The greens we’ll cover in this article should be seeded quite densely to be grown for salad greens (roughly 1.5’-2’ between plants)- this helps the leaves stay salad-sized and makes it easier to harvest them with a knife as cut-and-come-again greens. So long as you don’t entirely cut off the top growing crowns of the plants, you can keep harvesting the greens as they regrow until they finally bolt. If you’re particular about bug-bitten leaves (or if you have some especially hungry pests), be sure to cover your greens with insect netting to help keep the leaves intact.

Arugula

Also known as rocket or rucola, arugula is a delicate leafy green that packs a peppery punch. If you don’t mind salad with a kick you can use arugula as the sole green, but it also makes a great addition to mesclun mix where its spiciness is balanced out with lettuce and milder greens. Or, skip the salad and sprinkle it on top of homemade pizza or sandwiches for a gourmet touch! Arugula can tend to bolt easily so be sure to keep it well-watered to avoid drought stress, and consider sowing in regular successions to be able to continue harvesting throughout the season.

Mustard

Mustard packs a good amount of spice- similar to arugula but arguably a notch more intense, and with a flavor all its own. Mustard greens are not necessarily green- there are red varieties available such as ‘Red Giant‘ that add a pop of color as well as flavor. Mustard leaves have unique crispy-juicy stems and serrated or savoyed leaves that add a really interesting texture to salad mixes. Mustard can be a bit intense as a sole salad green but if you’re needing a change from salad entirely it’s also excellent in stir-fries and soups.

Tip: Mustard is listed under Herbs in Planter as it can also be grown for mustard seed

Baby kale

Kale is often grown for full-sized leaves that can be turned into kale chips, chopped salads, and green smoothies. But if you sow kale seeds densely and cut off the leaves while they are young and tender you have ‘baby kale’ which is a wonderful salad green. Baby kale has the same strong flavor that fully mature kale does, but the texture is much softer so the leaves are pleasant to eat whole in salads without needing to chop them down first. Also, if you cease cutting the baby kale leaves and thin out the plants, the remaining plants can grow into fully mature-sized kale so you can harvest larger leaves (kale doesn’t tend to bolt as easily as some of the other greens in the list).

Baby chard (and beet) greens

Chard and beets are related plants that have very similar greens. Chard is often grown for full-sized leaves, while beets are often grown for their sugary roots- but they can both be seeded densely and grown for salad greens. Like beet roots, beet greens (they can often be purple-red in color) have an ‘earthy’ undertone to their flavor that may not appeal to everyone. Chard has a more neutral spinach-like flavor and the colorful stems and bright-green leaves are visually striking. Both can add a nice depth of flavor and pop of color to a salad mix.

Endive/escarole

While endive and escarole can look like little lettuces, they are actually members of a unique chicory sub-group of plants (genus Cichorium). These greens are most commonly described as bitter- if you’re not a fan of bitter flavors they might not agree with you. Endive and escarole is typically blanched when growing- that is the growing stem is blocked from receiving sunlight to maintain a white color and a milder flavor. They can be used as the sole green in a salad, but the strong bitter flavor often needs to be balanced out by adding plenty of sweet, salty, and/or acidic ingredients. They can also be grilled first which adds a depth of flavor that works really well with the bitterness.

Bonus: Nasturtiums

Nasturtiums are often added to edible gardens for their beautiful color and as companion plants that can attract pollinators and discourage pests. But did you know that all parts of the nasturtium plant are also edible? They have a mild peppery taste and they make for a stunningly beautiful salad with the flowers and the leaves combined together. Nasturtiums may look super-delicate, but they are surprisingly easy to grow in the garden! Direct-sow nasturtiums into any available nooks and crannies to add beauty and color to your garden and your salad plate!

Salads are a great way to enjoy garden veggies at their peak freshness! But if you start to get tired of the same old salad ingredients, don’t give up on eating salads entirely. Up your salad game instead by adding some of these unique and interesting greens to the mix!

Do all veggie plants need full sun?

