There are tons of vegetables that grow in shade, and it’s fun to experiment. In this post, I’ll share my list of shade vegetables, partial shade vegetables, and partial sun vegetables. That way, you can utilize all the garden space you have, no matter how much sun it gets.
One of the biggest challenges many home gardeners face is not having enough sunlight to grow vegetables. I’ve struggled with this too.
My vegetable garden used to be in full sun until the neighbors trees started growing taller, and now it’s mostly shaded.
If I’ve learned one thing from growing vegetables all of these years, it’s that they don’t all have the same sun exposure requirements. This is great news for those of use with shady vegetable gardens!
Shade vegetable gardening isn’t bad or difficult! And once you learn about all the different vegetables that grow in shade, you’ll find that it’s much easier to grow anything you want!
Shade Vegetable Gardening In Not A Bad Thing!
I used to plant all of my veggies in full sun because I assumed they would grow best there. But guess what, shade loving vegetable plants will actually suffer in the hot sun.
Once you understand the sun exposure requirements for each of your favorite veggies, you will be able to use the space you have more efficiently. And if you’re like me, you’ll start to love vegetable gardening in shade!
But hang on a minute… how do you know that your vegetable garden is shady?
Just because it’s in shade in the morning, or when you return home from work in the evening doesn’t mean it’s shaded all day long. It could be getting much more sun than you realize.
How Shady Is Your Vegetable Garden?
Before you write your veggie garden off as being full shade, it’s important to know how many hours of sunlight it actually gets.
If you’ve never figured that out before, then I encourage you to do this first. Here’s how to figure out how much sun your garden gets.
Once you know for sure how many hours of sun you have, you can plan which types of veggies to plant in the different areas of your garden.
Save the sunny spots for the sun loving vegetables like tomatoes, peppers, tomatillo, eggplant, okra and melons. Then embrace the sun challenged areas to grow your favorite shade loving vegetables!
Determining How Much Shade Your Veggie Garden Gets
Below is a quick explanation of the most common sun exposure microclimates that you may find in your yard.
- Full Sun– A full sun plot is one that gets 6 or more hours of direct, unobscured sunlight every day.
- Partial Sun – This means the area gets closer to 6 hours of sunlight per day, but it’s either dappled, or it’s protected from the intense afternoon rays.
- Partial Shade – A partial shade vegetable garden is one that gets around 3 hours of morning or evening sun.
- Full Shade – A full shade bed gets less than 3 hours of morning or evening sunlight daily, or no direct sun at all. This is not a good spot for any of the low-light vegetables on this list.
40+ Vegetables That Grow In Shade
Since the neighbors trees began shading my veggie garden all those years ago, I’ve been doing a lot of experimenting with vegetables that grow in shade.
It’s been fun, and I’ve have found tons of shade vegetable plants that grow very well in my garden.
I’ve broken down my list into the three different categories: shade vegetables, part shade vegetables, and part sun vegetables.
This will make it super easy for you to decide which vegetables to plant in the different areas of your garden.
Full Shade Vegetables
There are plenty of vegetables that will grow well without much sunlight. All of the shade growing vegetables on this list will grow just fine with only 2-3 hours of sunlight per day. In fact, many of these will suffer if they get too much sun.
- Leaf lettuce
- Swiss chard
- Mibuna
- Arugula
- Cress
- Collard greens
- Rhubarb
- Spinach
- Mache
- Tatsoi
- Bok choy
- Claytonia
- Mustard greens
Partial Shade Vegetables
A partial shade garden is an area that gets 3-4 hours of sunlight per day. The part shade vegetables in this list would also grow well in a partial sun area as well.
But they don’t like full sun (especially if you live in a hot climate). They also won’t grow well if they get too much shade.
Partial Sun Vegetables
A partial sun vegetable garden gets 4-6 hours of sunlight per day. Though these are all vegetables that grow in the shade, some will produce less food than they would in full sun.
I’ve been growing these shade tolerant vegetables in my partial sun garden for years, and they’ve always grown very well there.
I would probably get more food if I grew them in a sunnier spot, but I always end up with more than I can use.
On the other hand, the cool season shade garden vegetables on this list will benefit from some protection from the hot sun. Especially if you live in a place where it gets very hot in the summer.
