Vegetables For Shade

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Growing Rhubarb

Rhubarb, although always cooked and eaten as if it were a fruit, is usually grown in the vegetable garden - and rates as a vegetable on the show bench.

Some vegetables that will accept a little shade

Christina Maries, Cambridge

One of the most difficult things I get asked (and asked very frequently) is to suggest vegetables that will grow well in shady places. Such vegetables are rare! And many that will tolerate shade will actually do rather better in open conditions. However, fools rush in where angels fear to tread and I will put forward my few suggestions - and hope for comments from readers.

Asparagus

Cultivated in the normal way a very acceptable crop can be gathered in half shade although the spears may be a little thin. Choose a vigorous, all male cultivar.

Beetroot

Raise young plants in pots or seed trays placed in a sunny position transplanting them when they are about 1 in 2 1/2cm) high. Set the plants Gin (15cm) apart and harvest as soon as the roots are large enough to be worth eating.

Hamburg parsley

The leaves can be used as you would use the well known moss curled parsley (although they are not crisped) but the roots, thickened and like small parsnips are used as a cooked vegetable. In flavour they resemble a parsnip with just a touch of celery. They are best par boiled and then baked whole without being peeled, but if you do peel them sprinkle them with lemon juice to prevent them discolouring. Seed should be sown in March in drills that have been covered with cloches for three weeks beforehand. Thin the seedlings to Sin (20cm) apart. If you keep down the weeds and water well in dry weather the first roots will be ready for lifting in November.

Kohl rabi

Like beetroot this needs to be started in good open conditions. Sow the seeds in pots and transplant when they have four adult leaves well developed. Set the plants 6in (15cm) apart and gather the bulbs as soon as they are large enough. The plants will probably develop rather long thin stems and the bulbs will elongate in a proportion of plants (but they are normally still usable). Kohl rabi can be used in any way you would use a turnip, boiled, steamed or par boiled and roasted but many people, and that includes me, think they are best peeled, coarsely grated and served raw as a salading. This is a very useful crop as, in summer, it can be harvested in 12-14 weeks from sowing.

This article originally appeared in the Members Bulletin, the journal of the National Vegetable Society, which is sent quarterly to members. You can Join the National Vegetable Society here

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