Edible items for a shadey patch of garden

We are reworking our garden at the mo and have dug some beds next to a fence, which is shaded by our apple tree. Dh is in the process of pruning it ( a bit late, we know but thought we had to apply for permission to prune as we are in a conservation area, and it turns out we don't) so hopefully it will be less shaded. I've planted some jerusalem artichokes from my veg box, after a recent thread here, and I've been told we could try a few fruit trees that we 'fan' against the fence. Any other thoughts, please? If it helps the idea, the garden is south-west facing and the apple tree is in the middleish; I'm thinking of the fence on the right of the tree. The tree is huge. I'd ideally like veggies at the front of the beds, if possible. Thank you so much!

 

Hi Liz,

As long as the bed gets some sun at some stage in the day you should be ok with most stuff other than Sweet Corn.

My home plot doesn't get full sun till midday & by late afternoon it gets shaded by the trees across the road. The potatoes, which were last to get the sun last year, were bigger than cricket balls.

Beans are said to not set so well if they are in full sun all day.

Most plants can't use the suns energy between about 10 till 2, they just shut down, except Sweet Corn which can use it all day.

Give a variety of veg a go & see what does well.

Strawberries were originally woodland plants, as were raspberries & currants, probably worth a shot with them.

 

Lettuce, beetroot and rhubarb will be fine in shade.
A pic of the area would help, Liz.

 

Great info as always. Thanks Ziggy.

 

This is a good thread. I too am looking to grow some food in my back garden. Every part of my back garden is in shade at one point or another throughout the day. I did grow potatoes last year but my crop yield was pretty dire, although to be fair when I planted them I hadn't had time to prepare the soil properly. I've grown many a successful crop of tatties over the years, so its the one crop I know a thing or too about, and I knew when I was planting them that the soil was no good, but gave it a shot anyway.

I did get a cracking crop of nasturtium though, as always. Nasturtium is amazing stuff. Apart from being an excellent salad ingredient, it also does well in soups and stir fries (although when used in hot dishes it should go in only for the last few seconds, because it's flavour and texture gives in very quickly when exposed to cooking heat). Nasturtium is a wonder plant. It thrives in most conditions, tastes great, looks good, provides good ground cover, is popular with bees (a point that I think is very important), is the easiest thing in the world to grow, can withstand a lot of punishment, and the more you pick bits to eat, the faster and thicker it grows so you get free salad/stir fry ingredients right through from early summer to the first hard frost, which kills it instantly, but not before it has self seeded ready for next spring. And just in case you get sick of it, the seeds are easy to spot as they lay on the soil, and if any do grow the seedlings are easily identified from an early stage, so they're easy to get rid of you decide you don't want it. Oh and its happy to share the ground with taller plants, just as long as you keep checking it to make sure its not blocking out the light from your other plants.

 

That was a very good article on Nasturtiums Dave

I would like to add that the name comes from ancient Icelandic and means Nose twisting:WINK1: