What edibles can I plant in my shaded yard?

[1iora]

Hello!
Came across this forum and searched around, but I'm a little confused as to whether some of the answers would apply to my specific situation.

I recently moved into a house in DC and it has a yard that's a complete blank slate (some kind of miracle here). It's a rowhouse, and the backyard is north with the house almost directly south. So the yard is in shade the entire day. I've already given up doing my yummy fruits (going to do potted cherry tomato and strawberry on the front steps though), and have decided to go with a fern garden in the backyard (and a no-mortar brick patio), with some giant hostas from my boyfriend's dad's garden to block the air conditioning units.

But I do want to have an edibles garden. So what can I plant in the backyard? There's shade the entire day - it doesn't get direct light ever. At all. I'm zone 7A.

Let me know if there is a problem with the pictures loading. There's nothing in the yard now, just that bush (yet to be identified, but I think I'm going to replace it with elderflower or climbing things, to block that window which is to the basement apartment)

 

[lesa]

You know shade is tough... that being said you are in a great zone. If it were me, I would try a bunch of stuff and see what can handle it. Certainly, lettuce and spinach should do fine. Some of the herbs. Stick to the front steps for the tomatoes and peppers. I think experimentation is going to be the key. Clearly, some green things grow there- in the form of the "lawn". Good luck and let us know how you progress! And welcome to TEG!!

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

You know shade is tough... that being said you are in a great zone. If it were me, I would try a bunch of stuff and see what can handle it. Certainly, lettuce and spinach should do fine. Some of the herbs. Stick to the front steps for the tomatoes and peppers. I think experimentation is going to be the key. Clearly, some green things grow there- in the form of the "lawn". Good luck and let us know how you progress! And welcome to TEG!!

And I would say that you should be able to grow some edibles with success. I see dandilions there (please...no offense, I am not picking on your lawn ) but that should mean as lesa mentioned that you could grow leafy greens. Another thing I might try to take advatange of is your verticle space with some peas or pole beans along your fence line. Why not try it? My garden this year had a lot of shade and did very well comparred to some others that took a beating from the hot summer sun. I will just caution you in a shaded area to not "overwater".

Make sure you post your progress when the time comes. It is exciting for all of us to see what different people come up with!

 

[ninnymary]

I don't know if you are renting and would want to do this, or if it would help. One of my parents made a raised bed about 3' high. This helped to get more sun to it. I don't remember if it was filled in all the way or if it had a "fake" bottom to it.

Mary

 

[digitS']

I have to say that your back fence looks like it hasn't been sun-bleached but . . . are you sure you don't get some sun back there?

If you "recently moved" perhaps your experience is with a sun at an angle of 28 rather than the 74 you will experience on June 21st. (I just checked sun angles for DC and hope that I got them right - think so [click].)

You may want to use containers on your fence but, that's just an idea. (I see that Mary has a similar idea.) Aaannnny direct sunlight, will help - even with shade-tolerant vegetables.

I have grown onions fairly successfully where shade is continuous beginning about 11am. I don't think they would have done much as bulb onions but the scallions were fine. As has been mentioned, lettuce & spinach. In fact, this is my preferred location for spinach. I've also had a nice little patch of parsley in there .

My chives are in the shadiest place in my yard. Sunlight only falls on them during mid-summer and only for about an hour each day.

Best of Luck!

Steve

 

[catjac1975]

Salad crops should do OK. Green beans also. Tall tomatoes that will reach for the sun. SOIL,SOIL,SOIL is the answer. If things don't do well try a tunnel cover to increase the heat. Is that your fence or the neighbors? Take it down if you can and put up one that lets the light through. Don't give up experiment with different locations and different crops. In Different years certain crops do well and not others. Container planting on the stairs could be an answer.

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

cukes tend to like some shade. they usually prefer it in the hotter part of the day though. but this is a thought to help you!

 

[1iora]

Thanks everyone!
I took the photos in late October.
I hadn't thought about the light in the summer - it's possible there is some, at least on the far side of the yard, when the sun is overhead rather than low in the south (the house must make less of a shadow, right?). That gives me an idea too. I'm going to spy on the neighbors and see what they have growing along their fences, then come on here and ask for help identifying the plants. If they're generally sun or shade-loving then I might have an answer!

It's a co-op, so I can't take the fence down, but I can do raised beds and such. Maybe doing a raised bed along the far fence (with beans and peas growing up the fence) would be enough to get it a little sunshine, even if the summer light is bad as well. I think raised bed in general will be a good idea though, as the lawn has been damp the entire time we've been here. DC used to be a marsh, I guess. So I'll have a little better control of the drainage with raised beds.

 

[rebbetzin]

Oh my! Living here in the Desert, you have an abunance of green there! So it can't be deep shade all year. Looks perfect for the salad greens, radishes, carrots, cabbage most cool weather crops and some herbs will take partial shade.

Looking forward to seeing how your garden developes.

 

[silkiechicken]

I've done pole beans, peas, lettuce, cherry tomatoes and some flowers on a 100% north facing balcony out of buckets. It only gets early morning and early evening light when the sunrise/sunset sweeps a bit north. So with actual ground space that is not covered on top with a balcony, I say you can try anything suited for your area! Only difference is that in the shade, you get probably half the harvest you would in full sun unless you are growing leafy greens.

Ours is the middle one that is greener than the rest

From the inside