Shady Veggies
Veggies in the Shade
Veggies in the Shade
SOME SUN, PLEASE Most chards tolerate partial shade, but not all.
Q. My vegetable garden space is in tree shade about half the day. Which vegetables are most shade-tolerant?
A. Because sun equals energy, the less work a plant must do to make a crop, the better its chances in shade. “Leaves, roots, flowers, fruits” is a useful mnemonic.
Lettuce and chard can get by with less sun than radishes; broccoli can produce heads where tomatoes produce little except frustration.
More specifically, loose-leaf lettuces are better bets than heading types. Sprouting broccoli makes many small heads rather than a single big one, so it has more shots at success. Most chards do fine, but colored beauties like Bright Lights and Golden Sunrise can be pale if sun is insufficient.
Much will depend on your particular conditions. A spot with shady mornings and sunny afternoons will be far more vegetable-friendly than one that is sunny until noon and then dim until nightfall.
And tree roots compete for water and nutrients. Having a lot can be as limiting as the shade itself. But do not be discouraged. Even if all you can grow is leaves, the modern passion for fancy greenery means you have many choices. Mizuna, mâche and arugula are just the tip of the salad.
Sources for large assortments of greens include the Cook’s Garden, (800) 457-9703 or cooksgarden.com, and Nichols Garden Nursery, (800) 422-3985 or nicholsgardennursery.com.
A Lilac Resists the Guillotine
Q. Five years ago I planted Miss Kim lilacs beneath east-facing windows. They bloomed for three years and grew so vigorously they began blocking the view. I pruned them across the top two years ago and haven’t seen a bloom since. Must I choose between a clear view and the fragrant blossoms?
A. Yes. Although Miss Kim is often described as semidwarf, this popular late bloomer can become 9 or 10 feet tall. Beheading yours may have made them shorter, but it will not keep them so.
Before long they will resume upward growth, even more vigorously than before. And lilacs bloom mostly on branches one to four years old, so you cannot keep cutting them off. To look out over blooming lilacs, replace Miss Kim with Palibin, which seldom tops five feet.
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posted by Joe Paris @ Thursday, April 17, 2008
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