just doesn't seems to be able to produce much before bolting in the heat of mid-season.
Stinging Nettles:Though these will need to be harvested with care, they are both edible and highly nutritious. When harvested in the early spring they are oh so very tender. Try them steamed stir fried or in pesto! Recipe for Nettle pestohere.
Fiddleheads of the Ostrich Fern:The term -fiddlehead' refers to the new shoots of the fern, which resemble the curled head of a fiddle just as they begin their accent into full grown fronds. These delectable little darlings are available only once a year, early in the spring, are delicious when lightly steamed or sauteed. Though fiddleheads can easily be harvested in the wild (what a fun spring activity!) they can easily be cultivated in the shadiest recess of any garden. We ended up planting them in a super shady bed previously home to a variety of Hostas. The Ostrich ferns we transplanted thrive in this space and now provide a few delicious meals each spring.
Culinary Herbs:Many herbs will tolerate as little as 3 hours of sun per day. Chives, cilantro (expect leggier cilantro) garlic, chives, mint, oregano, lemon balm and parsley will all do well with partial shade.
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Vegetables that will tolerate partial shade:
Peas and beans:I have successfully grown both of these in as little as 5 hours of sun per day. Consider growing bush variety beans in partial shade conditions as they seem to need less sun than their viney counterparts.
Root veggies:4-5 hours of sun. Almost all root veggies can be grown in partial shade situations, but be aware that the less sun these crops get the longer they will take to mature. If you are a fan of baby carrots and new potatoes, which can both be expensive to buy, you will have no problem propagating these for yourself in less than full sun.
Brussels sprouts:I have successfully grown brussels sprouts in 4-5 hours of sun as well. Again, they did not do nearly as well as those that were planted in full sun, but they did produce beautiful & tasty (if not somewhat smaller) brussels sprouts that I was thrilled to harvest, eat and serve!
Winter squash:这是另一种植物，肯定会更好地在充分的阳光下，但仍将生产只提供部分阳光。我在太阳直射下仅4-5小时就种出了多种南瓜。这些植物在部分遮荫的环境下贪婪地生长，虽然南瓜本身很小，但当收获的时候，它们已经完全成熟，绝对美味。我也很感激那些只给自己和伴侣做晚餐的南瓜。我们可以很容易地自己完成一个，这刚刚好!
I have also heard tell of broccoli and cauliflower producing in partial shade, but have not had success with either of them myself. Many other factors may have been at play though, so if you love these veggies and only have partial shade, give it a try.
Good luck this growing season! This is just a short list, and as always, we would love to hear about your experiences so don't hesitate to share below Or在这里寻找种子，花盆，栽培床，工具和更多的家庭送货上门-让孩子们远离学校在花园里忙碌!
Now that you knowwhich vegetables grow best in the shade, learn more abouthow to start a gardenandgrowing food at homein the following pages:
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