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Grow more food in your garden with a variety of veggies and expand your growing season and harvest! There are plenty of vegetables that grow in partial shade.
Vegetables that can grow in partial shade (3-6 hours of sun) include Beets, Carrots, Broccoli, Lettuce, Spinach, and Radish. These crops grow well in early spring, and benefit from partial shade in the heat of summer which helps keep them from bolting as quickly. Here's some more details about these veggies that tolerate and can benefit from partial shade in the garden:
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Spinach: A wonderful vegetable crop for areas receiving 3–4 hours of direct sunlight per day, Spinach is beautiful and useful in the kitchen. Sautee it, add to soups or stews, make spinach dips, or just add it to a mixed salad. As spring transitions into summer and summer into fall, spinach does better in partial shade, so you can tuck it to the North of tomatoes or other taller crops where they will provide some afternoon shade as the summer progresses.
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Beets: Beets can grow in partial shade, thriving with 3–4 hours of direct sunlight, although they prefer full sun to grow big roots. Partial shade will keep the leafy tops tender, which can be harvested and steamed, sauteed, or used in soups. Beets are ideal for cooler, partially shaded corners, especially during hot summers.
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Lettuce: A classic, our crisp & sweet Little Gem Lettuce is the perfect addition to any garden. Sow lettuce often to keep your lettuce coming in all season long. You can keep lettuce plants happy when placed in the afternoon shade of taller crops, especially in the hot months of summer. Easy to start from seed, just sprinkle seeds on soil or potting mix and keep watered until sprout. Lettuce can be started in late winter/early spring, as it is tolerant of frosts. Covering it with frost cloth, a mini hoop house, overturned clear/frosted saucer or container during extra cold weather can keep it quite happy and growing through many snow storms in cold areas.
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Broccoli: A reliable, heirloom broccoli variety known for its cold tolerance, producing 4-6 in. dense blue-green heads and abundant side shoots perfect for late fall harvests. Our Waltham 59 Broccoli thrives in full sun but tolerates partial afternoon shade, especially in warmer climates where afternoon shade prevents bolting.
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Carrots: These rich, dark orange carrots boast exceptional flavor and a crisp texture – they are great to add to hot sauces or shred over salads, add to soups, roast or eat fresh. These highly adaptable carrots thrive in full sun, but they can also tolerate partial or dappled shade, especially in hot, dry summers. Carrots can also be left in the ground in the fall into winter, as a couple frosts can actually sweeten them and they store well in the ground. When temperatures drop, carrots convert starches into sugars, acting as a natural antifreeze that sweetens them. Carrots can continue to be harvested as needed until the ground freezes, especially when protected by heavy straw mulch.
- Radish: With their rapid maturity (often 3-4 weeks), Radishes are perfect for impatient gardeners, children, and fast successions. These are a must grow for every garden! Radishes can also be grown in the partial shade of summer, needing only 3-4 hours of direct sun to thrive. Partial shaded spots that offer 4-5 hours of sunlight can help prevent Radishes from bolting (going to seed) too quickly, especially in the hot weather of summer. In the spring, they prefer full sun to quickly produce their perfectly round cherry-colored roots, and they only take 30 days or so to harvest, one of the quickest veggies you can grow! These are great to start in your garden early in the spring, just direct sow them and be amazed at how fast they germinate and grow into little red orbs with pretty green leaves on top. The leaves are edible too!
Check out all of our vegetable seeds for more plants to grow in your food garden! Growing a variety of veggies increases your harvests, extends your season, allows you to take advantage of all the different growing conditions in your growing space, and they all beautify your garden!
Also, discover our seed-bundle of Herbs for Partial Shade that will complement your veggie garden, attract pollinators and beneficial insects, and provide lots of flavor in the kitchen!
These herbs and veggies are also great Companion Plants for Tomatoes and Peppers »
