Vegetables That Don't Need Full Sunlight

Leafy Vegetables

• Most leafy vegetables tolerate part-day shade or bright, indirect light all day long. Lettuce, chard and kale are examples of a few shade-tolerant vegetable varieties. They won't grow in full shade but they can thrive in beds that don't receive enough light for other vegetables. They grow best if they receive at least four hours of direct sun and bright indirect light the rest of the day. The shaded location also helps extend the life of these crops. Lettuce and other leafy vegetables bolt and flower as temperatures warm in summer, signifying the end of the useful life of the plant. Shaded areas warm up later so the plants bolt later, allowing you to harvest from the plants for a longer period.

The Cabbage Family

• Vegetables in the cabbage family prefer a cooler growing season, similar to the leafy vegetables. Broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and mustard plants all belong to the cabbage family. These plants also bolt and quit producing in hot weather, so a shaded site prolongs the harvest. Cabbage family plants do require some direct sunlight -- either four hours in the morning or afternoon -- to produce at their peak. Filtered sunlight for the remainder of the day is usually sufficient for successful production.

Root Vegetables

• Carrots, turnips, potatoes and other root vegetables can produce in lower light conditions. The edible roots may not grow as large as those grown in full-sun beds, though. Root vegetables require at least a half day of direct sunlight, otherwise the foliage weakens and the roots don't form properly or develop their full flavor. These plants work well in beds that are shaded on one side or that face east or west, so they only receive sunlight during part of the day.

Fruiting Vegetables

• The fruiting vegetable varieties require the most sunlight. These include tomatoes, peppers and squash. They grow and fruit best when supplied with eight or more hours of direct sun, but you can grow them in areas that only receive part-day sun as long as they receive six hours of direct light. Beds that experience shading in the afternoon and evening but full sunlight for six hours in the morning work best. The plants don't grow as large or produce as many fruits as those grown in full, all-day sun.