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Tuesday, November 24, 2015

What Edibles Can I Grow in Shady Spots Along a Walkway?

Q. I am creating garden beds along a walkway on the west side along a north facing wall. It is shady there most of the day. What edible plants can I grow there this time of year?
Here is the walkway in question
A. The area next to the sidewalk is a long, a north facing wall so it does not get much sun. Because it receives less sun, the production of food will be lower. To come close to maximum production of food of good quality it needs at least eight hours of bright light. Very bright indirect sunlight reflected from light colored walls will help production in this area a lot.
            Less than six hours of bright light will severely impact the quantity and quality of vegetables produced from flowers such as tomatoes, peppers, squash, etc. There will be fewer flowers and thus fewer fruits from these flowers.
            You would focus on greens, many kinds of herbs, possibly onion and garlic. Keep in mind that leaf and stem growth is also affected by light. Leaves that grow under lower light levels tend to be larger, thinner and tend to tear or rip more in wind and when harvested. They also tend to be less bitter.
            On the flipside, vegetables produced under the high light intensities of the desert tend to be more compact, thicker, more bitter and frequently tougher in texture. Full sunlight tends to produce more nutrient-dense leaves, stems and fruits but may reduce its eating quality or texture.

            This time of year focus on the cool season stuff like mustards, kale, lettuce, spinach, and beets, cauliflower, broccoli, rapini, carrots, escarole, mizuno, and the like. Some herbs include parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, chives, lavender and cilantro.

1 comment:

  1. My list of partial shade or full shade tolerant edibles links with a couple of unposted lists:

    SHADE TOLERANT
    http://www.raintreenursery.com/Landscaping.html - see shade tolerant list section

    add blackberry and comfrey in full shade

    Some of the most common and beloved vegetable garden favorites are perfectly suited for shade, including (uncredited list sorry):

    Arugula (fast crop)
    Basil
    Celery
    Kale
    Lettuce (fast crop)
    Peas
    Potatoes
    Spinach

    http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/shade-tolerant-vegetables-zm0z11zsto.aspx

    shade tolerant vegetables
    from R. Kourik's "Designing and Maintaining Your Edible Landscape Naturally" (1986, 2005, Chelsea Green) p. 133
    http://www.robertkourik.com/books/edible.html

    Amaranth
    Beans
    Beats
    Borage
    Broccoli
    Brussels Sprouts
    Cabbage
    Calendula (flower only)
    Cauliflower
    Celery
    Chard
    Chervil
    Cress
    Cucumbers
    Endive
    Fava beans
    Kale
    Kohlrabi
    Lamb's Quarters
    Leaf Lettuce **
    Leaks
    Miner's Lettuce **
    Nasturtiums
    Nettles
    Parsnips
    Peas
    Potatoes
    Pumpkins
    Purslane
    Radishes (fast crop)
    Salsify
    Spinach **
    Squash
    Rutabaga
    Turnips
    ** tolerate deep shade

    Shade causes leaves to get bigger to compensate and can increase unit size of crop compensating for loss in number produced. Indeed overall final harvest yield in weight can be similar.
    Tall plants can fit closely to shorter ones provided the vertical plants are on the north side or carefully planned on the east or west side.
    Trellises support squashes, beans, cucumbers, peas, melons, vining leafy greens and tomatoes. Many tall plants shed their leaves close to the soil surface allowing shade tolerant plants to grow underneath.
    Tall vegetables include sunflowers, corn, Jerusalem artichokes, grain Amaranth.
    Tall skinny vegetables such as leeks, garlic, salsify, celery, and onions can fit snugly next to lettuce, spinach, endive and other leafy greens.

    >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

    http://www.arthurleej.com/a-shadevegies.html

    http://extension.missouri.edu/p/g6911

    http://www.harvesttotable.com/2012/04/vegetables-for-growing-in-shade/

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