So I live in a small apartment in Southern California, about 70 miles north of Los Angeles in Ventura. We have a patio here that's about 11 foot wide, with a 3 and a 1/2 foot span of open dirt that stretches the length of the patio. It was barren and ugly, so as a project I decided to make it look nice with a couple of broad leafed plants and some vines and what not. My apartment faces the North, therefore we don't get much sun, except for that patch of dirt out there which is sort of a lucky strike I suppose. Now my girlfriend's dad is making us a 3x3 box which is three tiered in which to plant vegetables and herbs in. Each tier is going to be about three feet long and one foot wide. What I need to know is, what could I grow in these boxes? Each one is like an individual window box I suppose. I'd love to get some recommendations for some herbs and vegetables, especially for some that don't require a lot of sun and won't get too big. The climate here is very mild, I live about a mile from the beach. Also, I'm growing some cherry tomatoes in a rather large terracotta pot. There's about 6 plants in it, and about four of them have gotten pretty big and have developed flowers. Two others are either stunted or are just slower. I'd also like to get some information about what I can do with those, and if they'll be okay in that pot. I don't have any other place for them, you see. Thanks for the help, and I'll definitely be around these forums doing what I can with what little I know! - Chris
Chris I looked up shade herbs in my how to grow herbs book and here is what I found for shade: Angelicas Lemon Balm Mints Oregano(common type) Parsley Sweet Woodruff Pennyroyal Cherry tomatoes grow very well in a large pot, but with six plants in one pot they may be a little crowded so that's probably why a couple are stunted and not growing. You could divide them into 2 large pots instead of just one. I hope these suggestion help you some!! I'm sure there are more shade loving herbs so maybe someone will come along soon that can help a little more! Good Luck and keep us informed!
I Think caladiums (sp)do good without much sun and they will grow in pots very good .There is so many different colorsYou could plant 4 or 5 different colors to liven the balcony up plus your other plant .
The following is a list of vegetables of partial shade-tolerant vegetables. While productions may be greater in the sun, these plants will produce an edible crop when grown in a shady location. However, remember that nothing will grow in complete shade. Plants will need some morning, evening or filtered sun; a total of two to six hours of direct sun is the minimum. * Arugala * Beans * Beets * Broccoli * Brussel sprouts * Cauliflower * Celery * Cress * Endive * Garlic * Kale * Kohlrabi * Leaf Lettuce * Leeks * Lovage * Parsley * Parsnips * Peas * Potatoes * Pumpkins * Radish * Rhubarb * Rutabagas * Salad Burnet * Summer Squash * Salsify * Turnips Herbs * Angelica * Borage * Caraway * Chervil * Coriander * Lemon Balm * Mint * Tarragon * Thyme
When I was down in the Bay Area I had no workable yard to speak of (it was almost entirely rocks and palm trees) so I had some planter boxes with geraniums in them and they did marvelously there as well as a handful of bulbs like Amyryllis that always bloomed well from their planter. You are in a very mild, warm zone so you should be able to grow just about anything that doesn't require full sun - even strawberries would be nice in a cascading tier. Maybe a small lemon, lime or persimmon in a large pot? Watch out for planting mint, though - it will take over what space you have. We had a friend down there who put some in his little space and it about ate the backyard!
You need to watch out for angelica though, it grows very tall. Check out heights on the back of packages of seeds or tags on plants. I was going to say about overcrowding but someone else said it already. My son lives north of San Francisco and he grows a lot of things on his patio. His daughter says it looks like a jungle. Dooley
I would suggest elephant ears as they will grow in full shade. But with you living in a mild climate, Im not sure how well they would do. Caladuims will grow very well in full shade. Coleus will too. But they are wide leafed just very colorful. Ferns do really well in full shade esp Mother Ferns. My moms has one under fig tree. It get no sun except in the winter when the fig leaves are gone. Now a cast iron plant (PS: Aspidistra elatior (Cast Iron Plant)) does well in full shade too and it has wide leaves. I would suggest going to local nursery and explaining what you are looking for, along the lines of something to grow in complete shade. Theres tons of house plants out there that do very well indoors with no sun.
This is great advice you guys. Thanks a lot for the help. I have a picture of what I have when it comes to regular plants here: http://pictureposter.allbrand.nu/pictures/agentoneal/garden/wideshot.jpg http://pictureposter.allbrand.nu/pictures/AgentONeal/Garden/plants.jpg Sort of a large picutre, but you can see everything I have there. Then on the other side, about 5 feet away, I have this: http://pictureposter.allbrand.nu/pictures/AgentONeal/Garden/Tomatoescreeper.jpg Those are Cherry Tomatoes in the large pot, and some more of those Glechoma in a seperate pot. In the middle of those two is where I want to place the box with the herbs and vegetables. I've discovered today that we actually do get good sun there throughout the day, if you can see the sun in that last picture is passed the tomatoes, it had moved across the area all the way from the plants to the left. So, in other words, there's at least part-sun for most of the day, and there's a tree there that begins to block the sun after a while. Thanks for the help guys, and I hope these pictures help!
