15 Herbs and Vegetables You Can Grow in Shady Areas in Your Garden

Do you have challenges in growing plants on your shady spaces in your yard? 

If you have a partial shady or partial sun areas that give 2-4 hours (some reported 3-6 hours) of sunlight each day, you can still grow your edibles. 

Here are some tips on what you can grow under your trees or shrubs or corners in your garden that are shaded. 

Vegetables

1. Spinach is a cold tolerant vegetable that can grow well in partial shade or shaded areas. It is best to start growing it with seeds indoors then transplant it when it’s ready.
2. Chard loves to grow in shady spots too. It can be direct sown or start growing the seeds indoors. Chards come in different colors - red, purple, pink, rainbow, orange and they pop up nicely in your containers.
3. Leaf Lettuce.  Any variety of leaf lettuce works well in your shady areas. It’s best to start growing them in your seed starting system indoors and then transplant them for better results.
4. Peas thrive well with some sun or partial shade. You can direct sow it and make sure you water them.
5. Radishes of any cultivar are cold-loving and shade-loving plants. A fast-growing plant, radish are great crop for succession planting and can be enjoyed for their roots and foliage. 
6. Potatoes can grow in partial shade as root vegetable that have less direct sunlight like other root crops. Expect a lower yield and smaller tubers when grown in partial shaded areas.
7. Tomatoes suited for an early spring planting like bushy determinate tomatoes. Shade loving varieties include black cherry, Evans purple pear, golden sweet, Isis candy cherry, Vernissage yellow.
8. Bush beans are edibles that grows in cooler or shady space with 4-5 hours of sun to be able to produce flowers and pods. It can however lengthen your growing season. 

Herbs

9. Basil grows well in full sun but do the same in partial shade too with 6 hours of sun. This herb works best in containers and raised beds. For beginners, basil seedlings from nurseries can be transplanted and grown easily in your garden.

10. Cilantro-Coriander is one of the fastest growing herbs in shady areas. Coriandrum sativum is an annual herb that can be consumed in two different ways: the edible fresh leaves known as cilantro and dried seeds, called coriander. One can start growing this plant from seeds.

11. Chives or Allium schoenoprasum is a hardy perennial herb that’s grown primarily for its leaves although its flowers are edible too. It’s one of the herbs you can harvest early. It’s easy to grow from seeds. New stems grow from the plant’s base throughout the season.

12. Mint or also known as Mentha app. has dozens of different kinds. Like parsley, it is one of the most popular herbs to grow in shady areas and also a favorite herbs by many in their gardens. It can be planted perfectly in containers. Mint is easiest to start from a nursery-grown plant. 

13. Parsley is one of the easiest herbs to grow under the shade. Whether it’s Italian (flat-leaved) or curled leaved. It is a true biennial plant and is a favorite staple herb in many gardens. It can be grown as seeds or as rooted seedlings from nurseries.

14. Lemon balm is an annual plant. This herb also readily self sows. Leaves, either fresh or dried, provide a great taste of herbal tea.

15. Dill, an annual herb that grows well in full sun that can also tolerate shade. They don’t produce as many flowers when not in full sunlight. It performs best when seeds are directly sown in the garden. 

There are over 30 vegetables and herbs that can grow well in shaded areas. These are the more common and popular ones. 

Remember these tips and tricks when you grow these edibles in partial shade:

• Don’t over fertilize. Use organic liquid fertilizer not more than once every 6-8 weeks. Feeding them too much weakens their growth.
• Harvest regularly. Harvest slightly more growth under shaded areas than you would normally do under the sun. Continual harvests keep the plants compact, encourage more growth of branches and flowers.
• Keep an eye out for pests. Aphids or spider mites attack plants in these growing conditions. You can knock them off the plant by a good blast of water from the hose. If they continue to appear, spray with diluted castle soap and water. 

Whether you’re growing your shade tolerant herbs and vegetables in containers or grounds, savor and enjoy their natural flavors and landscape views.