Tips for gardening in a shaded yard

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Forum -> Hobbies, Crafts, and Collections -> Gardening

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michal817 ↓

Wed, Nov 12 2014, 1:36 pm

I have a small yard that doesn't get that much sunlight, thanks in large part to our neighbor's tree that overhangs our property. I'd love to have a vegetable patch, or even just plant some beautiful flowers/bushes/etc to beautify my home, but I don't want to go through all the effort if nothing is going to grow. So my question is, are there any fruits or veggies that don't need direct sunlight (or only need a small amount of sunlight)? Or what else can I plant so that it's not just grass, weeds, and scraggly bushes all year round?

Thanks!

amother ↓

Wed, Nov 12 2014, 1:42 pm

Ny law is --you can cut neighbors ChillPill

Branches if they hang over on you're property .but I would ask them first

↑ amother

Wed, Nov 12 2014, 1:44 pm

This time of year in ny
Squirrels and rabbits will dig up what you plant Banging head

Rubber Ducky ↓

Wed, Nov 12 2014, 1:54 pm

Do you have any sun in your front yard? We grow most of our fruits and veggies in front because our back yard is shaded.

Wineberries and elderberries will grow in shade. Kiwis too, I think. Vegetables where you just eat the leaves — like all kinds of lettuce — will also grow in shade.

We have an Asian pear in our shady backyard. It finally got tall enough to get some sun, and really produced a lot of delicious, sweet, mild fruit this year — which unfortunately was almost all eaten by squirrels, but dealing with squirrels would be a different thread...

↑ michal817 ↓

Wed, Nov 12 2014, 2:03 pm

We live in NJ, so I'd have to check the laws here about cutting the branches.

Our front yard is even smaller than our backyard, and only gets some afternoon sun (our houses faces west). If I tried to grow anything in the front, it would literally take up the whole front yard. And people on our street are very into the yards looking nice and neat, so I don't know how they'd react to a front yard garden. We just moved in, don't want to upset our new neighbors, you know? LOL

I like the idea of planting wineberries, elderberries, and lettuce, but I'd have to figure out how to keep all the rabbits and squirrels away from them... And aren't kiwis a more tropical fruit? Would they grow in northern NJ?

↑ Rubber Ducky ↓

Wed, Nov 12 2014, 2:12 pm

Regular kiwis won't grow in New Jersey, but there are a few Russian Arctic-type varieties. I"yH I'll try to post a link later.

↑ michal817 ↓

Wed, Nov 12 2014, 2:28 pm

Rubber Ducky wrote:

Regular kiwis won't grow in New Jersey, but there are a few Russian Arctic-type varieties. I"yH I'll try to post a link later.

Ooh, sounds interesting, thanks!

studying_torah

Wed, Nov 12 2014, 3:07 pm

Hydrangeas and hostas do well in shade.

↑ Rubber Ducky ↓

Wed, Nov 12 2014, 6:54 pm

Hardy kiwis: http://ediblelandscaping.com/p.....ardy/

Russian kiwis: http://ediblelandscaping.com/p.....sian/

Regular kiwis need structural support — not sure about the more cold-resistant varieties.

Regarding wineberries and squirrels — they've left our raspberries alone so you may be OK there.

Do you know your climate zone?

↑ michal817 ↓

Tue, Nov 18 2014, 9:15 pm

Sorry, didn't see your reply until just now. I'm either in zone 6b or 7a- the two websites I looked at said different things.

↑ Rubber Ducky

Tue, Nov 18 2014, 10:48 pm

I think your climate is similar to mine, maybe a tad colder. Baltimore is 7A. I've never recorded a temperature colder than 0° F here.

I was thinking about your garden limitations, and thought that maybe growing a few ornamental edibles in your sunny front yard would increase the bounty. For example, blueberries need sun but are beautiful small bushes. In just a few years (after orla is past) they will provide an abundant crop. Blueberries do really well in the mid-Atlantic and need practically no care. I have 3 blueberry bushes — one of them has gorgeous bright red leaves in the fall. I'm looking forward to eating the harvest next summer!

You could also plant some ornamental vegetables and ground covers. Why not border your front walkway with Alpine strawberries? A small herb garden — sage, mint, basil, oregano — could also look nice.

Dolly Welsh

Tue, Nov 18 2014, 11:16 pm

Maybe this. A commenter says it tolerates shade.

http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com......html

I would leave the front garden very much like the neighbors'.

Maybe if you put a baker's rack in the back yard, you can catch some sun on the top shelf.

You might like a gazing ball back there; they are shiny.

http://www.windandweather.com/.....1.htm

↑ michal817

Tue, Nov 18 2014, 11:59 pm

Thanks so much for the ideas, everyone! You've definitely given me something to think about, now I just have to do some research and decide what to put in my yard and where. I'll let you ladies know if I have any other questions, and maybe one day I'll be able to share pictures of my (hopefully) beautiful property! Smile

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