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This year is really my first gardening experience, and I'm hoping to make the most out of what I can. We have a smallish backyard that doesn't get sun for the whole day, so I'm really wondering how that will affect where I plant. How much sunlight do certain plants need? I've been planning on planting tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and a few herbs...but if we have shade mostly in the afternoon hours, how does that affect the plants? Will they still grow?

Tomatoes and cucumbers particularly don't grow well with less than 6 hrs of sun a day. If they have at least a half day of direct sun, they probably won't die, but they will still be small and not produce very well.

The carrots would do better. Herbs it depends on which. Parsley handles part shade pretty well, but a lot of herbs also like full sun.

Best for a location that has afternoon shade would be leafy greens, lettuce, spinach, etc and other cool weather crops like broccoli.

Its worth a try. I have planted some things at times where they only got morning or afternoon sun and they did OK. You can't deny that full sun is best, but we work with what we have. Try a few things.

What time in the afternoon? In the summer time, the sun rises early.

If you are further in the south, some mid day or afternoon shade may be welcome for tomatoes and cucumbers. In the north and in very humid areas, afternoon shade may significantly reduce the hours of warmth as well as promote fungal problems.

I think I would try anyway too though. Lack of production per plant might be compensated by growing more plants if you have the room.

We live in the city, so the shade is provided by buildings, so there really is no way to alleviate any of the shade. We have one spot in the yard that seems to catch the sun almost all day, but it's small and in the corner of the yard surrounded by fence, so I'm not sure if that's going to be the best way to do it. I considered planting in pots on the deck, but it's in the shade all day since it's covered, so no good there. But planting a few more plants to compensate for poor production sounds like a good idea. Thanks

Oh, and the shade in the backyard starts around 2-3 pm.