There are many vegetable plants that grow in the shade. With proper care and nutrition, you can grow these vegetables and fill your garden. Read the following article to find out which vegetables require shade to grow...

People who enjoy gardening are always on the lookout to make their gardens as green and full as possible. When gorgeous vegetables and flowers transform the beauty and aesthetics of a garden, the hard work behind it all does not really matter that much. Of course, gardening takes a lot of effort, caring, maintenance, and desire because other than that, no matter how much you wish to want a garden filled with vegetables, it just won't happen on its own. But that's not all you require to make your dream a reality. In order to enjoy a 'fruitful' garden, you need to take care of the soil, nurture it, grow vegetables according to sunlight necessity, and provide the soil and vegetable plants with healthy nutrients. When all these things are combined, that's when you can be sure to reap the benefits of your hard labor.

Every vegetable plant has its own set of requirements and it will depend on you which vegetables you want from your garden. If you are planning on growing vegetable plants that grow in shade, then there are certain vegetables which can be included in your garden. In this article, we will be going over the different types of edible vegetable plants that don't require direct sunlight.

Vegetable Plants that Need Shade

Now when we talk about vegetables that require a shaded part to grow properly, that doesn't mean that they don't require any sunlight. What I mean is, there are certain vegetables that need sunlight all day long or most of the day to survive and grow. On the other hand, some vegetable plants are capable of growing without being subjected to full sunlight. And hence, if you have a shaded area in your garden or are planning to grow them in your balcony, you can include them. So, which are these vegetable plants? Here's our list.

Beetroot
Partial or cloth shaded area does perfectly well for beetroots. They thrive in cool temperatures, require adequate soil moisture, and enough nutrients to mature. As the entire plant is edible, you can cut it any time during its growth period.

Broccoli
To grow healthy green broccoli florets, plant them in a shaded area of your garden. Now broccoli is one of those vegetable plants that grow in shade and doesn't even require any sunlight. So there is no worry if a certain part of your garden doesn't get any sunlight; however, you need to be careful about the weed situation.

Brussels sprout
First plant the seeds in a container to grow Brussels sprout and when you see a few leaves sprouting, transplant them in the shaded area of your garden or balcony. Make sure the soil isn't loose around each plant and is not damp when you do so.

Cabbage
You require a cool, moist, and open environment to grow cabbage as it requires proper drainage system and rich soil. It's ideal to plant cabbage in early spring and harvest it during summer or early fall. Grow beet, beans, onion, potatoes, and oregano alongside cabbage. However, keep tomatoes and strawberries away from them for proper growth.

Cauliflower
Belonging to the cabbage family, cauliflower is another crop that loves cool weather. During the daytime, it can grow really well as long as it is under partial or complete shade provided with cloth. The soil needs to be moist, full of nutrients, good drainage system, and enough organic matter for cauliflower to grow well.

Garlic
This plant requires a deep and nutritious soil that has a good drainage system. Too much moist soil is not ideal for growing garlic as the seed cloves might get mushy and turn bad. Sow the seed cloves from the roots, straight in the soil, and far from one another.

Lettuce
This vegetable is considered as a cool weather crop as it thrives in partial shade. Besides planting lettuce, you can also grow beets, cabbage, peas, radish, strawberries, and clover alongside it. Other salad greens that can be grown in the shade are arugula, endive, chicory, mizuna, mustards, and cress.

Onions
You can grow onions in a small container in the balcony as it requires partial shade to mature. All you need to keep in mind is to water them regularly and provide it with essential nutrients. Apart from the bulbs, you can harvest its leaves and include them in various recipes.

Potatoes
Plant potato seeds in a shaded area where the temperature is quite cool. Use trays to plant the seeds and keep them in a lit, well-ventilated area where there are no chances of frost. These plants require a lot of moisture but make sure you don't use fertilizers that are high in nitrogen.

Spinach
This vegetable grows really well in rich, nutritious soil and lots of organic matter. Low temperatures suit spinach and you require some amount of shade or the heat might wilt them. You can grow cabbage, celery, onion, peas, strawberries, and eggplant alongside them. Apart from spinach, other leafy green vegetable plants that grow in shade are collards, kale, beet greens, and mustard greens.

Some Herbs
There are certain herbs which require shaded areas (partial sunlight), adequate moisture, and somewhat fertile soil. Herbs like basil, chervil, chives, cilantro, mints, parsley, sage, sorrel, tarragon, and thyme grow fantastically in shady areas.

Apart from these vegetable plants that grow in shade, you can also read a Buzzle article on how to grow indoor vegetables for more information. Many people are under this misconception that tomatoes can be grown in shade or partial shade. Actually, tomatoes along with corn and peppers need to be exposed to sunlight for 6 hours minimum, per day.