OT: low sunlight gardening in CT

[OkaForPrez]

So @okaforprez sr and I just finished a raised garden bed. I want to plant right away but I have a very shady back yard and only get about 4-5 hours of sun a day.

Anyone with a green thumb out there? What can I plant in Mid May with these sunlight conditions?

I've read a few articles online that say leafy and root veggies work best but also wanted to give a go at hot peppers, green beans, herbs like cilantro, mint, etc. and maybe cucumbers and or squash.

Are any of these not even worth the attempt with my conditions? Any other recommendations for a rookie?

Thanks

 

[B1GEast]

Cesspool!

<iframe width="854" height="510" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8V_hCqO6UQs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[OkaForPrez]

Lol. Post Gibbs commit is going to be slow around here. Unapologetic about my gardening post.

 

[Walker11]

You are basically on point with the idea to grow leafy and root vegetables. I would definitely feel fine growing cilantro in the shade. You probably want to keep mint in a pot anyways so it doesn't take over your garden and peppers will need a lot of sunlight and heat so put them in pots and move them to the sun. But to be honest, you never know til you try. I only get sun from 1-6 and I have killer tomatoes and squash. I'd recommend planting 1/2 stuff you know will work and take a chance with the other half. A good start is to take a ziploc of your soil and send it to the UCONN ag. extension and they will send you a good analysis for 15 bucks . Even with all the sun in the world, if your soil sucks, its gonna be tough. And you can always add things to your soil to make it better.

 

[Deepster]

You need 6+ solid hours of good sunlight for tomatoes, peas, green beans, cucumbers, zucchini. I am in the same boat with the sunniest part of my property getting me 3-4 hours of dappled sunlight at most.

Chard, Kale, Broccoli, root vegetables, lettuce, etc. I got a community garden plot this year (25.00) that I can put 20-30 tomato plants on. But for the shady lot at home? You're gonna work a lot for a low output.

 

[Robertelamin]

Try it all (other than mint), whats the worst that can happen? Other than peppers and maybe cilantro you can just buy like $1.50 seed packets from home depot. At least next year you will have an idea what is possible. Walker makes a good point too that you can grow things in pots and it might be more effective.

 

[zyron]

Chard, Kale, Broccoli, root vegetables, lettuce, etc. I got a community garden plot this year (25.00) that I can put 20-30 tomato plants on. But for the shady lot at home? You're gonna work a lot for a low output.

You must really love tomato's. I usually have 6 tomato plants and have to give a bunch away I have so many.

Anyone grow potato's before? I tried last year and only got about a pound total. A huge waste of time and water.

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Pretty much what Deep said, you can add spinach too. I have put up the broccoli in the area of the least sun.

 

[Deepster]

a) I can the tomatoes and use them all winter.
b) Waaaay too late to start most things from seed. Maybe beans or peas, but again, those need sun.
c) You can try to grow the vegetables that need a lot of sun but you're not getting anything without that extended direct sunlight. I pampered the heck out of my plants last year and they all grew just fine....just no actual vegetables. You need that heat and sun to make them pop out.

 

[8893]

Similar situation at our house, and my wife has a black thumb to boot.

Our youngest daughter likes to watch stuff grow though, and she's a pretty omnivorous eater--including most veggies and herbs. I used to love watching stuff grow too, so she and I decided to get a community garden plot in our town for the first time this year. We checked out our plot and bought our plants last weekend but we haven't put them in yet. Was hoping for this past weekend but ended up running all over the state for kids' sports stuff.

One question for Deep and/or others: Do you use weed block barriers or anything like that? I've heard mixed reviews--one friend swears by them now after having a plot in the community garden for a few years, because he says "guys like us" aren't going to get there every day, which is probably true. My secretary, who is an avid home gardener, says they don't work, and she prefers to just weed by hand.

 

[Walker11]

Similar situation at our house, and my wife has a black thumb to boot.

Our youngest daughter likes to watch stuff grow though, and she's a pretty omnivorous eater--including most veggies and herbs. I used to love watching stuff grow too, so she and I decided to get a community garden plot in our town for the first time this year. We checked out our plot and bought our plants last weekend but we haven't put them in yet. Was hoping for this past weekend but ended up running all over the state for kids' sports stuff.

One question for Deep and/or others: Do you use weed block barriers or anything like that? I've heard mixed reviews--one friend swears by them now after having a plot in the community garden for a few years, because he says "guys like us" aren't going to get there every day, which is probably true. My secretary, who is an avid home gardener, says they don't work, and she prefers to just weed by hand.

If you drive by a farm, many are going to line their beds in black plastic and poke holes where they plant. If weed block is good enough for them, it is surely fine for a gardener. I usually use hay/straw mulch keep the weeds in check. Props to your secretary, I'msure as hell not going to spend time weeding.