For the most part, vegetable plants grow and produce best in full sun (at least 6 hours of direct sun per day). Veggie plants need ample sun to be able to photosynthesize and grow as quickly as possible- a lack of sun may not outright kill them but it can severely stunt their growth. But there are some plants that will still produce a respectable harvest in partial shade (4-6 hours of sun per day). Gardening successfully in part shade comes down to being selective about what you choose to grow and having realistic expectations about how much you’ll be able to harvest.

If your potential garden location is in near total shade and gets only a few hours of sun each day, you may want to skip down the Alternatives to gardening in part shade section of this article. While you can certainly have fun experimenting with growing edible plants in shade (you might even discover some non-traditional edible plants that grow well in shade), you’ll likely only be able to muster up a meager harvest.

Veggie plants to grow in part shade

Lettuce and leafy greens

Lettuce and other leafy greens such as spinach, chard, and arugula are star performers in the shade. Growing them in part shade can even have some benefits, as blazing summer sun can contribute to them bolting. To get the plants off to a good start you may want to consider starting them indoors then transplanting out to the shadier parts of your garden. It can be challenging to get lettuce to form full-sized heads in part-shade, but you can certainly harvest it as cut-and-come-again lettuce.

Green onions and chives

‘Bulbing onions’ require full sun to form their large, edible bulbs, however green onions and chives are excellent shady garden plants because they are primarily harvested for their slender, pungent greens. While they will produce best in full sun, you can tuck them into shady spots and still harvest enough to make the effort worthwhile. To learn more about growing these and other allium-family crops be sure to check out Grow Amazing Alliums.

Radishes

By now you might be noticing a theme with shady-garden plant picks: they tend to be green and leafy. Radishes can add a nice burst of color to an otherwise monotone shady salad garden. Radishes can still form nice-sized roots when grown in part shade- although it might take longer than usual for the bulbs to form. Be careful not to use too much high-nitrogen fertilizer where you plant radishes, as this will stimulate them to form lush leafy tops and tiny roots. If this does happen all is not lost- radish greens are edible too!

Beets

Like radishes, beets are another root crop that can be grown in partial shade. The roots of shade-grown beets will likely be smaller than their full-sun counterparts, but you can always roast them whole and just call them ultra-gourmet baby beets. Don’t leave beets in the ground for an excessively long time hoping that massive roots will form- they might just turn woody and tough instead. Beet greens are also totally delicious in salads or sauteed, so if you do find the bulbs are too diminutive the greens will not disappoint!

Brassicas (such as broccoli, cabbage, collards, kale)

Brassicas can be grown in part-shade locations- but they must receive at minimum 4-6 hours of direct sunlight per day. If your location has dappled sun throughout the day, you may want to avoid growing brassicas there. Because brassicas, like leafy greens, are prone to bolting under stress caused by heat and drought, growing them in shade may help to delay this. Patience is key as brassicas are already slow-growing crops and they will grow even more slowly in the shade. You likely will not be able to get super-sized heads to form on your broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage, but it’s at least possible to grow small, tender heads. Start brassicas indoors to give them the best possible chance to grow and reach maturity in the shade.

Peas

While peas perform best when in full sun, you can still get a harvest if they’re planted in part shade. You might even be able to trellis your climbing peas so that the plants are able to climb out of the shade to reach more sun. It is important to plant your peas with enough time for them to reach maturity before the summer heat comes. While partial shade will help keep them cooler for longer, eventually they will stop flowering and producing peas in the summer’s heat. For more info on growing peas, check out Grow Awesome Legumes.

Certain herbs (such as mint, cilantro, dill, and parsley)

While Mediterranean herbs such as rosemary and oregano prefer full sun and soil on the drier side, other herbs such as mint, cilantro, dill, and parsley don’t mind a bit of shade. The shade will help keep the soil moist and will help delay bolting. Trim (and cook with!) herbs planted in part-shade regularly to help keep the plants bushy and compact. And a special warning about mint: be sure to plant it in a container to keep it from spreading prolifically.

