Top 12 shade tolerant vegetables and herbs for a shady garden

by **Nanneerose** Tue Sep 09, 2014 7:49 am

“I can never make up my small garden, because the sun does not love my place, and keeps away from here.” Well, if you want to feed you gardening passion, than this obstacle can be overcome within seconds. Who told you to plant those vegetables which require full sunlight and that even for hours? What about the simple and sweet shade loving vegetables? They require almost no maintenance and lesser space too.

Most of the vegetables and herbs that grow in shade are roots crops or leafy. Therefore, fruit producing veggies like cucumbers, eggplant and tomatoes are certainly not your choice. The plants grown in shade would compromise on sun, definitely, but not water. You have to supply lots and lots of water. Well, this is a perfect holiday place for slugs and snails, so be diligent in order to scout them. Otherwise, they would wipe out your efforts.

Have a look at 12 effective and simple to grow shade tolerant plants -

1: Salad Greens:

A garden without such beautiful greens would appear lifeless. They appear gorgeously cool during the dewy season and have prolonged harvesting period. They fail to grow well in hot summers, so wait for temperature to cool down a bit. The popular shade loving herbs include:

Arugula

Sorrel

2: Asian Greens:

The lovely and taste enriched Asian greens like pak choi and mizuna will grow well in just 4 hours sunlight each day. You can even use their baby leaves to make your dishes even interesting, as they have lovely aroma. Mustard greens, kale and chard are also perfect to grow in these conditions.

Top 12 shade tolerant vegetables and herbs for a shady garden Asian-greens-640x360

3: Root vegetables:

You must have a good idea about the fact that root vegetables are slower to grow but they require lesser sunlight. For example, you can harvest some of the immature ones including potatoes and carrots – baby carrots you must have heard about. Similarly, you can cut down green turnips and beets, even before the bulbs are fill out. Just 4 to 5 hours sunlight is sufficient for growth.

Top 12 shade tolerant vegetables and herbs for a shady garden Root-vegetables-640x360

4: Herbs:

Most of the culinary herbs have the tendency to grow faster. They have the ability to bolt faster under suitable conditions. They might be leggier if not exposed to sun properly. However, some of the shade herbs that require about 3 hour’s (at least) sunlight for their well growth includes:

Chive

Oregano

Parsley

5: Beans and peas:

Beans and peas, both love cooler temperatures. Their requirement for sun is very limited, and that even is for growing the pods and the flowers. In full sun, they tend to fade out, so shade is their best friend. So, you just need to expose them to sun for like 4 to 5 hours a day and you are done.

Top 12 shade tolerant vegetables and herbs for a shady garden Beans-640x360

6: Garlic:

Garlic belongs to the onion’s family, sound strange right? Well, it has super medicinal properties and has been favorite herbal treatment for years. Within rich soil, and a few hours in sun, the plant will grow at its best.

Top 12 shade tolerant vegetables and herbs for a shady garden Garlic-640x360

7: Broccoli:

This lush green veggie is ready to be picked and cooked within 2.5 months. It grows well in the soil which is well drained, and has a good combination of clay loan and sand. Also, the soil pH must be from 5.9 to 6.5. It will facilitate the growth you want. Just a few hours of sun and you will get the best results within 2 months.

Top 12 shade tolerant vegetables and herbs for a shady garden Broccoli2-640x360

8: Cauliflower:

Within 110 days you will see a full fleshed cauliflower welcoming you in your shaded garden. Yes, it does not ask for much soil, but well drained soil. So, make sure you pay attention towards it growth.

Top 12 shade tolerant vegetables and herbs for a shady garden Cauliflower-640x360

9: Mint:

With more than 25 varieties, the plant grows up to 120cm. it is an amazing antioxidant and cleanser. You can use it for herbal treatments and as soup and salads toppings. The plant does not require many conditions for its growth; this makes it a shade friendly plant that requires low maintenance.

Top 12 shade tolerant vegetables and herbs for a shady garden Peppermint-640x360

10: Thyme:

It is one of the most versatile shrubs with flower type flowers. These can be used to extract oil, which has higher culinary and medicinal uses. If you talk in terms of properties, the shrub has anti-fungal or anti-septic properties. Keep the shrub well drained and make sure you place it where it gets sun for 4 or 5 hours.

Top 12 shade tolerant vegetables and herbs for a shady garden Thyme-640x360

11: Lettuce:

At least three to four hours of sun per day.

Lettuce is one of the perfect vegetables that grow in shade. For you knowledge, the bright sun tends to bolt the leaves, so the shade is better for its growth. It will grow well by just being exposed to sun for 3 or four hours.

Top 12 shade tolerant vegetables and herbs for a shady garden Planting-Lettuce1-640x360

12: Spinach:

Spinach, the Popeye’s power only requires 4 days of sun each day. It wholeheartedly welcomes shade and grows well without much of the sun being around.

Top 12 shade tolerant vegetables and herbs for a shady garden Planting-Spinach-640x360

http://theselfsufficientliving.com/shade-tolerant-vegetables-herbs/

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