5 Vegetables that Grow in Shade

My husband and I love to eat fresh garden vegetables. However, our house is surrounded by tall trees that block much of the day's sunlight. This is great in the summer when we want to keep our house cool. It's not so good when we want to grow plants in our yard.

I did some research and found out we can grow vegetables in our shady backyard. The following vegetables will grow in the dappled light from our trees. With only 3 to 6 hours of sunlight each day, we can grow delicious vegetables.

Lettuce

Lettuce does well in a shaded vegetable garden. As long as this leafy vegetable receives some sunlight, it will produce nutritious food for your family. Grow some lettuce in your shade vegetable garden and purchase tomatoes and carrots from your local farmer's market for a healthy salad.

Broccoli

I was very excited to learn I can grow broccoli in the shade. Broccoli is one of my favorite vegetables. It's a healthy vegetable my family can eat raw or steamed. My toddler is also a big fan of these mini trees. Fresh, raw broccoli is another tasty addition to salad.

Cauliflower

Another shade loving vegetable is cauliflower. Like broccoli, cauliflower can be eaten raw with a healthy vegetable dip or steamed. We like to steam and mash our cauliflower as a substitute for mashed potatoes.

Swiss Chard

Chard will grow in a shade vegetable garden as well. I recently read about chard in a magazine. I had never heard of this vegetable before, but I am eager to try it this year. You can cook the leaves as you would prepare spinach and you can eat the stalks as you would eat asparagus. I am excited to try growing chard this year.

Onions

Onions can grow in partial shade. Onions can be used to season soups and steaks or they can be grilled and eaten on their own. You can plant onions with a strong flavor or sweet onions. Growing onions in your shade vegetable garden can help round out your selection.

Parsley

All right. You've got me. Parsley isn't a vegetable. However, this herb can grow in partial shade and can be a flavorful addition to your shade vegetable garden. It's always nice to have some fresh herbs on hand.

Don't be discouraged if you have a shady yard. You can still grow healthy vegetables. By growing what you can in your shade vegetable garden and buying the rest of your vegetables from a reputable famer's market, you will provide your family with nutritious and natural meals all season long.

Sources

Colleen Vanderlinden , In the Garden Online, http://www.inthegardenonline.com/picks_10vegforshadeC21.htm

Vegetable Gardening in Containers, http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/container/container.html