In the shade

[Stephen]

One end of my plot (the highest and most southerly part) has several large trees shading it.
At the moment I grow Jerusalem Artichokes there (and they do well).
I have a young blackberry and a blackberry/raspberry hybrid which are developing there (on the basis that Blackberries appear to grow pretty well whereever they may be).
The mint is OK too.
Going into slightly sunnier parts, there is rhubarb (less good this year than last).
What else will do well in these shadier parts? The gooseberry fruits less well there, than the one which gets more sun.

In general the plot slopes down northwards and is chalk/clay (typically Chiltern shallow, stoney soil).

[Marmalade]

Hi Stephen,

Your plot sounds lovely - I'm getting some goosberry bushes this year! Around a quarter of my plot is dappled to fully shaded and I find Borage grows very well (and is great for pimms!), spinach does well there and is more tolerant of a day without water. You could also try some beautiful bee-friendly plants - foxgloves and vipers bugloss look great, don't take up too much room and make for happy bees!

J

[Stephen]

Hi Marmalade.
Thank you for the kind comments.
Borage is great and, as you say, is great in Pimms! A good idea.
And maybe I could use an uncultivated part for some foxgloves too.
I certainly have a lovely view from the plot over the town and to the hills beyond.
The stoniness of the soil is the real drawback of the set of plots.

[Tigger]

You could try some of the more dry stone herbs - mints, thyme, sage, rosemary. They don't need much water or sun.

[Stephen]

OK Tigger
The mint is about to be dug back a bit.
I'll give the others a try.
Does horseraddish grow well in the shade?

[Tigger]

In my experience horseradish grows anywhere but Johnboy is the expert. What do you think JB?

[Johnboy]

Hi Tigger,
Horse Radish will grow well in dappled light as well as full light but not too sure if it will grow that well in full shade though.
JB.

[Marken]

Yes, horse radish will grow in full shade, though perhaps not as strongly as with a little direct sun. If its not in competition with other plants it will do fine.

[FelixLeiter]

Coriander likes shade, and in shade is less apt to run to seed quickly. Similarly chervil. I've grown half-decent rhubarb under trees in the past — you shouldn't crop it quite as frequently, though. I've also managed quite reasonable lettuce. They're not quite as stocky as those grown in full sun, but passable enough. Under trees, though, bird muck can be a problem with leafy crops, and honeydew from aphids, both of which sully the leaves. Root crops on the whole tend to fair badly in shade. I've attempted carrots, but they were spindly and useless, despite producing decent top growth.

[Marken]

I'm sure I've read that spinach, broccolli and swiss chard will all do OK in part shade. I think the problem will be dryness at the roots rather than lack of sun especially if trees are growing nearby.

[Stephen]

Certainly the shade is dappled, I pruned the trees back as far as I possibly could when I took the plot on.
I've got some space for the spinach and chard, which I can keep well watered. Certainly the trees provide a bit of rain cover as well as taking a lot of the water. Under them the surface is very rarely wet.

Thanks to everyone for their suggestions.

[Stephen]

I have just been through some old (2008) copies of KG and found an article on just this subject, so will read that through carefully.