If your family enjoys good old fashioned collard greens you will be happy to know they will flourish in your shady areas along with mustard greens and turnips for the greens. While traditionally a fall crop you can start these in the spring and grow them until the summer heat becomes too much.
Broccoli and cauliflower love the shade. These slow-growing fall vegetables will thrive in your shade garden in the spring allowing for two growing seasons each year in cooler climates.
First, you need to time the shade in your shady areas. Anything with six or more hours of sun is perfect for growing root vegetables like potatoes and carrots. Space with less than 6 hours of sun a day is just fine for many leafy green vegetables.
Trim back trees, shrubs, and other sources of shade to allow your garden to get a bit more sun. While the above plants will grow in the shade you can make it a bit easier on them by helping them see a bit more natural light. A good pair of pruning sheers go a long way/
Help your garden thrive in the shade by giving it good quality soil. This means pack your soil with organic matter to allow for drainage. Mix in nice strong compost, and feed your plants regularly. Make your own compost from kitchen scraps to keep piling on the good stuff all season long.
Rotate your soil. While the plants you can grow in the shade can’t really rotate you can rotate the soil with other garden beds at the start of each season to allow the soil to become less depleted over time.
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