Traditionally, most inexperienced gardeners believe that every single beds needs to be in full sun. But, if you have a shady backyard, can you actually still grow vegetables at all? And which ones are the most suitable?

As a general rule, those vegetables are most suited to partial shade or full shade conditions are plants that do not require flowers to produce a crop, which generally includes leafy greens and root crops. A list of common vegetables that can be grown in the shade is provided below for your reference. 

The disadvantages of growing vegetables in shady locations

The main disadvantage of growing vegetables in shady locations is that the rate of growth is slower than if the plant is exposed to increased levels of sunlight. There are two main reasons for this; the first is that the temperatures in shady locations will be between 5 to 10 °C lower than locations with full sun.

The second reason is that a reduced level of light will also reduce the rate of photosynthesis that occurs. This means that shady locations have a shorter effective growth period. This is particularly the case in the UK, where the peak summer temperatures are significantly lower than in many other places in the world, such as Australia and the US.

The advantages of growing vegetables in shady locations

The main advantage of growing plants in shady locations is that there is less tendency for the plants to bolt, which can happen in summer when the temperatures get above 25 to 30 °C.  This particularly occurs with things like lettuce, which can bolt readily in summer, making it difficult to keep a constant supply of lettuce that is actually edible.

The other significant advantage of using shady locations, in combination with sunny locations within the backyard is that it can be used as a method to spread the harvest of a crop across a longer period of time. An example of this is lettuce, it is common for gardeners to plant a group of seedlings in both sunny and shady conditions two vary the rate of growth and therefore spread the period over which plants can be harvested. 

Why can’t flowering vegetables be grown in shady locations?

Fruiting edibles such as corn, pumpkin, and tomato plants will still grow in shady locations, however, they do require large volumes of sun to produce flowers. Therefore, you will often end up with plants that have developed to a reasonable size but have not produced any significant fruit.

Additionally, flowering plants in the curcurbit and solanaceae family, also require much higher temperatures to grow and therefore do not perform well in shady locations. 

How to grow vegetables in shady locations

Growing plants in shady locations is generally slightly more challenging than full sun locations because there are more things to consider in terms of getting a successful crop as timing of planting is more critical.

When to plant seeds

If you are growing plants from seed it is recommended that you start the plants off in seed trays and get them established quickly. Typically, most vegetable seedlings will take around 1 to 2 weeks to emerge from the soil and further 4 weeks to get to a reasonable size.

The main reason why planting seeds is preferred, particularly, in shady locations, is that it allows plants to be grown in favorable conditions, such as inside a greenhouse, where temperatures are higher. 

The other key advantage of planting seeds in trays is that it reduces the amount of time that plants spend in the garden, occupying space that can be used for other crops.  

The timing of when you plant seeds will depend to some degree on exactly what you are growing, however, as a general rule, it is recommended that you start seeds off around 2 to 4 weeks prior to the last frost so that you are ready to plant them out into the garden as soon as conditions become sufficiently favorable.

However, it is important to note that planting seedlings in the garden in most cases should be delayed a few weeks, compared to full sun conditions, to allow the weather to warm up a little bit more. 

Transplanting seedlings into the garden 

When you have your seedlings at the point at which they are ready to plant in the garden, it is important to make sure that you prepare the soil first. To do this, most gardeners, typically add things like palletised manure. However, we generally recommend adding compost, as it provides a wide range of nutrients and is ideal for developing soil structure.

When adding compost to the soil it is traditional to dig the soil over prior to plant, however, you can apply a layer of compost, as a mulch, that is 2 to 4 inches thick. Over the season this will encourage plant growth while suppressing weeds.

The other significant advantage of using compost over other mulches, such a straw, is that is much easier to maintain. This is because a dutch hoe can be used to quickly and easily remove weeds in the garden bed. In the case of straw, the weeds need to be removed by hand which can increase the chances of weeds becoming established.

In terms of spacing, generally in shady locations, it is recommended that you space the seedlings a little bit closer than you otherwise would in sunnier locations. This is because the extent of growth that will occur in these areas is reduced allowing seedlings to be planted more densely. A list of the recommended spacings between seedlings is provided in the table below. 

Protecting seedlings from pests

When placing seedlings into the ground, in shady locations, the other critical consideration is protecting the plants against attack from slugs and snails, which prefer cool and moist locations.  

To do this there are a few different methods that can be employed. The most common method is to simply purchase slug and snail pellets and sprinkle them around the seedlings as they are planted in the ground. Alternatively, if you want to avoid the use of chemicals, the other method that is commonly used is to use coffee grounds sprinkled around the plants or eggshells, both of which are relatively effective at preventing slugs from attacking your seedlings.

But the only 100% effective method is to use cloches to prevent seedlings from even coming into contact with slugs and snails. The added benefit of doing this is that cloches will help to increase the temperature around the seedlings early on, increasing the rate of growth.

This helps to increase the chances of success because the plants are most susceptible to attack when they are young. 

Other considerations for planting vegetables in the shade

The other major consideration associated with planting in the shade is the frequency of watering, which does not generally need to be as high as other areas in your garden because the evaporation rate is lower. 

However, in areas where the shade has been created by large tree the extent of watering may need to be increased as the tree will draw a lot of moisture away from the seedlings. In this situation, it is generally recommended that you water every few days if it has not rained. In all other cases, watering should be done only when necessary, as having a constantly damp garden bed does lead to disease issues. 

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