The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Growing => Vegetables => Topic started by: macgro7 on April 16, 2019, 02:20:58 pm
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I have a fairly large area, where the goats used to live until last year - it's is quite heavily shaded for most of the day by massive sycamore trees.
I put a 4mx2m chicken run in there but there is sooooo much space which is otherwise unitilised.
I wonder what edible crops can you grow there?
I was thinking of digging a part and putting some potatoes to try.
I read a lot of green veg can grow in shade - spinach? Chard?
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Dry shade or wet?
Lettuce and probably salad leaves, and mint certainly, as long as they are kept watered. Not sure what else. Maybe root crops like beetroot.
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I'd say it's quite dry but it's not a problem I can water them quite well. Obviously in hot summer it will dryca bit less as it's more shady
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My dad says that nothing useful will grow under sycamores. He worked on a university study that tried to find something that did but couldn't. Let me know if you prove him wrong!
William
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I have some wild garlic over there so far
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If it’s heavy shade most edibles will struggle and if they do survive be more prone to pests and disease.
I believe leaf crops cope better than root, fruit or flower crops so salad, kale, spinach and chard.
Another thing you could try is growing things that do a lot of their growth before the trees leaf up - so early onions- planted in autumn crop in June here (Norfolk). Leaves could be a problem though. ???
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I'll try perpetual spinach and some other herby greens and perhaps will plant garlic in the autumn. Atm it is quite airy but the big trees have few leaves
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I’m getting big into mint at the moment. Always thought of it as a bit of a flavouring but recently discovered Durham salad, uses a lot of mint. I also put heaps of it and coriander in lentil Dahl.
Ivy grows well under our sycamores.
They are all coming down soon, don’t look too healthy and want to give the oaks and Scots pines space.
Let us know what you do find out or try :-)
Raspberry canes sometimes do well in dappled shade, permaculture/forest garden people would know?
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Yes this area was full of ivy and brambles and in spring cow parsley but the goats got rid of everything (that's what get really obese on).
I planted a small Persian mint plant last year, September or October? This spring it spread 2 metres across through the roots. That what I wanted! I got it from an Iranian guy on Freecycle several years ago, gave some roots to friends, moved houses and forgot about it. Last year o got a cutting back from that friend.
That Iranian guy I originally got this variety from had his whole back garden and front garden lawncgrowing in it! Very aggressively growing plant. But what better weed can you have than lovely smelling mint??? I also have apple mint which isn't verycstrobg tasting but has a hint of apple. It isn't a strong grower either. Plus pepper mint grown from seed.
Also I've grown lemon balm which is from the same family - not sure what to do with it except put in tea - smells like lemon fairy liquid lol
Raspberries and current are good to plant in a shade but they will have to wait till the autumn.
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Apparently, lemon balm is good with fish.
My gardener was supposed to cut back all the dead stalks of lemon balm but forgot and I kept forgetting to remind him. Now it has all the new growth round it so it will stay. Last week I looked out to see a gold finch busily stripping the seeds from to dead stalks. It's never going to be cut down again.
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25 Vegetables You Can Grow In Shade | Empress of Dirt
https://empressofdirt.net/shade-vegetables
Hope you can find something in there
Dave