Modern summer cottages, as a rule, are small, mostly 6 acres, but I want to not only allocate a place for a garden and a kitchen garden on them, but also arrange a small house, outbuildings, equip a recreation area with a gazebo, so that the brazier also fits . Nevertheless, the main thing is still considered the presence on the plot of beds with vegetables and herbs. There is only one problem - in the presence of all the buildings there are very few sunny places on the site.
That is why gardeners immediately have questions about how to properly use shaded areas and what vegetables can be planted in the shade.
General rules for landing in a small area
- Fruit trees are placed along the fence around the perimeter of the site.
- Shrubs are planted in rows in the center of the plot, thereby delimiting it into zones.
- For vegetables and flowers, they choose the remaining free places, given which of them are shade-loving, and which prefer the sun's rays.
- Vegetables that love shade, as a rule, compensate for the lack of sun with increased requirements for the composition of the soil and its moisture. Therefore, they must be regularly watered and fed, especially during the ripening period.
Little Tricks of Growing
What is still to be done if buildings and overgrown trees give a lot of shade on the site, and therefore the question is what edges to plant? Oddly enough, you should not despair in this case.
Yes, you won’t win a competition for a giant zucchini or a huge tomato, but nevertheless you can get a decent harvest, perhaps a little later than usual. Indeed, for most edible crops it is enough to stay in the sun for no more than four hours a day, and many leafy plants require even less.
If you have problems with sunlight on the site, you should start by analyzing the situation, then to move on to deciding what vegetables can be planted in the shade.
- You will be pleasantly surprised to learn that many parts of your site receive much more light than you thought. Get a photometer or light meter, which is always sold in stores for the garden. With the help of these devices, you can easily measure the illumination of any place and determine what you can plant there.
- If you doubt that certain vegetables will normally grow in your chosen area, conduct such an experiment. Before you break the beds, plant the plants in pots and put them on this site. Watch them grow. Seeing that they are too stretched, have pale greens or do not bear fruit, move them to another place.
This method of growing plants in pots in areas with a small area is quite popular, especially if groups of pots are placed on small platforms equipped with castors. Firstly, you can constantly grow vegetables and greens in this way, moving the platform with pots throughout the day to sunny areas, and secondly, determine the most favorable places for their growth.
- A good result for organizing more sunny places is given by a change in the illumination under the trees. Thinning the crown of the tree, especially removing the lower branches, you can get diffused sunlight. And here you don’t have to think about what to put in the shade, since in the resulting penumbra you can plant quite a lot of different plants.
What vegetables are not particularly demanding in sunlight?
When choosing which vegetables can be planted in the shade, be aware that there are not so few of them.
Beans, peas and bush beans feel great in such conditions and give a good harvest.
Shaded areas under the trees are suitable for growing root crops such as beets, carrots, radishes and radishes.
Representatives of the cruciferous family - broccoli, cauliflower, Beijing and white cabbage - also grow well in shaded places, especially if they are planted in rows in the east-west direction, regularly watered and weeded.
Even some varieties of tomatoes, cucumbers and zucchini, which are considered to be sun-loving, normally tolerate shade, especially in the southern regions. True, their ripening dates are slightly delayed.
What leaf crops are grown in the shade?
Rhubarb grows well in shaded areas, but do not forget about regular watering.
In species of perennial onions such as slime and chives, when they do not grow in the sun, the greens become more juicy.
When deciding what to plant in the shade, feel free to give preference to leafy crops such as sorrel, arugula, spinach, salads, and leaf mustard. Their leaves will not grow powerful, but for a long time they will remain tender, without bitterness and will not go quickly in color.
What spicy herbs are grown in the shade?
While many herbs require enough sun, such as celery, parsley, mint, lovage, thyme, cilantro and tarragon perfectly tolerate the shade, while becoming even more fragrant.
As you can see, the lack of sun on the site is not an insurmountable obstacle for those who want to have an excellent garden. And what vegetables can be planted in the shade, you decide, especially since their choice is large enough.