S.O.S. -- I made an error in determining sun exposure.

Windmere 6/22/2013, 11:41 pm

Man, I could just smack myself! I have a very limited amount of space where adequate sunlight occurs. I am surrounded by forest. I put my beds in an area that seemed to get at least six hours of sunlight. I tried very hard to compensate for the sun's course adjusting as the season progresses.

Well... Today I took a hard look at my 2 MM beds and noticed that one is by far doing better than another located in a different area. The tomato plants are gorgeous and my peppers are taking off. Even the basil is happier. (I have to say, given my black thumb, I wasn't expecting such truly outstanding results!)

In the other bed, everything has a yellowish tinge to it. Plant growth is stunted compared to the other bed. The only variable is the amount of sunlight. Watering is the same. Sigh.

silly me

If it were not for my Earthboxes (which are quite portable), I would probably just curl up in a ball tighter than a pillbug. I will tell you that I could not afford to put MM in the Earthboxes, but I have endeavored to use the five compost blend where ever I could. I'm certainly not expecting top performance from these Earthboxes, but I am at least going to try. I am planning of moving some of the plants from the under-performing MM box to the Earthboxes in better sun. Bell peppers, Anaheim chiles and eggplant is what I had in mind to move.

So... I have a bed getting about four to five hours of direct sunlight every day. The MM in the bed is by the book. What it the world will do well there? I am experiencing a bit of a panic. I may be over reacting. In any case.... Please help!

SOS

Thanks all.

ETNRedClay 6/22/2013, 11:55 pm

"In the other bed, everything has a yellowish tinge to it"

I know you said it was the same mix in both boxes, but have you actually tested the mix?

I ask because my shadier boxes are still green, they just grow slower than my sunnier boxes. And any time I see yellow leaves here, it has turned out to be nitrogen deficiency... which is easy enough to test with a quick diluted urine drink. (Does everything green up? If yes, it's nitrogen deficiency.) And even easier to fix longterm with a bit more GOOD blended compost mixed in.

Which I learned on this list, thank-you all.

brainchasm 6/22/2013, 11:57 pm

In ANSFG, page 53, is the following:

If You Only Have Shade
If you have shady conditions and no other place to locate your garden, you can still have a thriving garden but you'll have a limited selection of crops to grow. So, obviously, you'd stay away from the tomatoes, peppers, and squash and plant the root and leaf crops like radishes, spinach, and lettuce. Of course, there are many flowers and herbs that love shade, so check with your local nursery if you are in this situation.

So there you go. Root veggies, and leafy greens. Radishes, turnips, salsify, parsnips, potatoes, carrots, oh my! I won't even get into the leafy greens...

**RoOsTeR** 6/23/2013, 12:13 am

brainchasm wrote:In ANSFG, page 53, is the following:

If You Only Have Shade
If you have shady conditions and no other place to locate your garden, you can still have a thriving garden but you'll have a limited selection of crops to grow. So, obviously, you'd stay away from the tomatoes, peppers, and squash and plant the root and leaf crops like radishes, spinach, and lettuce. Of course, there are many flowers and herbs that love shade, so check with your local nursery if you are in this situation.

So there you go. Root veggies, and leafy greens. Radishes, turnips, salsify, parsnips, potatoes, carrots, oh my! I won't even get into the leafy greens...

+1

Windmere 6/23/2013, 12:13 am

brainchasm wrote:In ANSFG, page 53, is the following:

If You Only Have Shade
If you have shady conditions and no other place to locate your garden, you can still have a thriving garden but you'll have a limited selection of crops to grow. So, obviously, you'd stay away from the tomatoes, peppers, and squash and plant the root and leaf crops like radishes, spinach, and lettuce. Of course, there are many flowers and herbs that love shade, so check with your local nursery if you are in this situation.

So there you go. Root veggies, and leafy greens. Radishes, turnips, salsify, parsnips, potatoes, carrots, oh my! I won't even get into the leafy greens...

Well, now I have perfect justification in buy the ANSFG! I actually was thinking about radishes. I just bought some Watermelon Radishes and some French Breakfast Radishes. Also, I have a nice pack of Dark Knight Carrots I've been itching to try.

I see a silver lining. Thanks brainchasm. Smile

**RoOsTeR** 6/23/2013, 12:18 am

Make lemonade S.O.S. -- I made an error in determining sun exposure. 3170584802

Windmere 6/23/2013, 12:18 am

ETNRedClay wrote:"In the other bed, everything has a yellowish tinge to it"

I know you said it was the same mix in both boxes, but have you actually tested the mix?

I ask because my shadier boxes are still green, they just grow slower than my sunnier boxes. And any time I see yellow leaves here, it has turned out to be nitrogen deficiency... which is easy enough to test with a quick diluted urine drink. (Does everything green up? If yes, it's nitrogen deficiency.) And even easier to fix longterm with a bit more GOOD blended compost mixed in.

Which I learned on this list, thank-you all.

Hi ETNRedClay,

Thanks for your post. I might go ahead and test mix in the second box just to be sure. However, the blend for both boxes was made in one batch on a very large tarp. The ingredients and ratios should be identical.

