veggies in shaded area

[spennysaint]

Hi all

I have a shaded area at the side of my house that doesn't get any sun!! I have some long tubs there that are about 11"x12"x23". Does anybody have any ideas as to what veggies i could grow there?

Claire

[Two_Sheds]

None, really, if you have no sun at all.
Pak choi might work .. mine will only grow during November/December/January, when it's all dark & gloomy

I hate the stuff though

[Two_Sheds]

You could grow shrubs, herbs, perennials though: Long Acre Plants

[Flummery]

Salads don't mind serious shade. I've also grown brassicas in dark areas.

[andrewo]

Salad is your best bet but don't worry, this isn't dull, there are many varieties and tastes in lettuces, mix leaves etc even down to lambs lettuce. Worth a go.

[kitchengardner]

Hi all

I have a shaded area at the side of my house that doesn't get any sun!! I have some long tubs there that are about 11"x12"x23". Does anybody have any ideas as to what veggies i could grow there?

Claire

Best bet would be shade tolerant green leaf veg such as cut & grow lettuce, mizuna, sorrel, chard and perpetual spinach. There are also some alpine strawberries which are shade tolerant (but yields will be low). Herbs such as parsley, sage, chives, rosemary and lavender are also ok in shade. I presume the troughs are at the base of a wall. If so you could grow a fan trained morello cherry up it - just make sure you select a strain bred for growing on north facing walls.

Hope this helps

Kitchen Gardener

[spennysaint]

thanks for the quick responses. I have lots of different types of lettuce seeds left over from last year and have got some different types of chard for this year (haven't grown these before). I also have rosemary and chives that i could move to free up sunny areas for other yummy things. It's amazing how much you can grow in a tiny garden!

I like the idea of the cherry, Would my troughs be big enough for this? Would i plant one in each trough or just one in a trough to train across the fence?

Claire

[Two_Sheds]

Rosemary is a Mediterranean plant, like lavender. It needs sun

[kitchengardner]

thanks for the quick responses. I have lots of different types of lettuce seeds left over from last year and have got some different types of chard for this year (haven't grown these before). I also have rosemary and chives that i could move to free up sunny areas for other yummy things. It's amazing how much you can grow in a tiny garden!

I like the idea of the cherry, Would my troughs be big enough for this? Would i plant one in each trough or just one in a trough to train across the fence?

Claire

Trough size should be fine if you get one on a dwarf stock (ie one specific for containers), just make sure it has good drainage. Use as much well rotted manure as you can to fill it with a top dressing of a good compost. You will only be able to plant one tree in a trough but how many you need will depend on fence space. Ideally each tree will need 4-6ft either side of the trunk to train onto

Regards

Kitchen Gardener

[spennysaint]

Think I might have ago at that, sounds good. If only the weather would get better!!

[Dottie]

Rosemary is a Mediterranean plant, like lavender. It needs sun

I have a very shady front patch next to the house and rosemary and a baytree have done really well there. Lavender is ok, but gets a bit leggy. It gets so little sun that I have to scrap off moss each year, but chives and geranium just keep growing and are happy to be divided whenever I remember or find time away from the allotment! The plus side is, I don't have to worry about watering to often.

[Rossa]

If you take a look on chrisbowers.co.uk under their cherry tree section, they tell you how to "festoon" a cherry tree, so it ends up looking like a weeping willow. Then the spread will be less of an issue. They also list the varieties they have on dwarf rootstock and which are self fertile. If you email them, they should be able to advise on type for shade.

A better alternative may be their supercolumns. Max. 7' high but only 2' spread. Trained like a corden with spurs off for fruit. So if you needed 2 for pollination you would have space for them. We're trying an apple and pear supercolumn from them this year to go in pots on our patio.

[Eyren]

None, really, if you have no sun at all.
Pak choi might work .. mine will only grow during November/December/January, when it's all dark & gloomy

I hate the stuff though

I love it - but the stuff I sowed in late summer got chomped by beasties

Will have to try a later sowing this year...