Shady Characters: Low-Light-Tolerant Vegetables and Herbs for Your Garden

Not all garden crops want or need a full sun of six hours a day or more. There are some resilient plants that can tolerate and even thrive in the shade.

Leafy greens do better in shady conditions and lose all tenderness if they receive more than 12 hours of sunlight per day. Arjan Kemeling/Shutterstock

Shade plays a critical role in any vegetable garden. Low-light areas near structures, under trees, or even under larger crops can be used to maximize garden space. In some cases, such as balcony gardening, these areas may be the only ones available.

Not all shade is created alike. Most gardeners know that full sun is considered to be six or more hours of direct sun each day, that partial sun is four to six hours of direct sunlight each day, and that the hours don’t have to be continuous. It can be a few hours in the morning, shade midday, and the rest of the required hours in the afternoon. The many definitions of shade, however, are more complex.

Correct Terminology

To the surprise of many gardening newbies, shady locations have their sunny hours, as no plant can grow without some light. Partial shade is considered three to five hours of sun per day, and full shade is a location that gets less than three hours of sunlight daily.