Also, a shout out to Rooster for weighing in with a +1.

I really appreciate how much everyone here helps out... particularly when one of us is freaked out.

**RoOsTeR** 6/23/2013, 12:23 am

There's another benefit. Now you have an excuse to build another bed next year sunny

Windmere 6/23/2013, 12:25 am

So true Rooster!

WriterCPA 6/23/2013, 12:41 am

Shade was an issue for me before a fortuitous storm took down my neighbor's tree east of my property; it truly is an ill wind that blows no one some good.

Here is a link to a table of shade tolerant veggies I have in pdf.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/shade-tolerant-vegetables-zm0z11zsto.aspx#axzz2X0eLbFEt

Original article: Best Vegetables to Grow in the Shade
http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/shade-tolerant-vegetables-zm0z11zsto.aspx#axzz2X0eLbFEt

The table comes from this article, which also gives advice on boosting yield in shade by using reflective mulch, which comments on the table say can be obtained from places that focus on hydroponic growing and on eBay.

Hope this helps.

Windmere 6/23/2013, 1:20 am

WriterCPA wrote:Shade was an issue for me before a fortuitous storm took down my neighbor's tree east of my property; it truly is an ill wind that blows no one some good.

Here is a link to a table of shade tolerant veggies I have in pdf.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/shade-tolerant-vegetables-zm0z11zsto.aspx#axzz2X0eLbFEt

Original article: Best Vegetables to Grow in the Shade
http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/shade-tolerant-vegetables-zm0z11zsto.aspx#axzz2X0eLbFEt

The table comes from this article, which also gives advice on boosting yield in shade by using reflective mulch, which comments on the table say can be obtained from places that focus on hydroponic growing and on eBay.

Hope this helps.

Thanks WriterCPA. I have been perusing shade options and I'm feeling quite a bit better. The link to the chart does indeed help.

Time for a rest though. Brainchasm quoted ANSFG and I thought the reference was to the Answer book published in Dec 2012 (which is probably very good to have).

brainchasm 6/23/2013, 1:33 am

I've had very good luck with French Breakfast radishes this year, so here's hoping you do as well!

littlejo 6/23/2013, 8:16 am

I think the 'testing' of the mm is a good thing to remember.
I have my garden under a pine tree. You won't regret it later this summer! I wish mine was other, thicker, with a more lush canopy. You may be able to grow some cool season veggies year round!
Also, you may get more sun/light than you think, once the sun moves into summer position.
Jo

**donnainzone5** 6/23/2013, 11:51 am

When I lived in Southern California, I had perhaps three to four hours of direct sunlight daily during the summer. Nevertheless, I managed to grow some cukes, beans, a bit of corn, and some tomatoes in my SFG. The roses did well, although they did grow to be very tall because of phototropism.

My garden was surrounded on three sides (West, East, and North) by two- to three-story structures. The South side was blocked by a 33' olive tree. So, what light there was streamed into the yard area from overhead and seemed to be quite concentrated.

Windmere 6/23/2013, 12:34 pm

Hi Donna,

Your post about limited sun makes me feel very encouraged. I am in an identical situation (like when you were in California) with three directions obstructed. Eastern sunlight comes in the best. The path of the sun has changed a lot. At the beginning of spring, the sun's path gave my beds 6 or more hours of direct sunlight. I now can judge where to put new beds next year.
S.O.S. -- I made an error in determining sun exposure. 43549

S.O.S. -- I made an error in determining sun exposure. 43549

**sanderson** 6/23/2013, 2:23 pm

I'm thinking of setting up reflectors made of cardboard covered with cheap aluminum foil (99 Cent Store) Shade is great for salad greens but I have shaded areas and and winter / spring areas of low sunshine.

Windmere 6/24/2013, 4:27 pm

Hi all,

I had to write and tell you about some rather happy news:

It turns out that our new neighbors directly across the street had some tree surgeons on their property to remove trees and grind stumps.

I asked the boss if he could remove one of my trees for me (at a discount since they were already set up). I quoted a price, I haggled and we came to a very good agreement. The tree in question was the culprit of my shade problem.

So... shade is no longer an issue for my veggies. They are going to get PLENTY of sun. I can't believe the serendipity of all this.

I must say though, the support of so many while I was freaking out over my problem was very kind and encouraging. Thanks so much!

Wind

thanks

boffer 6/24/2013, 5:08 pm

sanderson wrote:I'm thinking of setting up reflectors made of cardboard covered with cheap aluminum foil (99 Cent Store) Shade is great for salad greens but I have shaded areas and and winter / spring areas of low sunshine.

Aluminum foil is a very poor light reflector.

Your two best means of light reflection are flat white paint, or sheet mylar that can be purchased in rolls.

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=mylar+roll&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=4242994989&hvpos=1t2&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=130552468065625313&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_38rorpkm7i_b

I used mylar around my indoor lights this past winter when I was experimenting with growing lettuce all winter. I was getting harvestable lettuce in under 4 weeks, which is less than half the time I need outdoors.

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