Not all of us are fortunate enough to have space to grow in full sun. Many people live in apartments with a balcony and limited sunshine. However, there is lots of food you can still grow in limited sun!
Basically, a good rule to remember is that if you grow a plant for the fruit or the root, it needs full sun. If you grow it for the leaves, stems, or buds, a little shade will be just fine.
Although these plants can tolerate some shade, no vegetable will grow in full shade. The following crops will produce with three to six hours of sun or consistent dappled sunlight.
1. Lettuce
Lettuce is easy to grow and tolerates shade well! You should have lettuce within a few months after planting your seeds.
2. Spinach
Spinach is our favorite thing to grow and can handle shade like a champ! It won’t grow as fast as spinach planted in full sun, but you should be able to start harvesting this super nutritious green within a few months.
3. Mint
Mint is pretty much invincible and will tolerate most any conditions you throw at it. It spreads like wildfire so keeping it in a container is actually preferred to letting it run wild in the garden.
4. Green Onions (Chives)
Green onions (chives) are one of our favorite things to keep around the patio! They do great in shade and will come back year after year!
5. Parsley
Parsley is another herb that tolerates shade and does great in a container. It’s also a great source of many vitamins & nutrients!