Best Vegetables That Grow in Shade

By Colleen Vanderlinden
Updated on June 6, 2023
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by Adobestock/Philipimage

If you garden without full sun, we’ll show you how to bask in great garden harvests by choosing the best vegetables that grow in shade, which include greens, culinary herbs such as chives, cilantro, and oregano, and root crops such as carrots and potatoes. You’ll also learn other tips for gardening in shaded conditions, such as growing in raised beds and using reflective mulches. Less-than-prefect growing conditions don’t have to prevent you from harvesting plenty of delicious, homegrown food!

For many gardeners, the optimum conditions most vegetables prefer — eight to 10 hours of full sun — just aren’t possible. Whether it’s from trees or shadows from nearby buildings, shade is commonly a fact of gardening life. Luckily, shade doesn’t have to prohibit gardeners from growing their own food. If you start with the best vegetables that grow in shade, take extra care to provide fertile soil and ample water, and consider using a reflective plastic mulch, you can establish a productive shade garden and harvest a respectable variety of veggies.

How Much Shade Is Too Much?

All shade is not equal. Some shady conditions will yield much more produce than others will, while some areas are better left for hostas and moss. Gardeners should be familiar with the different types of shade, but should also keep in mind that measuring how much shade your garden gets isn’t always easy.

For instance, nearby trees may cast dappled shade on your garden for some or all of the day. If the tree canopy is high enough and the branches aren’t too dense, the conditions nearby can be shady but still fairly bright. Trimming any low-hanging branches can help let in more sunlight.

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