We live in the sounthern part of New Mexico and have a gardening question.

Christine S
by Christine S
Would like to plant a garden on the east side of house which gets a good amount of shade. What kind of veggies/herbs/fruit would grow there? Thank you.
  3 answers
  • 3po3 3po3 on Dec 29, 2011
    Tomatoes and most other veggies like full sun, but lettuce and other leafy greens might work. Herbs can be pretty hardy. I have mint and parsley that refuse to die no matter how much I ignore them and what their conditions are. Also, a little potted herb plant is often cheaper than a little container of fresh herbs at the supermarket. You can get some seasoning out of the leaves, then plant in your spot and see what happens. Also, before you plant, get a soil test through your NM cooperative extension office. That will greatly help. My final tip is to invest in a cheap drip irrigation system. A soil test and the drip system probably tripled the yield of my vegetable garden last summer. Here's a link for your cooperative extension folks: http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_a/a-114.html
  • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on Dec 30, 2011
    Steve's advice is very good, Christine. If the east side of your house does not get four to six hours of sun, no edible plants are going to do well for you. In a partially shaded situation it is a good idea to focus on things that you eat for the leaf, stem or bud. Things you eat for the root or fruit really need more sun. Shade tolerant leafy vegetables include lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard, arugula, endive and radiccio. Broccoli (and its relatives -- kale, kohlrabi, turnips, mustard and cabbage) also grow in partial shade. Good luck!
  • Katie Katie on Apr 26, 2015
    Something has deer like.