What to plant in a 4' x 4' raised bed with limited sun?

13 years ago

I just decided (wisely I'm sure) to NOT plant mint in my "mint bed" I built last fall. It's an isolated 4' x 4' x 10" raised bed in the SE corner, away from the main beds. I had spearmint and peppermint planted there but have as of today moved those into 5 gallon pots instead. The pots will

move shortly to the sports court to keep roots exiting the drainage holes from taking root outside the pot.

So what can I plant in the 4 x 4 bed? It only gets sun a few hours a day (3 to 5 depending on time of year) so no good for veggies or most herbs... it's very easy to keep this corner quite moist if need be.

Ideas? Suggestions? I WOULD prefer something useful - herbs or other edibles...

You can see the bed at my garden blog below - right now

it's the top post, but that'll change - scroll to the title

"Decided to pot the mints" if you want to see what the

bed itself looks like.

Thank you for any ideas....

Dave

RainyPNW

Here is a link that might be useful: My 2010 Garden Blog

Comments (9)

plantknitter
13 years ago
a rotation of various lettuces?
thesecretofjoy
13 years ago
I had the same question so I used the google machine to find an answer! Here is what it said :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: 10 vegetables that will grow in the shade
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PRO
George Three LLC
13 years ago
well, that article nailed the two i was going to mention....but i've grown beets and runner beans in part shade and they have done quite well.

but looking at that photo of the bed, i personally would fill it with something shrubby with structure to break up the lines of the fence meeting. camelia sinesis would soften/green up that corner and provide you with black/green tea.
tastytravels
13 years ago
What veggies are your favorites? I think if it were me, I would plant some lettuce, beets, arugula & spinach.
hvaldez
13 years ago
Maybe consider growing green beans or scarlet runner bean up a bamboo tee-pee. Will look very nice and add some dimension to your garden. You can even plant nasturtiums on the bottoms for more color.
rainypnw
Original Author
13 years ago
Hvaldez - that's a nice idea indeed... I think we'll give
that a go. Just have to wait for things to warm up a tad
here - still in the 40'sF at night and not above 60F during
the day...

Dave
RainyPNW

Here is a link that might be useful: m
PRO
George Three LLC
13 years ago
actually, might be a good idea to put in runner beans today. should be ready to germinate by the weekend when its probably going to be warm and dry. if warm and dry continues, you'll have a good go at them.

i have had a 100% runner bean failure this year so far. growth is not enough to beat out the slugs.
thesecretofjoy
13 years ago
I planted lettuce, pac choi, kale and beets in my shady bed.
oliveoyl3
13 years ago
Oh, shade, now we're talking my experience.

Crops grow slower, yields are smaller, less weeding & watering with mulch, and great spots for cool season veggies rather than corn, peppers, beans.

We build the soil well with lots of organic matter including regular additions of used coffee grounds for mulch (though not near the lettuce greens or you'll be washing grounds out of the lettuce all the time.

That corner would look lovely done up potager style with edging and ornamentally arranged vegetables & flowers.
swiss chard, bright lights
chives, garlic or regular
pansies & calendula for color & salad additions
greens, spinach & lettuce

Corrine