25 Vegetables You Can Grow in Shade

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Forget the old-fashioned advice that you need full sun to grow a vegetable garden. There are lots of crops like broccoli, beans, and spinach that can grow just fine with part-sun or shade during the growing season.

For more, also see this list of hostas that can grow in sun or shade, and colourful plant ideas for shade gardens.

Growing Veggies in Shade

Examples of vegetables that can grow in shade conditions including cabbage, beets, and broccoli.

Wondering which vegetables you can grow in a full or part-shade garden?

Many of us have gardens that do not receive full sun all day long. Whether there are shadows cast by leafy tree canopies or nearby buildings, it is common to have a variety of light conditions. Some areas may be shady all day long while others change throughout the day.

The good news is that there are plenty of vegetables that do fine in a variety of shade conditions. In fact, some of these cool-tolerant crops require limited sun exposure.

None will grow without any light, but many will grow with some degree of shade.

What vegetables grow in shade?

Vegetables that grow without full sun are the ones we harvest for the leaves, stems, buds, or roots. This includes broccoli, kale, spinach, leafy greens, and beets. How much shade the plant tolerates depends on the specific variety and your growing conditions.

Do zucchini need full sun?

Yes, any food crops that must flower to produce edible fruit like zucchini, tomatoes, peppers, or cucumber, require full sun.

Unlike the warmth-lovers that need full sun, the shade group not only prefer lower light but may bolt (skipping right to the seed production stage) if they get too much sun.

Keep in mind, though, that there are variations even within the same species. For example, one type of broccoli may do fine with dappled light throughout the day while another variety may grow too slowly in the same space and time.

What works will depend not only on the amount of light but the varieties you choose and other growing conditions including temperature, soil quality, and water.

To get started, have a look at the list below and check your seed packets and plant tags for specific, recommended growing conditions. Be willing to experiment and learn as you grow.

If you need help assessing your light conditions, there are tips in the Resources section.

Tip: Grow in Containers

If you are unsure about your sun conditions, consider growing in containers. This way, if a spot offers too little or too much light, you can always move to a better location.

25 Vegetables That Grow in Shade

Leafy green growing in large, round fabric bowl — Leafy greens garden bowl

As you’ll see in the chart (below), there is a hierarchy depending on the overall light and shade levels, ranging from veggies like broccoli and Brussels sprouts that prefer a fair amount of sun (partial or half shade), to the salad greens (including mesclun mix) that do fine in dappled and light shade.

Afternoon sun has much greater intensity than morning sun so try things out and see what’s best. If you haven’t got the amount of afternoon sun recommended, it likely means your vegetables will need more overall sun.

The amount of sun listed here is the minimum that will still provide a successful harvest.

In general, the less sun, the slower the growth. But, the benefit is, you can also prevent bolting with lower light and shade veggies can be harvested any time.

Buy Seeds Botanical Interests (US) | West Coast Seeds (Canada)

Lots of veggies need shade! Many gardens have a variety of lighting conditions, from dappled shade under dense trees to full sun in open areas, with variations throughout the day. This is actually ideal for growing a wide range of vegetables including kale, spinach, lettuces and mesclun mix, celery, beets, herbs, and more. — Shade tolerances of various vegetables

5 Hours of Afternoon Sun Per Day

This group includes brassicas (edible flower buds).

Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Swiss Chard (stalks)

There is a fine line between providing enough energy from the sun for the brassicas to grow yet not so much that they bolt.

4 to 5 Hours of Afternoon Sun Per Day

This groups includes many root vegetables.

Beans
Beets
Carrots
Celery
Celeriac
Collards
Pak Choy
Peas
Radishes
Rutabagas
Turnips

3 to 4 Hours of Afternoon Sun Per Day

Edible leaves enjoy some shade and need cool, moist conditions.

Arugula
Kale
Lettuce
Mizuna
Spinach
Swiss Chard (leaves)

3 Hours of Afternoon Sun Per Day

Culinary Herbs | Here’s a handy guide to growing annual and perennial herbs
Mustard Greens

2 Hours of Afternoon Sun Per Day

There are some salad greens that do fine with minimal sun. If this is all you’ve got, try growing them and see how they do.

Asian Greens | Water spinach (ong choy), Shanghai bok choy, Chinese mustard greens (gai choy), Yu choy sum (Chinese oil vegetable), bok choy, gai lan (Chinese broccoli).
Mesclun Mix

One of my favorite shade crops is mesclun mix which is a bunch of different types of salad greens.

Many vegetables we grow for the edible stems or leaves can be foraged any time during the growing season.

There are also lots of foods to forage in our own gardens.

Nasturtium flowers are an example of unexpected food growing in our gardens.

Resources

Light Exposure Definitions

Types of Shade

Part or Partial or Half Shade

4-6 hours of sun per day, mainly in the afternoon when the sun is strongest.
Garden beds that receive this same amount of sun in the mornings are considered ‘light shade’ and plants preferring half shade will not grow as large or quickly with the same amount of afternoon sun which is more intense.

Dappled Light

This type of shade is usually created by the canopy of trees overhead.
Light still gets through but it’s not harsh and the total effect is less light than partial or half shade areas.

Shade or Full Shade or Dense Shade

Whether the shade is created from an obstruction like a house, or dense tree canopies overhead, these deeper shade areas without any direct sun are not suitable for veggies.

Once you know your shade, you can better decide where to place each type of vegetable crop.

This has more tips on understanding light conditions and how to assess the sun and shade in your garden.