A new gardener wrote in this week:
“Hi Christy, I have 2 questions for you. Well a lot of questions, but
I’ll limit this to 2. First question: I’m getting ready to build 2
4’x8′ raised beds in my backyard. The spot I’d like to use would have
one of the beds be in full sun, but the other one would be in shade for
the first half of the day. Are there veggies that would do well in part
shade, or should I have both beds in full sun to maximize my options
and production? I live in San Jose, so it’s hot, about 5 degrees cooler
than L.A. year round. 2nd question: You wrote about cover crops
and replenishing the soil in the winter. How do you do this if you want
to plant winter growing veggies? (this may be a very naive question to
gardeners, but I’m just starting out with this.) Thanks! Loved the tip
on companion planting, btw, I’m definitely going to get that book. Take
care, Megana”
Hi Megana,
These are great questions (there are no dumb questions in gardening, by the way). First off – congratulations on starting a raised bed garden! You’re on your way to learning so much. Okay, now down to the questions.
1) If you can situate your raised beds in full sun, that is ideal for veggies. They need a minimum of 6 hours a day of sunlight. That said, in places like San Jose, where it gets H-O-T in the summer, having a little shade can actually help your garden for certain veggies. Namely leafy greens. Here are some great veggies to grow in partial shade in the hot weather:
lettuces
greens – collards, kale, chard
brassicas – broccoli, cauliflower, cabbages – NOTE: I stopped growing these in spring because they wouldn’t do well in the hot weather, but with a little shade they might just perform like they do in the rest of the country. Give it a go and report back to let us know how it worked for you.
Another option is to plant strawberries in the areas where you get shade. They do well in partial shade and seem to benefit from a break from the hot sun.
2) Cover Crops in winter: I usually dedicate one of my raised beds to a cover crop over winter. I have 4 raised beds, and I use square foot gardening, so I’m able to get everything into 3 beds and grow a cover crop in the other. Each year, the bed that gets planted with a cover crops is rotated. If you don’t have room to give up a bed, then just condition the heck out of the soil in spring before planting. Lots of compost, organic vegetable fertilizers, worm castings, etc. It’s all good!
Good luck with your new garden and let us know what you end up planting!
Happy Gardening.
