Planning Your Vegetable Garden – What Grows Well in Full Sun, Shade & Part Sun

So I know it’s snowing, but has anyone else started planning their vegetable gardens?! I am chomping at the bite. It’s such a common question that I get: I don’t have any sun, can I still grow something? Yes, yes you can! Today we’ll be talking about what grows best in sun, shade, and part sun. So even if you have 2 hours of sun only, you’ll know what you can grow.

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The first step to planning your garden is deciding what to grow. I get a lot of questions and concerns about people asking what they can grow with specific sun conditions they have. Well, I am here to tell you, you CAN grow a harvest in pretty much any condition.
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I think most people have the idea that if they don’t have 12 hours of full sun each day then they can’t grow their own food. But there are so many things you can grow in partial shade! And they’re probably easier to grow then the stuff that requires full sun. I mean you might not get tomatoes, but hey everyone loves salad right?

In a perfect world, your garden should have spots that are full sun, full shade, and part sun/shade – that way you can grow a variety of vegetables. So take a couple of days, look outside in the morning, afternoon, and evening and jot down what you see. Make a little sketch of your property and write down which areas receive the most and least sun.

Vegetables that Love Full Sun
These veggies are pretty much anything that produces fruit. They thrive on about 8+ hours of sun each day.

• Eggplant
• Tomato
• Cucumber
• Sweet Peppers
• Squash
• Hot Peppers
• Corn
• Zucchini
• Watermelon
• Cantaloupe

Vegetables that Love Part Sun/Shade
These veggies are tolerant to about 4-5 hours of shade. Morning or afternoon shade would be perfect as it gives them a nice break from the blazing sun.

• Turnips
• Potatoes
• Beans
• Beets
• Peas
• Broccoli
• Cabbage
• Onions
• Leek
• Radish
• Celery
• Carrots

Vegetables that Love Full Shade
These are the greens for you if you have no sun! These like about 2-4 hours of sun. Shade is not a bad thing. Vegetables that love shade also tolerant cool weather. This creates the perfect microclimate and extends your growing season into fall and early spring.

• Lettuce
• Tatsoi
• Mache
• Endive
• Spinach
• Mizuna
• Mustard Greens
• Arugula

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What is your backyard like? Let me know in the comments!
-Abbagail

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Claim your free ready-to-use Square-Foot Garden Plans for three different sizes! Plus other helpful tips!

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