Shade Tolerant Vegetables vs Sun Friendly Veggies

Veggies, by nature, like a lot of sunlight to grow. But there are some shade tolerant vegetables, too. 

Vegetables, just like flowers and other plants, need plenty of sun, but not all are equal.  They typically have a short growing season, so the more you can give them, the better they like it. One of the most common vegetable garden mistakes is not giving veggies enough sunlight.

 I would not say that any vegetables LOVE shade, but many are somewhat tolerant of it. If your back yard is not suited to normal vegetable gardening, some of these might be just the ones to grow.

Are there shade tolerant vegetables or do they all need lots of sunlight?

So much of gardening, for me, is a case of trial and error.  I have had my vegetable garden in many different locations in my yard from shady spots, to full sun to my back patio.

I live in NC, zone 7b and theoretically the garden should take all kinds of sun.  

And it can, but that also means that my water bill will go through the roof during the hottest summer months. And, seriously, forget trying to grow broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts in the summer.  

Any lettuce bolts quickly if I have it planted in full sun. Even my tomato plant leaves will curl or develop sunscald if the temperatures are too hot for a long period of time so I sometimes plant them with this in mind..

This year, I have installed drip irrigation and am planting my garden on the side of the house that gets morning and mid day sunlight and none later in the day.  

The very first year that I gardened, I grew tomato and cucumber plants in that spot and they were the best ones I have had.  

So I have my fingers crossed that I’ll be successful again in that spot, this year.  ( A very large Pin Oak might let me know otherwise.  Time will tell on that one. It’s a lot larger than it was when I first had my veggie garden in this spot.)

But for most people who don’t have to deal with the heat of a southern summer, there are some basic rules of thumb for vegetable gardening in both sun and shade.

The most shade tolerant vegetables. 

The vegetables that fall into this category are those that are eaten for their greens will thrive on 3-4 hours of direct sunlight a day. Some of these are:

• Arugula
• Kale
• Spinach
• Lettuce
• Asian Greens
• Mustard Greens
• Microgreens
• Parsley
• Scallions
• Cabbage

Semi Shade Tolerant vegetables. 

For this category, think of those that grow into the ground. They are the root veggies. These will grow in partial shade of about 4-6 hours of sunlight a day:

• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Radishes
• Beets
• Turnips
• Potatoes

Least Shade Tolerant Vegetables. 

This is the majority of vegetables grown in your garden. These are the fruit producers and they love full sunlight.

• Tomatoes
• Bell Peppers
• Eggplants
• Melons
• Cucumbers
• Beans
• Squash and butternut pumpkins
• Watermelons

Remember this saying:  “If you grow if for the fruit, it needs full sun.  If you grow if for the leaves partial sun is all you need.”

What has your experience been with some of the sun loving vegetables?  Have you had luck growing them in semi shady locations?  Please let me know in the comments below.

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