Hi. You can actually grow some of the cool season vegetables in partial shade areas and keep growing them into the warmer months...lettuce, spinach, peas. It all depends upon how much sun that area gets. Some other ideas include Alpine Strawberries,Filberts,Highbush cranberry, currants, or Gooseberry, Lingonberry, raspberries, Blueberries...basically any berry that grows in wooded areas does well in partial shade. You also need to take into account the type of soil you have...well drained, clay, etc. That will impact how well the plants do as much as the amount of sun they get.

Here is a link that might be useful: Edible Garden Landscaping

Hi tspitzer,

Much of the time you will get advice on shade with cultivated plants in mind. The suggestions are often slim. Parsley and Rosemary are both great. I have partial shade in my back yard and have recently added currants and gooseberries and Alpine strawberries. However I have looked into more wild and native plants not typically found in the super market and it provides more opportunities. Even weeds like Lamb's quarter and wood nettle can make fine edibles and they have more nutrition than kale or spinach. I plan in the future to try these along with wild ramps. They just can't do the commercial food chain but they grow like weeds. I have already planted Pawpaws and Saskatoons and I am in the process of planting Nanny Berries. All these are great native under story trees and as already mentioned the high bush cranberry is another(make sure it a native variety of either Viburnum Edule or Viburnum Trilobum which is supposed to have better fruit than the Euro).