Shade-tolerant fruits & vegies

Most edible plants prefer at least six hours of full sun per day. That can be hard to find in our backyards, with surrounding buildings and trees shading the sun for a large part of the day.

Thankfully, some edible plants are relatively shade tolerant and will provide a return in those spots that receive less than optimal sun hours, dappled light or even full shade. Keep in mind, some of them won’t grow as quickly or crop as heavily as they would in six hours of full sun, but you’ll still enjoy a good return.

Spinach and silverbeet
These leafy vegies (pictured above) are terrific options for corners of the patch with dappled light or limited sun. Consider growing rainbow chard to add a little colour to shady areas.

Sweet potato
This plant is very productive in a shadier spot, even full shade. It’s not only the tubers – the leaves are edible too. Sweet potato vines also make an attractive groundcover. Just be sure to keep them in check or they’ll take over!

Blueberries
These lovely low-growing fruiting bushes can be positioned under the canopy of taller fruit trees where they’ll receive dappled light and short splashes of full sun. They must have acidic soil, so try growing them in pots where it’s easier to alter and manage the pH.

Header image credit: iStock