Can I grow veg in area which doesnt get direct sunshine?

the goon

Hi all. The area is in a corner abutting two walls. Roughly 3mx3m. It doesnt really get much sun if any. Any advice greatfully appreciated

looksee

A corner like that is not great for growing veg, you are not likely to get good results, and many veg will simply refuse to grow at all.

the goon

Thanks. Thats a shame. Anyadvice what I might be able to do there? Would some fruit bushes like blackcurrent take there?

looksee

You have not posted a pic OP, but the general answer is, if it is in total shade you will not grow very much at all. How high are the walls? It might be feasible to put in a tree, I have a crab apple growing quite happily in a similar situation. The branches, and therefore the flowers and fruit are in sunshine, but the trunk is in complete shade.

Otherwise you have to think of plants that normally grow in, say, woodland and are used to shade. The main ones would be alpine strawberries - which are lovely in any garden but would hardly fill an entire bed - and blackberries. Even then blackberries really need a bit of sunshine to be sweet.

The best bet for a completely shaded corner is shade loving plants like ferns, berginias, honesuckle.

the goon

Thanks for the advice. I can't figure out how to post a pic from my phone. It keeps saying it s too big!!!

hiujn

wild garlic grows well in shade i pick mine from under trees in a local woodland and it is growing in shade.

http://www.seedaholic.com/allium-ursinum.html

You could dig some up and let them spread through out the area

magicbastarder

i've grown rhubarb successfully in an area that didn't get much light.

the goon

Right. I think I have managed to attach a picture of the area which would give some better reference.!

cobham

I have a walled dark corner and it was great patch for raspberries. Now I have had good results with french runner beans that appreciate the non sunbaked soil and happily grow up to sunshine. Though this year with the cold and wet they were slow to get started. Lovely beans now and will probably continue for longer than usual.

the goon

Thanks for the advice and suggestions. Will give them a go!

TTTT

Why not swap the lawn and veg patch around?

the goon

Funnily enough, I was thinking about that only this morning. What can't be seen from the picture is that there is another area adjacent to the patch at the moment which does get better light but again there are tree trunks which need to be dug out first. I will probably try and have that up and running for the coming spring.

In the meantime, I will have a go at getting this area up and running. Nothing ventured nothing gained!

cobham

The photo is good, not so shady after all! The height of the hedge to south (?) might be a problem as it is taking light/water what with prevailing winds to southwest bringing lot of our rainfall. Also roots might be an issue? You could work on improving the soil and think about raised beds?

the goon

Thanks, yes the hedge is to the south. I did a bit of work on in but as an impatient person I have already tried to plant some stuff. As you can see!

Day Lewin

Rhubarb, parsley, mint: raspberries too. (But they prefer sunshine)

Some fruit TREES will grow, especially if they can lift their heads above the walls, into some sunlight. Crab apples are descended from a native woodland tree.

endacl

Mirror?

Supercell

You'll get some sunshine there in the morning or evening depending on orientation and time of year. Think of early spring or late autumn veggies such as spring cabbage or pak choi might be worth a shot.

the goon

Mirror...interesting!

looksee

Or even paint the wall white!

the goon

katemarch wrote: »

Rhubarb, parsley, mint: raspberries too. (But they prefer sunshine)

Some fruit TREES will grow, especially if they can lift their heads above the walls, into some sunlight. Crab apples are descended from a native woodland tree.

I actually took some pears from pear trees in one of the neighboring houses this morning with the intention of germinating the seeds and trying to plant.

riffmongous

the goon wrote: »

I actually took some pears from pear trees in one of the neighboring houses this morning with the intention of germinating the seeds and trying to plant.

Would you not be better off buying a young tree instead though? Much faster and it will probably have a better chance of flourishing I would guess compared to one that grows up in full shade

the goon

I suppose I just want to see if I can germinate and grow it successfully as much as anything else!

riffmongous

the goon wrote: »

I suppose I just want to see if I can germinate and grow it successfully as much as anything else!

I'd usually be the same myself to be honest, I almost always try to grow from seed but I think in this case a young tree would be a better idea if you actually want a tree. You could always try germinate a few seeds in a big pot in a sunny part of the garden too, you can also take it indoors then in the winter too incase there is a bad snow/frost

the goon

Thanks, that's a great idea.Best of both worlds so to speak.