Imagine your potager garden this morning-vegetables, herbs, flowers all dancing in perfect harmony. It is a space infused with possibility and promise. How about areas in shade that even the sun will not reach? Never fear, one gardener said to another, for on hand is a stellar lineup of plants tolerant of shade in readiness to steal even the showiest of shows.
First, the ferns-it is like nature’s lace; these ancient beauties lend an air of elegance to delicate lacy fronds that softly dance in the breeze. The Lady Ferns or Japanese Painted Ferns are great in shade and good rich soil, which makes a really nice foil for other edibles and flowers. Sprinkle them in your mix, and it would be like sprinkling fairy dust over your garden.
Spinach isn’t just for Popeye. Being a green, leafy vegetable, it will surely do great in partial shade. Some spinach bolts faster than a rumor mill moving through a small town, and you can almost taste the energy within every leaf-forgetting that you have them, that is.
Then, of course, is dashing dill: this fragrant herb being more tolerant of less sun while doling out its frilly foliage and bursts of flavor. It’s one of those win-win situations-you grow dill for garnish, pickles, or as that secret ingredient in your famous potato salad, and in return, it rewards you by inviting all the good bugs to your garden party. It’s like some sort of secret handshake for your garden.
Fancy flowers? Astilbes are just the thing-tease color into the garden with the feathery blooms of soft hue that assume importance when direct sunlight is not available. Great when one really wants color, but the sun wants to play tag, whimsical touches leave one agog.
Another contender is the cabbage family. Cabbage and kale love the cool and shade. They are like good novels, unfolding to show a bit more with every passing day, layer by layer. Even if kale is not your thing, there is something so pleasing with those crinkle-cut leaves emerging, ready to leap into your next recipe.
And then, of course, there are the lettuces: crisp, cool, and classy. Variants such as butterhead and romaine will obligingly pop up in spots where other greens might sulk. Snip and serve, and you have a fresh crunchy salad straight from your backyard.
How about berries? Yes, berries! Blackberries and currants just adore shade. The moderate, sharp sweetness will lighten up a rainy garden day. Is anything so apparently oblivious to light as mint? Plant it, forget it, and it’s off with the abandon of a three-year-old that has found the cookie jar. Try Chocolate Mint for added deliciousness, or go Peppermint for that exaggerated sprinkle of fairy dust. Just keep a leash on its exuberance lest it take over the whole garden.
Cilantro is in the shade crew and adds that extra oomph of freshness to your gastronomical escapades. When it does bolt, it bolts into a little jungle, providing you with the seeds for coriander-so good things really do come to those who wait, or forget to harvest.
Flash of Green: Thriving in the Shadow of a Potager Garden That’s no more impossible-sounding than skiing in the desert-growing plants in low-light conditions. But with the right strategies, your garden can be as lush as a summer’s day. Indeed, yes, a potager garden may thrive even with limited sun exposure. Picture this: you’re seated on your shady porch, nursing a cup of herbal tea brewed from your very own shade-grown herbs. Now, how did this magic happen?
First know your space: take time to notice how daylight dances around your space throughout the day. Perhaps the morning sun is coy, but the afternoon sun really comes in. Maybe such observations may give you some companions for plants.
Not everything needs full sun; some would get along quite nice with table scraps. Just imagine a huge cafeteria line where some dishes will be gone in no time, while all leftovers that are sitting there taste reasonably good. Now, take some examples of leafy greens-spinach, arugula, lettuce-they may never sing songs about themselves, but boy, do they love to thrive out of the direct sun. Spinach actually laughs at the darkness; thus, when you cannot raise tomatoes good enough for a Bloody Mary, at least you can raise enough greens for a salad envied by Popeye.
The other favorite of the shades is the herb category. Not everywhere, god forbid. Take mint, for example-fragrant, yes, invasive, and dominant in its presence. It is the one loud but slightly intimidating party guest overbearing. Coriander, chives, parsley-even dill-all elevate all the flavors of your plot and don’t take quite as much of the sun’s attention, just make sure to keep them corralled. Lest they go on a coup against your poor little sprouting lettuce.
But remember, herbs are more than flavor; they color and add vibrancy to a growing space that makes one forget it is low in sunlight.
Now, a few words about watering: the need for watering changes rather fast in such low-light spaces. Water not by the flooding of the space, but when it appears that your plants need water. You’re at a pub-you don’t buy everyone a round just because someone looked at the menu. Use your fingers in the soil for a guide of moisture, going about two inches deep. The soil should be moist but not swampy for them roots to be happy. Now, regarding the soil itself: just think of the magic carpet that forgot it can fly your plants up to new heights-even when the sun is nowhere in view. Compost in substantial quantity will make good soil structure for rooting, improving the structure of the soil when the roots will have to be more vigorous. Organic matter will help create an ecosystem in a slice where your plants could have nutrients upon demand. Additionally, consider the use of reflective surfaces. A few strategically placed mirrors or even white stones may work wonders. You’re basically tricking your plants into thinking they’re getting full sun thanks to what is essentially an optical illusion. It’s garden magic without a wand!
