Hello, I recently did some earthworks and now have a 3 * 4 metre block of soil, on a 1:10 slope (good drainage, maybe too good). The spot unfortunately is permanently in shade, though some sun does get through the leaf cover. Location is near Hornsby, North of Sydney Australia. Any ideas on the best vegetables to plant, I am used to full sunlight and now full shade has me unsure. many thanks
Can you use mirrors or shiny surfaces to reflect more light in there? Otherwise you might struggle to get much of a vege patch going.
There are a couple of dedicated threads at permies.com too, on growing plants in shade. Off the top of my head... lettuce, parsley, mint, silver beet, maybe tomatoes, courgettes.... I live in a dry climate though.
Can you put a Chayote up the trees? (perennial) I grow Pumpkins from under trees, Plant them a bit back in from the shade or dripline and let them grow out from under the tree. That way they keep their feet in the shade and leaves out in the sun. How about some berries?
What about native ginger (alpinia caerulea)? I have just put some in under macadamia trees in where it only receives a bit of dappled sunlight and it seems to be going well. I am not too far from you, and I know of some others in my area who grow it in near full shade successfully. It has a small blue edible fruit and you can use the rhizomes as you would ordinary ginger. It is a rainforest species so it should do well with some humidity I think. Hope this helps
was going to say sweet potato as well no need to let them grow rampant, trim them back to a manageable hump eat the young shoots and leaves like spinach just wilt them, also lettuce may do of if it isn't middle of the black forest, with teh seets all we do is keep winding them around over themselves create an area about 1sq/mt in size nothing else will grow there then, Masanobu Fukuoka's suggest letting them grow up trees you get bigger yams. len