Vegetable Sunlight Chart – How Much Sun do Vegetables Need?
Many garden vegetables need full sunlight to grow and produce well. However, not all vegetables require full sunlight. This vegetable sunlight chart is a useful resource to tell you whether your vegetables should be grown in low, medium, or full sunlight.
If your vegetable garden doesn’t get 6-8 hours of sunlight daily, don’t despair. There are plenty of shade-tolerant vegetables. Some even prefer a semi-shady spot.
Keep reading to learn sun requirements for vegetables, and download a printable to help you decide the best place to plant your veggies.
Some of the links below are affiliate links. I earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you if you purchase through an affiliate link.
Vegetable sunlight chart
Not all vegetables crave full sun! This free vegetable garden sunlight chart lists popular vegetables showing how many hours of sunlight they need to grow best.
You can click here to print the vegetable sun chart or get it from the project card at the bottom of this post.
How much sun do vegetables need?
Most garden vegetables require at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight daily for optimal growth. In fact, one of the most common garden mistakes is not giving vegetables enough sunlight.
However, not all vegetables are created equal when it comes to sunlight needs. Some, including leafy greens and most root vegetables, can tolerate less sunlight.
Vegetables that grow in shade
You can still have a thriving vegetable garden even if it only gets 3-4 hours of direct sunlight daily. Leafy greens will grow in these sunlight conditions.
This is particularly true in hotter climates. If you live in a cool location, leafy greens will grow better with closer to 5 hours of sun.
These are some leafy green vegetables that grow in shade:
- Arugula
- Kale
- Spinach
- Lettuce
- Asian greens such as bok choy and tatsoi
- Mustard greens
- Microgreens
- Scallions – also known as spring onions
Partial shade vegetables
This category includes root vegetables that grow underground. Cool-season crops can also tolerate partial shade.
If your garden gets 4-6 hours of direct sunlight a day, grow these vegetables:
Full sun vegetables
The majority of garden vegetables need full sun. Fruit-producing vegetables thrive in 6-8 hours (or more) of direct sunlight.
If your vegetable garden gets plenty of light, try growing these full sun veggies:
- Tomatoes
- Bell peppers
- Eggplants
- Melons
- Cucumbers
- Beans – both bush beans and pole beans
- Squash and butternut pumpkins
- Watermelons
- Rutabagas
- All varieties of fruit
Tips about this vegetable sunlight chart:
It’s important to remember that while some vegetables are shade-tolerant, there aren’t any shade-loving vegetables.
The more hours of sunlight a plant gets, the larger and more fruitful it will be.
Some things to consider when choosing a planting location are:
- Colder climates need more sun than gardens in the deep South.
- Fruiting vegetables require more sunlight than leafy greens.
- Large plants need more sun than small plants.
Remember this gardening quote: “If you grow it for the fruit, it needs full sun. If you grow it for the leaves, partial sun is all you need.”
Share this vegetable plant sunlight chart on X
If you enjoyed learning how much sunlight the various vegetables need for optimal growth, why not share this post with a gardening friend?
🌞 How much sunlight do your vegetables really need? From full sun to partial and even shade, we break it down and include a free vegetable garden sunlight chart for you to print out! 🥬🌽🍅 Share on XPin this post describing the sunlight needs for vegetables
Would you like a reminder of this post detailing how much sunlight vegetables need? Just pin this image to one of your gardening boards on Pinterest so you can easily find it later.
You can also watch this YouTube video about common vegetable garden mistakes and solutions.
Admin note: This vegetable light requirements chart first appeared on the blog in April 2013. I have updated the post to add new photos and a video for you to enjoy.
Vegetable Sunlight Chart Printable
Not all vegetables need full sunlight. This free vegetable garden sunlight chart lists popular vegetables and how many hours of sunlight they need to grow best.
Print it out to use when you are deciding where to locate your vegetable plants.
Materials
- Printer paper
Tools
- Computer printer
Instructions
- Load your printer with printer paper.
- Choose portrait layout and "fit to page" in your settings.
