Light limitations for gardening

[your_comforting_company]

I realize that most garden variety plants will require full sun, but a fella that used to work for me has his garden in the woods around his house. He doesn't produce as much per plant, but he has lots of space filled with veggies to make up for it. So after some reading I realized that ambient sunlight isn't enough for each plant to reach full production BUT it will produce as much as it can with what's provided.
Our new place is full of trees, and I'd like to keep it that way as much as possible. My dad has a good sized garden area nearby, but I was wondering if any of you know of plants that I could use in the shade of the canopy, as edible decorations to highlight the huge oaks. There are already tons of scuppernongs and bullaces, but I'm wanting to diversify, not only to provide my own food sources, but also to have continuous bloom for the bees I move out there.
Is this a groundless dream, and I'll have to keep "gardening" the traditional way, or are there some things I can introduce to the ecosystem that will grow well in limited light?

I'm familiar with many wild plants, like the lettuces and dandelions, and their growth habits and habitats. Most of the edibles will grow in the shade, but not very well. Just trying to think forward with symbiosis in mind!

[LowKey]

Check into native fruitbearers for your area.
I don't know if understory things like blueberries or highbush cranberries will grow in your coordinate area.
Paw-paw might though they are hellacious things to coax into getting started. They kinda like to have their feet wet too.

[your_comforting_company]

There are some of the dwarf paw-paws that grow out there already, and the front end of the property is covered in something like blueberries... I call them sparkleberry, but mom says they are farkleberry?? I really would like to get some huckleberries growing as a ground cover, and they are delish!
Even though the water table is 100+ feet (and 2 miles from the creek??) down, some nearby pasture stays very wet, and there are a few ponds dotted around. I haven't tested the soil for pH or anything yet, so I'm not sure how that will play into it yet.
I'll call the Extension Agent later today to see if he can point me in the right direction with native plants, and maybe even the flora expert at Kolomoki.

I ordered a couple of Asimina triloba from Gardener's Choice and they were basically firewood. Might have to make a trip to Ty-ty to get good ones. That's a plant that survived the Ice Age, and I'd love LOVE to have them growing.

The most/best sun is going to be on top of our house, but 'till then, I want to at least get some groceries going!! Thanks LK!

[cowgirlup]

We are also working with limited sunlight. I've been working on an edible landscape project for a while. This year I started adding native nut trees into the mix in addition to the fruit trees and raspberries/blackberries.
So far planting any kind of vegetable outside the garden results in it being deer or groundhog food. Most herbs do well scattered around. I also added some jerusaalem artichokes this year

[hunter63]

When dealing with planting with trees or in between trees, be aware that some tree root systems tend to poison out some surrounding vegetation.

Had a bad experience with a chestnut tree next to the veggie garden.

As a notorious plant crowd-er, optimist and if a little does a little good, a lot will do a lot of good....I'll just say....and you already know this.......what you are suggesting can be done, you best bet would still be, pick a spot, clear away overhanging vegetation, check and amend soil, plant or use raised beds.

This is going to be the only way you will be able to plant what you want to plant and have a consistent crop.

Good luck.....
BTW the rule is..... when you buy land you have to plant trees......don't know why but everyone does.....and later when they get in the way, you cut them down.

[Rick]

Limited sunlight is not as much of a barrier as you might think. Where most folks get tripped up is forgetting that your garden plants are competing with the trees for water and soil nutrients. And remember that all shade is not just shade. There are degrees. If you garden receives "dappled" sunlight, that is a high canopy with not a lot of branches over head and some sunlight breaking through you can still get a lot of sunlight. If you can trim some branches instead of removing trees then you can "shed some light" on your garden problem. If it's a true forest with heavy overhead canopy and lot of branches blocking the sun then you'll be better off finding some other place to plant like up around the house.

You can use a light colored mulch rather than dark to reflect the sunlight you do receive. You can put down white garbage bags or similar light colored material to achieve the same thing. Having said that, here are some plants that do well in shade:

Arugula
Chard
Kale
Lettuce
Most herbs
Mustard greens
Peas and beans
Root veggies (about 5 hours of light)
Scallions
Spinach

So you have a lot to chose from. Keep the other plants, like tomatoes, up near the house and you should do fine.

[frmr_cityguy1983]

I want to start a vegetable garden, but I only have about a 30x2 space to do it in, and its under an overhang I probably won't start until February -march when its a little warmer and there is more sun. what's good for to plant in the Northern VA area?

[your_comforting_company]

Thanks Rick! I didn't realize that the stuff we already grow did so well in limited light. The only thing in that list that isn't already a part of our regular garden is the arugula. I don't know what that is!

I figured, if I bought land with no trees, I'd be dead before they were grown, so I bought land with old trees and as they come down I'll make more usable space, until then, I can enjoy them!

[kyratshooter]

I want to start a vegetable garden, but I only have about a 30x2 space to do it in, and its under an overhang I probably won't start until February -march when its a little warmer and there is more sun. what's good for to plant in the Northern VA area?

JGI 913,000 hits
http://www.rootbound.com/resource-ce...le-garden.html

[ClayPick]

Vegetables and high nectar producers sure do need a pile of light to have any food value. Greenhouses are big business up here and an important part of that is recording the Daily Light Integral. It gets used to evaluate a crops performance. Yours could get quite a boost with some strategic limb removal and using reflected light. Oak isn’t all that common here and I can sure understand not wanting to cut any down. Your latitude is out of my league.

[your_comforting_company]

I sat down with "Back to Basics" last night and found a whole section on gardening. If we decide to make a greenhouse, it'll be part of the house and be an integrated part of solar warming in winter. That's a really good book for foundational research. Gonna go back to Gaia's Garden to look more at what I can integrate for now. I saw a sanctuary design in there that welcomes all sorts of insect predators, like spiders and toads. Still got a lot of work to do over there, but things will come together soon enough.

[Rick]

Take a soil sample in to your county extension service so you know what you are starting with. An older growth woods is probably going to be nutrient deficient for veggies. They can tell you what kind of amendments you need to add to get a higher yield. They can also tell you what type of soil you have so you know how much or little water it will need.

[hunter63]

Plus one on the country extension office.....They seem to always be looking to justify their jobs and normally are pretty helpful.

If there is a University around, they also have been helpful to me in the past.

[your_comforting_company]

I have the number of two extension agents. One is a beekeeper friend of mine (mentor). Maybe I can coax him into paying a visit