Here’s the list of vegetables for part sun…
- Cabbage
- Pole beans
- Celery
- Brussels sprouts
- Broccoli
- Asparagus
- Cauliflower
- Potatoes
- Radicchio
- Garlic
- Cherry tomatoes
- Squash
- Cucumber
- Broccoli raab
- Zucchini
Tips For Growing Vegetables In Shade
Vegetable gardening in the shade has its own unique benefits and problems. Here are some quick tips for growing veggies in the shade.
- Watch out for slugs and snails, they thrive in the damp shade.
- If your garden is in the full sun, then you can use shade cloth or floating row covers to give your vegetable garden shade.
- Many vegetables that love shade will bolt (flower and then seed) when it gets too hot, so it’s important to keep those out of the sun.
- Be sure to plant cool season shady vegetables early for the best results. Many can be planted as soon as the ground is workable in early spring.
There’s no lack of vegetables that grow in shade. Once you understand what vegetables grow in shade, partial shade and partial sun, you’ll be able to utilize all of the garden space you have to grow anything you want.
If you’d like to learn how to make the most of your space and get as much homegrown food as possible, then my Vertical Vegetables book is perfect! It will teach you all you need to know, has tons of gorgeous photos, and includes 23 DIY projects you can build for your own garden. Order your copy today!
Learn more about my Vertical Vegetables book here.
More Posts About Vegetable Gardening
- 15 Fast Growing Vegetables To Plant In Your Garden
- How To Attract Bees To Your Vegetable Garden
- 15 Colorful Vegetables To Grow In Your Garden
- 17 Easy Vegetables To Grow In Your Garden
Share your favorite vegetables that grow in shade in the comments section below.
Wonder Ndlovu says
Waw. This answers my problems . thank you so much.
Amy Andrychowicz says
You’re welcome!
Megan Jordan says
I transplanted a rhubarb plant almost two weeks ago into my partial shaded area. It has since completely wilted over, and the leaves are on the ground and brown. At the base of the stalk down by the dirt it still feels firm. Will it revive itself if I just leave it to let it do its thing?
Amy Andrychowicz says
I’m not sure. I would leave it and hope for the best. Just keep it evenly watered, but not to the point where the soil is soggy.
Julie says
I suggest cutting it back k to 3-4″ from the ground. You may sacrifice any harvest for 2021, but you give the roots time to strengthen themselves without trying to support the stems and leaves. Good luck.
Marisa says
Very helpful advice and wonderful photos! I’ve always wanted to start a vegetable garden, but had no idea where to start since I have too much shade.
~Marisa
Amy Andrychowicz says
Awesome, you’re welcome!
Vineta says
I’m so excited to learn that cucumbers can do well in part shade! Most of our garden is part or full shade, and I’ve been wanting to plant something other than ferns in the backyard. A little vegetable garden would be perfect!
Amy Andrychowicz says
Awesome! Hope everything will grow well for you.
Ashleigh says
I love to grow veggies at our apartment but our tiny balcony only gets a limited amount of sunlight. I’m glad to know that there are crops that would thrive in the shade! Thank you for sharing!
Amy Andrychowicz says
You’re welcome, hope they will grow well for you! By the way, many of these shade vegetables also grow well in containers!
Michael Beddall says
Hi Amy,
Which variety of cucumber did well in the shade? I’m trying this year but like you, my neighbours tree has become tall enough to keep my garden in shade most of the afternoon. I estimate that my cucumbers (I’m growing the pickling variety) will only get 3-4 hours of sun a day. Do you think that’s enough? I’m wondering if I should just give up now and plant shade tolerant veggies instead…
Amy Andrychowicz says
I have grown several varieties of cucumbers successfully in my part-shade garden. I have grown different varieties of picklers, as well as lemon cucumbers and Marketmore. I think you should go for it and see how well cucumbers grow for you. Oh, and if you grow them vertically, they might be able to get more sun than if the vines are left growing on the ground.
Cindy says
2 years ago we had move to a house were trying to find full sun is a bit of a challenge,thanks for the tip
Amy Andrychowicz says
Yes, having too much shade is always a huge challenge for many gardeners. You’re welcome, hope your new garden thrives this year!
Heather says
I would consider planting a currant bush/shrub. Currants prefer part shade, and you could make wonderful preserves, compotes, etc.
Amy Andrychowicz says
Great suggestion, thanks Heather!
Amy