Posted on 06/03/2023 6:16:46 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin
The Weekly Gardening Thread is a weekly gathering of folks that love soil, seeds and plants of all kinds. From complete newbies that are looking to start that first potted plant, to gardeners with some acreage, to Master Gardener level and beyond, we would love to hear from you.
If you have specific question about a plant/problem you are having, please remember to state the Growing Zone where you are located.
This thread is a non-political respite. No matter what, you won’t be flamed, and the only dumb question is the one that isn’t asked.
It is impossible to hijack the Weekly Gardening Thread. Planting, Harvest to Table Recipes, Preserving, Good Living - there is no telling where it will go - and that is part of the fun and interest. Jump in and join us! Send a Private Message to Diana in Wisconsin if you'd like to be added to our New & Improved Ping List.
NOTE: This is a once a week Ping List. We do post to the thread during the week. Links to related articles and discussions which might be of interest to Gardeners are welcomed any time!
Vegetables to Grow in Shade
If you’re not blessed with a sunny garden space, see our list of vegetables (and fruit) that will grow in partial shade, as well as vegetables that will NOT grow in shade. Plus, see our tips and design ideas for a partial-shade vegetable garden.
Although fruiting vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and squash need at least 6 hours of full sun daily to give you a good harvest, most crops can “get by” with part sun or part shade (3 to 6 hours of direct sunlight).
Before you even think about what to plant, make note of just how much sun your site actually receives; you might be surprised! There are different levels of shade and it will often change with the seasons. Here are the common terms associated with light levels in the garden:
Full sun is considered to be 6–8 hours (or more) of direct sunlight per day. Peak sunlight hours are between 10 am and 2 pm.
Partial sun is 3–6 hours of direct sunlight per day.
Partial shade is about 3 hours of direct sunlight per day.
Full shade is less than 3 hours of sun and dappled light for the rest of the day.
Light shade or dappled shade is bright sun filtered through the leaves of trees overhead.
Deep shade gets no sun at all. You won’t be growing any vegetables here.
Which Types of Vegetables Do Well in Shade?
Cole crops are tolerant of partial sun or partial shade. Broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, turnips, kale, and rutabagas will grow well with less than a full day of sun, but may take longer to mature. Cabbage will also grow in shade, but they may not form tight heads.
Root crops such as radishes, carrots, potatoes, and beets can grow in as little as 3-4 hours of direct sun with light or dappled shade for the rest of the day.
Leafy greens such as lettuce, arugula, kale, bok choy, and chard are happy with just a few hours of sunshine each day. In fact, keeping them out of midday sun can prevent their tender leaves from wilting.
Climbing vegetables do well in areas that are shaded in the morning but sunny by afternoon. Cucumbers and pole beans will clamber up supports into the sunshine.
Perennial vegetables such as rhubarb, asparagus, and Jerusalem artichokes can be grown in partial sun or partial shade.
Vegetables that are susceptible to bolting, like broccoli, cauliflower, and spinach, can benefit from being grown in partial sun, particularly in hotter climates.
For areas that receive morning sun then afternoon shade, try vegetables such as celery, carrots, and bush beans.
Continued at link with Growing Guides for specific shade-tolerant vegetables:
https://www.almanac.com/vegetables-grow-shade
I finished my planter yesterday in 90 degree heat, and I weeded the existing raised planter in back that only gets partial sun. Today is buying the plants and planting them day, so your subject couldn't have been posted at a better time for me!
Thank you!
This is good information. No wonder I have such trouble growing things that require full sun. There are only a handful of spots in my yard where it actually gets full sun, at least 6 hours. Most everything gets partial sun at best. The tallest trees send shadows all around.
I’ve also figured out why I can’t grow cilantro. It needs more shade than where I’ve been putting it! I am successfully growing chervil, I guess because I read that it needs partial sun, so I’ve put it where it gets morning sun and then dappled the rest of the day. It’s really happy. I just added it to eggs with shallots and Emmentaler cheese, and it was a lovely change.
Yesterday we had some young men install blue hollies, some winterberries, and some Beautyberry shrubs along our foundation on the side yard that’s been blank for 2 years. They made fast work out of that! It would’ve taken me and hubby a couple of days to get all those shrubs in. They also put in a variegated pink Dogwood for us, called Sunset. Let’s hope we can keep all of these alive!!
