What veggies, fruits or herbs could I grow in full shade and clay soil?

Question

The place I am thinking of is clay soil, but has had evergreen-type leaves dropping onto it for a few years and then rotting down. It is in the shade of two large trees (although not under). I live in SW Britain, so there's enough rain.

I want to plant something productive - either fruit, vegetables or herbs, as it is an extention to my kitchen garden. If you can't come up with anything productive then feel free to say a flower or something.

TIA

I grow plenty of herbs, fruit and veg each year in my clay soil.

Perennials - raspberries, blackberries, thyme, mint, fennel, rosemary, lemon balm and so on.
Last year - pumpkins, tomatoes, chives, peas, runner beans.
This year - runner beans, carrots, peas, strawberries, tomatoes and other things I haven't decided on yet.

All are doing / did fine with the exception of the chives that were pot grown in soil and then didn't get watered.

Answer 1

i think the clay soil will be your real enemy here rather than the shade. still, i would give the following a try, they all like moist slightly shady positions and grow well in this way in my garden in scotland:

1. Spinach: does best in moister ground out of full sun (hot, dry location makes it bitter and run to seed quickly).Grow it as an annual.

2. Mint (esp. water mint, Mentha aqautica). Mine grows in the shade of a wall under a cotoneaster and flourishes year after year. Perennial

3. Sorrel: (Rumex acetosa). Arrow shaped green leaves with a pleasant acid tang, somewhat like rhubarb. use in salads or in soups. again, mine grows well in its moist shady setting and this is again one of those plants that will run to seed faster when grown in a sunny dry spot. Perennial and should keep you in salad leaves for almost the whole year.

4. Chives (Allium sp.)- can deal with sun or partial shade. Perennial

5. Monkshood- (Aconitum napellus). i know you said you wanted edible stuff but couldn't resist throwing this in too. most definitely NOT edible (but very attractive), grows in moist woodlands and likes shade. handle with care as even the sap is toxic in small quantities (wear gloves!) but very pretty dark blue/purple flowers shaped like a monk's cowl. Perennial.

Good luck with these, i'm sure there are many more.

Answer 2

Tomatoes, most herbs (cilantro, basil, oregano, rosemary), bell peppers and most kinds of hot peppers can be grown in pots- either start from seeds or buy small plants. I've grown all those in pots myself plus I have started carrots and radishes from seed in deeper pots. You can even sow a little loose leaf lettuce or mescalun mix in good sized pots for salad. You don't need a fancy pot. I've seen someone grow tomatoes by making a hole in the top of a bag of potting soil and sticking a tomato plant into the bag. Pots can dry put quickly so you will need to water often -probably every day when it is hot. Bigger pots stay moist longer. Sun for only part of the day is okay for many vegetables- you just get a little less yield. If you never have sun on the patio, then you might need to give then some sun elsewhere or use a grow lamp. We have grown all many of these on a sunny windowsill too, especially the herbs. Good luck.

Answer 3

Full Shade Herbs

Answer 4

Lettuce and other leafy greens are some of the only plants I know for sure that enjoy the shade. Most herbs would probably survive in the shade, too, but would grow slowly. The exception would be basil, I think. Try some mint and oregano. That stuff will grow anywhere.

Answer 5

Actually, clay soil got lots of nutrients, if you can make it drainable. Anyway, no veggies, fruit or herbs will do good in full shade. Sorry, but you should stick with some kind of shde loving plants, like hosta.

Answer 6

Veggies, fruits, and herbs want full sun. They can tollerate clay soil, but will not flourish -- almost no plant likes clay.

Shade loving plants include; hosta, impatiens, ferns, begonias, lots. Here is a link:

http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=shade+loving+plants&fr=ush-ans

Answer 7

I have the same situation, and there's virtually nothing you can grow there that bears fruit or has flowers.

I've got English Ivy planted, and even with leaf mulch, I still have to fertilize heavily to see any growth on that.