The Best Vegetables to Grow in the Shade
Gardens can vary in size, location, and the amount of sunlight they receive each day. While most fruits and vegetables, especially those that produce flowers and fruits, require at least six hours a day of direct sunlight, not all gardens are exposed to this.
Luckily, there are plenty of vegetables with edible parts that don’t need as much sunlight to grow, such as root vegetables and hardy leafy greens, and can grow in a variety of types of shade. Below is a description of the different types of shade, as well as a few examples of vegetables that can grow in the shade.
What are the types of shadows?
Before you can decide which vegetables to plant, it is important to determine exactly how much sunlight reaches your garden. According to the Farmer’s Almanac , different types of sun and shade include:
- Full Sun: 6-8 hours (or more) of direct sunlight per day, with peak sunshine between 10:00 am and 2:00 pm.
- Partial Sun: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight per day.
- Partial Shade: Approximately 3 hours of direct sunlight per day.
- Light shade or dappled shade: bright sun coming through the foliage overhead.
- Full shade: less than 3 hours of sunlight, rest of the day with patchy light.
- Deep shade: no sun (and, as a result, no vegetables)
The best vegetables to grow in the shade
Here are some examples of the best vegetables to grow in the shade, depending on the amount of sunlight your garden gets:
Partial sun or partial shade
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Kohlrabi
- Turnip
- Calais
- Swede
- Cabbage
- Rhubarb
- Asparagus
- Jerusalem artichoke
- Brussels sprouts
- Celery
- Napa cabbage
- Horseradish
- Leek
- Mizuna
- mustard greens
- Parsnip
- Peas
- green onion
- beans
- Cress
- leafy greens
- Masha
- tatsoy
- Claytonia
- Endive
- Radicchio
- Broccoli raab
Half shade or full shade
- Radish
- Carrot
- Potato
- Beet
- lettuce
- Arugula
- bok choy
- Chard
- Spinach
For more information, check out this article from the Farmer’s Almanac.