Good morning and thank you Diana for always being here Sat a.m.! I am going to try to grow shade veggies in our “forest” this year. This is great info.
Meanwhile, the rest of the garden is in bloom (before the heat sets in).
Hibiscus:
Roses, "Scentsational" and "French Lace":
And these volunteers: Sticky Monkey Flower, Verbena and giant Hollyhocks:
Beautiful! Do you need to deadhead the verbena?
I don’t dead head verbena (too low to the ground for me) - I do deadhead roses and geraniums.
CLICK THIS PICTURE TO TAKE A SHADED WALK BACK TO THE MAY 27 - JUNE 2 2023 WEEKLY GARDEN THREAD!
Thanks, Pete! :)
Long sunny days, short starry nights! Its almost Mid-summer!
Pinetree Seed Sale!
30% OFF All Seeds Now through Tuesday🌱
Use code SEASON2023 at checkout
Happy Gardening to All.
We first saw a Beautyberry in Tennessee on a fall hike a couple of years ago. Ever since then I’ve hoped I could find them and that there was a hardy version. Turns out there is! The one we planted is called Early Amethyst. I was so happy to find someone who could source it for me!
If it weren’t so low (mine is in a basket about knee high), would you deadhead them? I just don’t have a ton of experience with them.
Diana, do you have your mower back?
Clyde & I just spent about 3 hours of quality time together, mowing what should have been done last weekend, but wasn’t because we were getting just over an inch of rain. I was mowing “in style” (LOL) because I braved the maddening crowds this morning & found 4 tank tops at Goodwill for mowing & gardening. The 4 oldies I’ve had for about 20 years (seriously) are going straight in the trash! One of the new ones is Land’s End & two are White Stag which are very good quality. The 4th is a nice one, but an unfamiar brand. $5.25 each, 2 for $6.25, prices I can live with.
On the herbal scene, I planted a borage this year - haven’t had one in the garden for a long time. It’s blooming & I’ve been smiling about it all day - I love the little blue flowers & the pollinators love it too. Sage is still blooming. Between the sage & borage, which are crowding out my African Blue basil plus the oregano & one of the thymes, I need a bigger herb garden ... adding this to the “project” list for next year.
Critterville news ... haven’t managed to trap the big groundhog under the barn yet. I have had good success with the squirrels who were beginning to frolic in my garden walkways. There was a big ‘ol Eastern Rat Snake crawling across the front sidewalk this morning - disappeared under the ramp that goes up the front steps & was no where to be found when I went out looking for it about 10 minutes later. A doe has found mom’s hostas the last couple of days & munched away on a few of them.
The radishes have all been harvested - need to replant. Cukes & spaghetti squash are growing like crazy, onions are coming along. I believe I saw sugar snap peas to harvest as I zoomed by on the mower & will be taking a closer look at them & the tomatoes this evening.
It was pretty hot & somewhat humid mid-day, but some cooler weather was to filter in this evening. It actually started arriving while on the mower which made the temps very pleasant. Tonight is going to be a full moon - gorgeous evening coming up!
Summer solstice 2023 will occur on June 21 at 04:24 UTC for the Northern Hemisphere and on Dec. 22, 2023, for the Southern Hemisphere. But,
and in Georgia, summer means peaches. But horticulturists at the University of Georgia say roughly 90% of the Peach State’s crop has been destroyed by bad weather and a warming climate. The last time things were this bad was 1955, according to Lawton Pearson of Pearson Farm in Fort Valley, Georgia.
Peaches require a minimum number of chill hours, below 45 degrees, to set fruit. But the first three months of this year were the warmest on record in Georgia, and chill hours here have been declining over the years. Growers are experimenting with new varieties that need fewer chill hours. Some of those varieties did get the cold they needed this year. But right when they were blooming, a spurt of unlucky freezing weather zapped the buds. “You had a low-chill peach perfectly fine with this winter,” Pearson says. “It bloomed, then got four nights under 28 [degrees].” - https://www.wabe.org/georgia-peach-crop-decimated-by-bad-weather-warming-climate/
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.