Is this side of my garden suitable for growing vegetables?

[stefano]

Hi,

I have a section of my garden at the end of my backyard lawn which I would like to devote to grow some vegetables, possibly with raised beds.

I am a bit concerned, though, that there will be too much shade from the trees surrounding the area. The attached photo is taken in a North-South direction (the fence at the bottom is facing North).

Would I be wasting my time or do you think I should go ahead and give it a go? I am a total newbie but I have been reading a bit and I have got a lot of enthusiasm; I just don't want to fight a battle that is already lost!

[Bren In Pots]

Hi Stefano and welcome to the vine that areas not perfect but things like Lettuce, spinach, chard, kale and radish should grow.
Hopefully you'll have a few more replies later.

[Penellype]

The trees will certainly make it very shady. There are things you can grow in shade, and things you can't. To me it doesn't look a very big area, and as well as the shade aspect there is also the problem of tree roots. These will suck moisture and nutrients out of your soil, and make it difficult to dig.

I think you might find putting raised beds in that space quite difficult. My preference would be to go for containers, which can be moved around as you discover what works and what doesn't. I know containers need a lot of watering, but realistically so will raised beds. I grow most of my veg in 30 litre buckets, which can be bought quite cheaply.

For what its worth, I have grown the following in containers in very shady positions:
Potatoes
Carrots
Cabbages
Broccoli, calabrese
Kohlrabi, turnips
Spinach
Lettuce and other salad greens eg mizuna, corn salad
Parsnips
Leeks (they tend to be small)
Strawberries, particularly wild strawberries
Rhubarb and blueberries will grow in shade, but you might find them rather large for your space.

Things I wouldn't attempt to grow in shade:
Tomatoes, peppers and other "greenhouse" crops
Courgettes and other squashes (you might get a crop but they are big plants and risky)
Peas and beans
Onions

I hope this gives you some ideas.

[stefano]

Thank you for you detailed answer!

I think you might find putting raised beds in that space quite difficult.

Indeed, it is not a big area but the photo is making it look smaller than it actually is. 2ft-wide (60cm) raised beds should fit on both side of the footpath.

[Penellype]

I see - its hard to see anything the other side of the path on the photo. I was thinking you were wanting to use just the space between the 2 trees. Why not start with a raised bed against the fence, which would certainly grow things like potatoes or brassicas (which you would need to net), and put movable containers in the space around the trees. Depending on your taste, some flowers are good for deterring pests, so you could perhaps put pots of nasturtiums or calendula (marigolds) in amongst, which would look pretty while helping your veg. Both of these are edible too.

[Lumpy]

The agree with the above......also the tree roots will take alot of the water you use for the veggies so a raised bed system would at least give your plants a chance to get a drink.

Good Luck and Oh Welcome To The Vine.

[piskieinboots]

Welcome to The Vine

[veggiechicken]

Hi Stefano and welcome Always happy to meet someone who wants to grow veggies
Can you tell me what type of tree and shrub are in the bed now please.
They look as if they're deciduous - lose their leaves in winter. If so, your bed would not be shaded by the tree through winter and you could grow some of the hardier, over-wintering veg there - maybe peas, broad beans, winter lettuce.
If you could take off the bottom branches of the tree to raise the canopy it would help - thin out the shrub too!
How about fruit bushes? Raspberries and blackberries are shade tolerant.

[SusieG]

Hi Stefano ~ a big welcome to the Vine from me, too

As Pene said above re your trees/nutrients/roots etc ..... raised beds/containers definitely the way to go.....

Good luck and keep posting your photos here of your progress....... we like to see what's happening...!!!

I'm liking your enthusiasm...

[Bigmallly]

Hello Stefano & welcome to the Jungle. Contrary to popular belief, I hate trees so that would be the first thing to go.

[Small pumpkin]

BM you disappoint me!!!

Welcome to the vine stefano

[stefano]

Can you tell me what type of tree and shrub are in the bed now please.
They look as if they're deciduous - lose their leaves in winter

All the trees and bushes had been planted by previous owners. We moved in about a year ago.

The one on the front left is a lilac. The one on the back left I believe is a laurus (the only evergreen). The tree on the right is a (silver?) birch.

Thank you for your tips!

[Mark_Riga]

I'm with Bigmallly on this one. If you want to grow vegetables, I would get rid of the trees. The Birch will take over the whole area over the next 10 years and has quite shallow roots. I've got one about 20 years old that is over 25' tall with a 20'+ spread. The lilac will sucker and form a large clump - small birds will like it though. If you want to keep them, I would grow in pots/containers as Pene says. Don't know if the Birch could be kept happy and small with regular pruning.