#62 November 22 - Garden Stuff - © Sandy Lang - slang@xtra.co.nz
SHADE VEGGIESNovember/December: Late spring/early summer. Frost over. Everything’s growing like mad. Time to plant. Window-shop for seedlings at a garden centre.
Insolation: The sun sweeps east-west – so shade sweeps west-east. Sun angle (brightness) and day length (duration) change with the seasons. Shade comes when something gets in the way - a fence, a house, a tree. Few areas of an urban garden enjoy all-day sun, but few are totally without sun.
Finding sunlight: In an earlier column www.mulchpile.org/20 I said how to maximise sunlight. Go south (away from obstructions). Go up (more sun higher up on a trellis, pergola or roof). Go out (if you have a sunny road-berm).
Sunshine map: It’s useful to look at your garden (take photos) at hourly intervals during a sunny day and map the areas getting sun at different times. This gives you the ‘sunshine hours’ for each area. Classify the areas as: (A) Full sun (6+ hours); (B) Part-sun (4-6 hours around midday - brighter); (C) Part-shade (4-6 hours, early or later in the day - duller) or (D) Shady (0-4 hours). Most veggies like (A); many veggies do OK in (B) or (C); no veggies do well in (D). A general rule is (A) beats (B) beats (C) beats (D). Another general rule is plants grown for their fruits or roots require (A) and plants grown for their leaves or immature flowers just cope with (B) or (C).
Veggies to plant: (A) and (D) are easy. Plant about any veggie in (A) and plant only slow-growing ornamentals in (D). What veggies do OK in (B) and (C)...?Best - Lettuce, spinach, kale, cavalo nero, broccoli, cabbage, silverbeet, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, mint.Possible - Celery, peas, beans, leeks, chives, parsley.
Growing tips: Healthy plants cope better with shade (mulch and fertilise well). Shaded plants use less water (space plants well, don’t overwater, water the soil not the leaves). Many pests like shade (watch out for aphids, spray with 5% washing-up-liquid). Expect slower growth. Expect a smaller harvest. Expect a later harvest.
Final thought: A sunshine map will identify the structure or tree which causes the shade. Sometimes you can do something about it. Consider replacing an evergreen tree with a deciduous tree, grow a winter crop during the leafless period. Consider replacing a decorative tree with a fruit tree. ___________________________________
SHADE VEGGIESNovember/December: Late spring/early summer. Frost over. Everything’s growing like mad. Time to plant. Window-shop for seedlings at a garden centre.
Insolation: The sun sweeps east-west – so shade sweeps west-east. Sun angle (brightness) and day length (duration) change with the seasons. Shade comes when something gets in the way - a fence, a house, a tree. Few areas of an urban garden enjoy all-day sun, but few are totally without sun.
Finding sunlight: In an earlier column www.mulchpile.org/20 I said how to maximise sunlight. Go south (away from obstructions). Go up (more sun higher up on a trellis, pergola or roof). Go out (if you have a sunny road-berm).
Sunshine map: It’s useful to look at your garden (take photos) at hourly intervals during a sunny day and map the areas getting sun at different times. This gives you the ‘sunshine hours’ for each area. Classify the areas as: (A) Full sun (6+ hours); (B) Part-sun (4-6 hours around midday - brighter); (C) Part-shade (4-6 hours, early or later in the day - duller) or (D) Shady (0-4 hours). Most veggies like (A); many veggies do OK in (B) or (C); no veggies do well in (D). A general rule is (A) beats (B) beats (C) beats (D). Another general rule is plants grown for their fruits or roots require (A) and plants grown for their leaves or immature flowers just cope with (B) or (C).
Veggies to plant: (A) and (D) are easy. Plant about any veggie in (A) and plant only slow-growing ornamentals in (D). What veggies do OK in (B) and (C)...?Best - Lettuce, spinach, kale, cavalo nero, broccoli, cabbage, silverbeet, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, mint.Possible - Celery, peas, beans, leeks, chives, parsley.
Growing tips: Healthy plants cope better with shade (mulch and fertilise well). Shaded plants use less water (space plants well, don’t overwater, water the soil not the leaves). Many pests like shade (watch out for aphids, spray with 5% washing-up-liquid). Expect slower growth. Expect a smaller harvest. Expect a later harvest.
Final thought: A sunshine map will identify the structure or tree which causes the shade. Sometimes you can do something about it. Consider replacing an evergreen tree with a deciduous tree, grow a winter crop during the leafless period. Consider replacing a decorative tree with a fruit tree. ___________________________________