 

[dtrumpet]

If the sun you get is in the afternoon, you have a better chance; afternoon sun is hotter and will warm the soil more. Tomato plants and other sun lovers will grow, but they'll be stringy from trying to stretch to the sun, so you won't get much output.
I put tomato plants in 5 gallon buckets, just did a dozen yesterday, and they seem easier to take care of this way. And any kind of tomato works in those except cherry and grape which grow vines too long to control.
and if you grow the cilantro, keep it shady, too much sun and it will bolt to flower/seed and you'll get nothing.

 

[NC_Uconn_Fan]

4-5 hours is not ideal, but like the last poster said, if it's afternoon sun, you may have a chance. Really only way to know is to experiment this summer with a few different items and see how it goes.

 

[boba]

Another alternative is hanging "baskets." Burlap sacks filled with soil, hang the plant upside down. The vines will try to grow upward, and so you will have more compact plants. Easy to water as it soaks through the burlap, but you must do it very day.
Not sure if San Francisco Fog tomatoes are sold here. They are a minimum sun requirement tomato, bred for their namesake. The coldest winter Mark Twain ever experienced was summer in SF.

 

[jibsey]

I'm going to stick a hot needle in my eye.

 

[Stinger92860]

Get a Stihl.

 

[jackanddanny8]

I've been doing the old man vegetable and herb garden for a few years now, albeit in Tidewater, Virginia, and on my own property. I've had great luck with tomatoes, cucs, squash, greens and herbs from plants, not seeds, but I've got pretty good sun. For whatever reason, my stuff seems to turn out a lot better than my friends does ( it's like the old farts trying to learn how to garden time of our life, I guess). The really only thing I can figure out why it seems like mine does better, is that I get it in at the right time, whereas they miss a weekend or two and it's a little late. Also I have an irrigation system for the past few years, but haven't for all of them. With that said, it's a lot of fun and we all get to eat some great stuff, and see a days work of buying, planting, etc grow into something that hits our tables and mason jars. Ok, so maybe a couple of hours here and there with a hose and a beer. So I say go for it, it's just if it doesn't turn out perfect, you may have been a bit late(I don't know when to plant what in CT, if that's where you are). Next year, you'll be ahead of the curve and armed with what worked/didn't work/why you thought it worked or didn't work, and you'll have fun learning all of that. Oh and I don't weed at all, ever, until/if the weeds are bigger, taller than what I'm growing. Then again, I'm in my backyard, so not competing with community garden B-64 for who does the most weeding. One final thought: if you get a mold on something, you must act right then, and don't use seven dust. Find an old sprayer of windex or something, rinse it out well, and refill it with 10% hydrogen peroxide, 90% water and spray it all over the plant(s). If you wait 3-4 days, be prepared to watch those plants slowly die. Cheaper, safer, healthier, equally effective.

 

[Deepster]

I don't use that black weed block fabric. I usually just scatter my lawn clippings around and it helps control the weeds/insulate the soil from drying out. Hay works also. And I actually like weeding when I have to. Part of why I grow the stuff is the relaxation of being out there farting around in the dirt.

I'm also trying a couple of grape tomato plants on my patio using this method this year:

http://www.instructables.com/id/how-to-plant-hanging-upsidedown-tomatoes/

 

[TRest]

Does anyone recommend a central CT rototiller guy? I let the garden go for a few years, and finally called last week. My former guy seems to have kicked the bucket.

 

[OkaForPrez]

All good info guys. My sun is 10a-12p and 2p-5p so I might have a shot. I'll shoot for 50/50 and see what happens.

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

I'm going to stick a hot needle in my eye.

Get a nail gun, then heat the nails first!

 

[Da_Aisijimo_Gou]

So @okaforprez sr and I just finished a raised garden bed.

Plenty of good suggestions provided above, and add one more to enhance your soil quality for at least next year: compost!

 

[pnow15]

My friend used to grow potted plants on his roof shielded by his garage. Funny, he only watered them a night.

 

[OkaForPrez]

Plenty of good suggestions provided above, and add one more to enhance your soil quality for at least next year: compost!

Do I mix it in with the soil? Any specific ratio? We've tilled up the ground pretty good in the raised bed but I've yet to add any soil on top yet. Any suggestions for what to lay as a base?

 

[Robertelamin]

a) I can the tomatoes and use them all winter.
b) Waaaay too late to start most things from seed. Maybe beans or peas, but again, those need sun.
c) You can try to grow the vegetables that need a lot of sun but you're not getting anything without that extended direct sunlight. I pampered the heck out of my plants last year and they all grew just fine....just no actual vegetables. You need that heat and sun to make them pop out.

I don't mean like start the seeds inside but direct sowing them into the garden. That is how I always grow my cucumbers and squash. I grew a 17.5 Watermelon by just throwing a seed in the raised bed. I guess due to the sun issue though just buying starter plants is the way to go to just get a head start.