If you want to grow more food at home, but you don’t have the option of a full vegetable garden in your backyard, the lack of sun is often the biggest issue. While many vegetables do need as much sunlight as possible, others do okay with just partial sun and partial shade. This is often when you grow them on your patio or balcony, in your sunroom, or even right in your kitchen. Here are some of the best vegetables to plant in partial shade.
Beans: How Much Sun Do Green Beans Need
The first vegetable you can grow on your patio or in your backyard with just partial sun and partial shade is beans. However, you need to consider what types of beans you have.
The beans that are on a vine are fine with just partial sun, where they are shaded for part of the day. These would be the ones on a trellis. With the beans that are in bushes, try to give them at least six hours of sun per day.
Broccoli and Cauliflower Are Partial Shade Vegetables
Both broccoli and cauliflower can survive with partial shade during the day. Broccoli actually shouldn’t have full sun all day because it can ruin the flavor. What happens is that it leads to a high amount of flowering, which can decrease the taste of the vegetable.
This does better with partial shade during the day, slowing the flowering process. Cauliflower is similar to broccoli, where you want it to flower a little slower.
The question is: how much sun does broccoli need? Keep the sun exposure to no more than six hours a day.
All About Cabbage Sun Requirements
If you want to grow greens on your patio or in the backyard in a shaded area, cabbage is your best bet. Cabbage doesn’t want a lot of sun, as it can dry out the vegetable.
This occurs when it has bigger leaves and smaller heads of cabbage, overwhelming the vegetable itself.
It is ideal for partial sun and partial shade areas. For cabbages, five to six hours of sun exposure is enough.
Beets Are One of The Great Vegetables to Plant in Partial Shade
Are beets a family favorite? If so, you will be happy to know you can grow them in partial shade. Beets are actually beginner-friendly as well, so if you’re trying to grow vegetables on a patio or in a sunroom where it only gets partial sun, these are good to start with.
If you’re wondering about beets’ sun requirements, it’s best to grow them somewhere that’s partially shaded, even when you are growing them in drier conditions.
If you’re looking for more vegetables to plant in partial shade, radishes, turnips, coriander, carrots, onions, and peas can also survive with partial shade.
As you can see, there are tons of great veggies that can grow without much sunlight. Even if you just have a small outdoor area that’s mostly shady, you can still grow a wonderful partially shaded vegetable garden.