Alternatives to gardening in the shade

Container gardening

While your yard might be submerged in shade, perhaps there’s a sunny spot on a deck or front porch that could be a great spot to grow veggies in containers. Virtually every type of veggie can be grown in a container provided the container is large enough for the crop, and you water and fertilize regularly to keep the growing medium moist and full of nutrients. Containers can also be moved around as needed to capture the most amount of sun available as the sun’s angle changes.

Rent a community garden plot

If your house is in the middle of the deep woods your best bet for getting a sizable garden harvest could be to rent a plot at your local community garden. Community garden plots are typically very inexpensive to rent for an entire season and will let you grow sun-loving veggies much more successfully. If you garden in a community plot be sure to set reminders to water your garden when the weather’s hot and dry, as you won’t be able to check the state of your plants as easily as in a backyard garden.

Garden with neighbors and friends

If your neighbors and/or friends have unused backyard space that gets full sun exposure, try striking up a deal with them! If they let you use the space for gardening you can bestow them with tasty garden-grown produce throughout the season. If your friends happen to be gardening enthusiasts all the better- you can share the work, share knowledge, and share the reward!

Don’t let the semi-shaded parts of your garden be nothing more than wasted space. Maximize your harvests by growing some of these shade-tolerant plants and saving the full-sun spaces for sun-loving crops. Every harvest you can get from a shady space is a gardening win!

Even though summer can get hectic, don’t forget to take a step back from the to-do list to plan your fall garden. While the tomatoes are ripening and the peppers are plumping, it’s time to be thinking about which seeds to sow and seedlings to transplant for fall harvests.

Why plant a fall garden?

As your first frost date approaches, you can still plant cool season crops as they can tolerate a frost or even a freeze. In some ways, fall crops can be easier to grow than spring crops as the ground is readily workable and temperatures drop into the ranges that cool-season crops prefer rather than getting hotter. Cool-season crops can sometimes struggle to germinate in high heat though, so if you are planting from seed you may want to consider starting indoors or setting up some shade cloth. Above all, make sure the soil is kept consistently moist until the plants start to take off.

Another advantage of planting cool season crops in fall is that some of them, such as carrots, parsnips, beets, cabbage, and kale, will actually sweeten up after enduring a frost!

What plants can I grow in fall?

Most cool season crops will grow well in fall, so long as they are started with enough time to reach maturity. These include:

Brassicas: brassicas such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and kale do very well growing into fall as they are generally quite frost-tolerant, and their flavor improves with the frost. These crops do take some time to reach maturity though, roughly 60-80 days or more from seeding to harvest depending on the plant and variety, so be sure to start seeds in time or buy transplants from a garden center.

Lettuces and leafy greens: lettuces and leafy greens such as spinach, chard, and arugula are rock stars in a fall garden. They grow quickly and can be harvested repeatedly until the cold weather finally knocks them out. In most cases the leafy greens are not as frost resistant as brassicas, so you may want to consider protecting them with a hoop house or some floating row cover, to help extend the harvests once chilly weather sets in.

Root vegetables: root vegetables are great candidates for a fall garden. Radishes are especially quick to mature and can be planted well into fall. Others such as parsnips, carrots, and beets take longer, so again be sure they have enough time left in the season to mature. Root crops often don’t transplant well, so buying seedlings from the garden center may not be a viable option.

Garlic and shallots: unlike the other fall crops that are planted in summer and grow into fall, garlic and shallots are planted in late fall for harvesting next season. While they don’t need to go in the ground now, you will still want to be thinking about where to plant them when the time comes and ordering sets soon to be sure they will arrive in time for planting.

When should I plant my fall garden?

To sort out when to get your seeds started and your transplants planted out for your fall garden, look for Cool season plants in Planter:

Then, look at the number of days needed for Germination and the number of days from Sprout to Harvest for that plant. Work backwards from your first frost date to determine when you need to plant to ensure there is still enough time for the plant to mature and produce a harvest. While frost-tolerant plants can keep growing past your first frost date, it is good to get your fall crops planted with a bit of extra time in case of slower growth or extreme weather conditions.

There is a lot to tend to in the garden in the midst of summer, but it’s also time to plan ahead and start planting for fall. Planter makes it easy to figure out which crops can be planted for a fall harvest, so you can spend more time getting out in the garden!