Shaded Area

[MonsterMum]

I have an area on my allotment that's shaded by trees and I was wondering what I could plant here that would do well. 

Any ideas gratefully redceived as I'm a bit worried that this might be a 'dead' area

Thanks

[MonsterMum]

[dandelion]

I wish I had a shaded spot! I'd simply trim the grass and have a nice seat to relax!

[saddad]

We grow snowdrops and lilly of the valley for cutting in our shaded dell at the back of our allotment!
???

[Leonnie]

How much shade does it get? Just a few hours, all day? Our raspberries get late afternoon shade and they grow beatifully there. Our neighbour's strawberries do okay in his late afternoon shaded area. Our shaded area is still under development but the intention is to have it under grass for somewhere to sit, in the grass we've planted daffodils to give us cut flowers in the spring. I'm thinking of putting a raised bed in that area too for salad crops like lettuce and spinach. The lettuces I picked today are beginning to be scorched by the sun, they really could do with some dappled shade or at least shade for part of the day. How about a wildlife pond, that would do okay with a bit of shade. :)

[MonsterMum]

Thanks for all the suggestions, I particularly like the idea of the pond but I have a small toddler so maybe that's something I will do in another couple of years.

It seems to be dappled shade all day.  I was thinking of putting the shed and greenhouse in this area but wondered if anything would grow here, particularly veg?  I was kind of thinking that maybe I could grow climbers up the shed etc

[Curryandchips]

My garden bench has been placed so it is in the shade of a damson tree. At times like this, it almost seems like wisdom !!!

[growmore]

Leeks should do ok in dappled shade..Cheers Jim

[Mrs Ava]

Shade is great for salad crops and things which bolt quickly like spinach and coriander.  Raspberries will do fine in the shade, as mine do, as they thrive in woodland conditions.  Another way to look at it is the dappled shade is only during the summer when the trees are in full leaf, so the area is great for winter crops.  My brussel sprouts are in shade, along with a patch of bright light chard.  I also grow squash in my compost bin which is in deep shade, and I always get several large fruits from each vine.  Don't look on it as a problem.  Today on my allotment I worked in the full sun for a couple of hours, then as the day got hotter, I moved into the shade where I worked in comfort.  Then, back out into the sun later in the afternoon.   Perfect!

[glow777]

Rhubarb always seems to be the thing that everyone sticks in a shady corner

[saddad]

If you do just want a visual effect Lamium (Dead Nettles) do quite a variety of foliage and flower colour...
???

[Tee Gee]

If all fails build your compost heap there.

[artichoke]

Yes, I can't keep up with my rhubarb, so last autumn I moved it right up against old apple tree trunk where it is exploding out of the ground and I still can't keep up with it. But at least I can use its space for other things that need more light.

Raspberries, black and red currants and gooseberries are supposed to be plants from woodland edges, so I have put the gooseberries in a row under the same tree (productive so far, the first season after their move), and the currants up against an 8' hawthorn hedge that only gets some sun in the morning. They are all cuttings, and seem to thrive, but I don't expect fruit until next year.

I did try squashes in deep shade against same hedge, but they didn't do very well.

[tim]

This sparked a couple of ideas -

http://www.voanews.com/specialenglish/archive/2006-03/2006-03-07-voa2.cfm

http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/extension/container/container.html

And there are others.

Our g'house cus are in heavy shade until after midday.