new to growing veggies - how much sun?

Hi, this is my first post, so be gentle with me!

I'd like to have a small vegetable patch but my garden is at the side of my house and gets sun from about late morning to mid afternoon (so the hottest part of the day only).

Do I need an 'all-day' sunny spot to grow veggies or will this be the 'wrong kind of sun'!!

I am a complete novice so any advice would be much appreciated....
thanks

m

 

Welcome Moonboots.

I think you will be able to grow a good selection of veggies there. You'll certainly be all right with salad leaves, spinach, rhubarb, potatoes and other roots.

You would struggle with tomatoes, courgettes and squash.

What are you planning to grow ?

 

I have two raised beds which have limited periods of sun each day. I can add the following to Alice's list:

dwarf French beans
leeks
radishes
summer cabbage

It's best to concentrate on veggies which grow and mature quickly.

 

"I am a complete novice so any advice would be much appreciated...."

Here's mine!! : when you are just starting out I recommend grow what you like to eat, first and foremost.

By all means ask for advice on which are less suitable, or more difficult for a novice to grow, but by far the most important aspect of Newbiw Gardening is winding up with veegtables that you will just love to have grown!!

Apart from crops that take a long time to mature and "only just make it" in an English Summer (Sweetcorn perhaps, and Tomatoes outside [but I wouldn't advise growing them outside anyway in the UK - others will disagree I'm sure!]) the only risk is that you get a lighter crop. They will still be just as fresh, and tasty, when you pick them.

Flinty: Are you saying Radishes won't grow in part sun? They grow like weeds! And I think Leeks have such a long growing season they will be fine too - bit thinner maybe, but just as tasty

 

Sorry! Bit of a misunderstanding there. My short list includes vegetables that are successful in beds that have limited periods of sun.

I agree that radishes romp away and leeks do surprisingly well in my beds. In fact, I have a suspicion that most veg will tolerate at least part of the day in shade. It just might mean that your growing season is shorter than, say, on an allotment in a very open position.

 

Sorry Flinty ... I read Alice's "You will struggle with ...." and then read your post

 

Sounds good!
I definitely want to grow rhubarb, my mum used to her and her fingers couldn't be less green! How well will it do in a quite shady spot?
Apart from that I wanted to grow beans (because the wigwams look so nice and because the ones in Tesco all come from Kenya!) And gooseberries but I guess they will need sun (?)
I only have one part of my garden that is sunny to sit in, so I'd rather not put my veg plot there, so the slightly less sunny bit sounds like it might be ok. It does get sun through the middle of the day so should be fine I think.
Can't wait to get started!!