Here's a photo I took of the neglected garden in our backyard in June 2007. I think this was a vegetable patch at one time. Someone went to a lot of trouble to put a picket fence around it and build a lean to shed. Several years of renters turned it into a jungle. Overgrown back yard vegetable garden June 2007 ( photo / image / picture from whistler's Garden ) Back yard overgrown vegetable garden ( photo / image / picture from whistler's Garden ) We managed to clean up the garden - took down the rotten pickets and the rickety shed and put down tarpaulins to try to stop weeds and plants from coming up but have never done anything with it other than paint some boards last year in this area. We'd like to put some raised garden beds and grow vegetables. Back veg garden area one day ( photo / image / picture from whistler's Garden ) Back veg garden one day 2 ( photo / image / picture from whistler's Garden ) My husband says he will be build me some more raised garden beds very soon. We have the garden ties. He bought them a year ago. So he's not in a big hurry. He only brought it up a couple of days ago when I said I wanted to plant some potatoes. The raised bed are going in an area where they'll get sun from the south for a short period in the morning and then early afternoon for awhile and possibly into early evening. We have a large cedar tree in the middle of the back yard and three cedar trees along the property line, one on our side of the fence all will provide shade at some point of the day in this garden depending where the sun is. Here are photos of the cedars. Cedar tree in middle of back yard ( photo / image / picture from whistler's Garden ) Another cedar tree in our back yard ( photo / image / picture from whistler's Garden ) Does anybody have any suggestions on what vegetables might grow in this area knowing it will not receive full sun. Please don't suggest beets - I don't like them! I've never had much luck with tomatoes due to blight but maybe they'd grow in this area OK? We want to grow potatoes and onions for sure and I'm hoping this area might handle that. Lettuce and carrots I've never had much luck with before thanks to hungry rabbits and insects but I'm willing to give them another try. Would asparagus grow in an area that gets shade? Thanks for any suggestions!
Hi Coppice. Removing the cedars is not an option due to very strict laws in my city for tree cutting. My trees are considered "protected" which means even if I applied for a permit my request would be denied unless I had an arborist report that the tree is dying or damaged from a storm and at risk of falling and causing damage to people or property. Even then the city would send out their own arborist and it would be time consuming unless it was an emergency. Penalty for cutting down a protected tree is $10,000 per tree plus going to court where I face another $10,000 per tree fine plus jail time. Definitely not worth it to me! I also wouldn't get very far chopping down those trees. Neighbors would be very quick to phone the authorities. Right after we bought the house neighbors showed up to introduce themselves and express their love for our trees and how they hope nothing ever happens to them. City bylaws also cover pruning of protected trees. They are not allowed to be topped. They are not allowed to be pruned in such a manner that might be a hazard to their health. Suffice it to say the cedars stay! I can't afford to bring them down. I'd probably be run out of town!
Hey whistler, one suggestion on the ceders that i have done here with similar bylaws is to prune from the bottom up or on one side with the specific aim to let more sun through. Some times taking pruning the tree up 6ft can put lots of light in and tidy the tree. i'vw found it also makes the tree healthier. as for plants for shade, anything where you eat the leafs. might want to try cherry tomatoes as well. Sunnier spots you should be ok with potatoes. check out the guys at west coast seeds, there in BC i use there seeds all the time. if they are close might be worth asking their advice.
My garden has begun to suffer some of what your garden has. Shade is definitely a vegie garden killer, but I am getting a nice shade garden going . Am adding some native ginger and kinnickink this year. I have more ferns sprouting in my garden area then ever before. I've heard that sala berries are edible and good for jam. Tried some last summer and they weren't bad. Blueberries need sun. Leafy vegies might do OK, but even they need sun most of the day with our cool summers. Strawberries are growing well for me, but not very many berries like those in the sun. Don't know if any of this will give you any ideas that you will like. Maybe that sunny front yard for vegies???
Thanks for the replies. Jerry, I think I'll try the lettuce, peas, and broccoli and see how they do. Danjensen - Hmm, cherry tomatoes. I hadn't thought about that. I think the potatoes will do best right at the edge where the lawn is rather than further back near the fence. I don't think much will grow back there! I looked up West Coast Seeds and they are a little out of my way to drive to but close enough to call. I think their seeds are sold at Home Depot. I know I've seen them somewhere around here... Jewell - this area will get sun at different parts of the day, and probably get the most in late afternoon. I have strawberries growing in a couple of places. They're in my rhubarb patch, which gets some shade and also with my raspberries. However this year I have so many raspberry shoots coming up that I'm going to have to transplant those strawberries with the others in the rhubarb garden or they'll get choked out. I've never heard of kinnickink!? I have no ferns. Somehow I think we're going to end up using some of the raised gardens for flowers that grow well in the shade. We do have other areas of the backyard that get more sun and I might have to put a raised garden in one of those spots for blueberries.
I think most veggies will grow, but they won't ever reach perfection. Salad crops don't seem to mind the shade, nor does spinach as I believe the cooler air prevents them from going to seed quickly. The only thing is of course, you may have to water more if the trees make the ground dry.
Ginger would be a good choice too. I plant my gingers under my daintree and I get nice gingers. Gingers do well in shaded areas because they do not need much sunlight.
