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Home / Food Gardening / Vegetable Gardening / 40+ Vegetables That Grow In Shade

40+ Vegetables That Grow In Shade

By Amy Andrychowicz | 14 Comments

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Vegetables don't all require the same sun exposure. Veggies with leaves, like salad greens and spinach prefer shade. Root crops, like radish and carrot, do great in part-shade. And ones that get flowers or heads, like brussels sprouts or beans, will tolerate part-sun. Find tons of options with this shade vegetables list, including part shade and part sun veggies too! Once you learn about the types of vegetables that grow in shade, you can plant anything you want!

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.

40+ Vegetables That Grow In Shade

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!

 

Here’s what you’ll find in this post…

  • Shade Vegetable Gardening In Not A Bad Thing!
  • How Shady Is Your Vegetable Garden?
  • 40+ Vegetables For Shade
    • Shade Vegetables
    • Partial Shade Vegetables
    • Partial Sun Vegetables
  • Tips For Growing Vegetables In Shade
Kohlrabi and turnips are good vegetables for shady areas

Kohlrabi and turnips are good vegetables for shady areas

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.

Peas are good vegetables to grow in shade

Peas are good vegetables to grow in shade

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!

Broccoli is one of the vegetables that grow in partial sun

Broccoli is one of the vegetables that grow in partial sun

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.

Zucchini is a great vegetable for part sun

Zucchini is a great vegetable for part sun

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.

Spinach is a shade loving vegetable

Spinach is a shade loving vegetable

Here’s the list of vegetables for shade…

  • Leaf lettuce
  • Swiss chard
  • Mibuna
  • Arugula
  • Cress
  • Collard greens
  • Rhubarb
  • Spinach
  • Mache
  • Tatsoi
  • Bok choy
  • Claytonia
  • Mustard greens
Lettuce is one of the best vegetables for shade

Lettuce is one of the best vegetables for shade

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.

Carrots are excellent vegetables for part shade

Carrots are excellent vegetables for part shade

Here the list of vegetables for partial shade…

  • Green onions
  • Beets
  • Rutabaga
  • Carrot
  • Bush beans
  • Kohlrabi
  • Endive
  • Radish
  • Turnip
  • Parsnips
  • Scallions
  • Kale
  • Leeks
  • Peas
Radishes are vegetables that can grow in shade

Radishes are vegetables that can grow in 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.

Cauliflower is a shade tolerant vegetable

Cauliflower is a shade tolerant vegetable

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
Cucumbers are good vegetables for partial sun

Cucumbers are good vegetables for partial sun

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.
Chard is a perfect vegetable plant for shade

Chard is a perfect vegetable plant for shade

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.

More Posts About Vegetable Gardening

  • 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.


Vegetables don't all require the same sun exposure. Veggies with leaves, like salad greens and spinach prefer shade. Root crops, like radish and carrot, do great in part-shade. And ones that get flowers or heads, like brussels sprouts or beans, will tolerate part-sun. Find tons of options with this shade vegetables list, including part shade and part sun veggies too! Once you learn about the types of vegetables that grow in shade, you can plant anything you want!

About Amy Andrychowicz

I live and garden in Minneapolis, MN (zone 4b). My green thumb comes from my parents, and I've been gardening most of my life. I’m a passionate gardener who loves growing everything from vegetables, herbs, and flowers to succulents, tropicals, and houseplants - you name, I've grown it! Read More...

Comments

  1. Megan Jordan says

    June 9, 2020 at 10:25 am

    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?

    Reply
    • Amy Andrychowicz says

      June 16, 2020 at 4:24 pm

      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.

      Reply
  2. Marisa says

    May 11, 2016 at 5:33 pm

    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

    Reply
    • Amy Andrychowicz says

      May 12, 2016 at 9:51 am

      Awesome, you’re welcome!

      Reply
  3. Vineta says

    May 5, 2016 at 4:42 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Amy Andrychowicz says

      May 6, 2016 at 4:26 pm

      Awesome! Hope everything will grow well for you.

      Reply
  4. Ashleigh says

    May 3, 2016 at 8:06 pm

    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!

    Reply
    • Amy Andrychowicz says

      May 6, 2016 at 4:21 pm

      You’re welcome, hope they will grow well for you! By the way, many of these shade vegetables also grow well in containers!

      Reply
  5. Michael Beddall says

    May 13, 2015 at 4:24 pm

    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…

    Reply
    • Amy Andrychowicz says

      May 14, 2015 at 1:26 pm

      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.

      Reply
  6. Cindy says

    January 22, 2015 at 9:42 am

    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

    Reply
    • Amy Andrychowicz says

      January 22, 2015 at 7:57 pm

      Yes, having too much shade is always a huge challenge for many gardeners. You’re welcome, hope your new garden thrives this year!

      Reply
  7. Heather says

    January 8, 2015 at 12:11 am

    I would consider planting a currant bush/shrub. Currants prefer part shade, and you could make wonderful preserves, compotes, etc.

    Reply
    • Amy Andrychowicz says

      January 15, 2015 at 5:48 am

      Great suggestion, thanks Heather!

      Amy

      Reply

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Amy Andrychowicz is the creator and owner of Get Busy Gardening (getbusygardening.com), an author, a blogger, and a passionate gardener.

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Amy Andrychowicz is an author, and the creator of Get Busy Gardening. She is devoted to helping new gardeners learn through guidance, encouragement, and advice that is easy to understand.
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