- Using the print function on this card will print a shopping list that fills about 3/4 of an 8 x 11-inch sheet of paper.
- Print it out and use it to decide the best location for your vegetables.
Notes
Thank you so much!!! We always have a problem with this, we live in Florida, and we container plant, so we can move our plants around! This will help us out tremendously!!!
Hi Juanita. Glad I could help. We have the same problem here in NC. Carol
impatient a I had a plant for 5yrs
Here in New Orleans we plant year round. My Celebrity tomatoes overwintered and are loaded with tomatoes. It’s so hot here during the summer that plants just endure until the temperature is more reasonable, even tomatoes. I garden in the side yard and the back raised bed. They get some afternoon shade. My west facing porch is in full afternoon sun. I grow cucumbers and indeterminate tomatoes on a trellis to shade the porch and the other container garden plants there.
Very nice easy to understand chart! I featured it on my blog today 🙂
http://www.colorfulcanary.com/2016/03/5-printable-gardening-graphics-for.html
Thanks for featuring me on your blog and linking back to me. Carol
Thank you so much for this information. i have been gardening for 40 years now and still did not know these specifics. My vegetable garden is in an open space, but surrounded by very tall trees o the north and the west, and hedges on the east and south. I have had no luck with tomatoes and strawberries, but grew great broccoli, so it all makes sense to me now.
One question: what about raspberries and blackberries? They are fruit, which says sun, but I was thinking they could tolerate some shade.
Best regards,
Ron Squires
Hi Ron. Both blackberries and raspberries do best in full sun – at least 6-8 hours a day. Carol
Hi Carol! I live in the Pacific NW, zone 8. I love the chart, though it didn’t answer the reason that drove me on this search, but reason tells me celery would fall in 4-6 hrs. sunlight,as well as Brussels sprouts and cauliflower. How am I doing with logic? Thank you for sharing your garden wisdom!
HI Pam. Thanks for the email. Both celery and Brussels sprouts need a minimum of 6 hours a day to do well. Most veggies do better with a more sunlight than less. My post was more to point out that there are a few which can take less. Northern zones are often cooler so they can take lots of sun. I have a problem here in NC because it is so hot and dry in the summer months. Many veggies struggle here. Carol
Im in Iowa, zone 5. Ive been getting good yields in my yard with partial sun for cucumbers and zucchini and okra. About 6 hours max and maybe 20-60 minutes in the evening as the sun sets. But a big no go on my tomato’s, peppers, corn, and melon. I am getting some grape tomatoes but its taken the better part of 3 months just to get anything. You’ll get something but it will take quite some time.This is only my second year with a yard garden at this location but I have been raised on a corn/bean farm most my life, just an fyi of my knowledge and skill. Happy gardening yall! And thanks for the great artical. Excited to try something else next year.
I also have good luck with cucumbers in a more shady spot here in NC. I get best results from tomatoes early in the season in full sun, but they have a challenge later. Carol
I love this chart. Ive done pretty good with this the past 4 years, but to know what can handle a little less sun is great. I can move things around and still have it thrive.
Great list… I think I need to plan a little different next year. It’s hard because I don’t have the best garden spot in this house.
Are There any vegetables that grow in the summer that can tolerate shade?
the article above your comment tells you which vegetables can tolerate shade.
Thank you for these! This is the first time for a garden in a new area 😊😉
Best of luck with your new garden!
I just want to say THANK YOU!! I feel like I just struck gold by finding your site. I consider myself a master gardener when it comes to flowers, but I’m just entering the field of growing food. And I love it. But I have a lot of questions, all of which you answer! Thanks again – I’m very grateful. Quick question. I want to purchase some heirloom seeds to plant next spring. Do you have a favorite brand?
Hi Jamie, I’m glad you are enjoying my site. I normally save my own seeds rather than purchasing them. My family has gardened for years. I have occasionally purchased seeds from individual growers on Etsy and have been happy with them. Here is a link to the heirloom seeds for sale there. (affiliate link)