Pick your Perfect Edibles

Your green garden oasis will most likely have spots that soak up lots of sunlight throughout the day, as well as shady corners where the sun doesn’t quite delve into.

Luckily there are edibles that can be grown in almost every part of your garden, so to make the most of your growing spaces the below suggestions will help you pick the perfect crops based on the amount of sun and shade your garden receives.

CROPS THAT ENJOY THE SUN

Most of your core vegetable crops prefer full sun, which means a spot that gets around 6-8 hours of sunlight. The below crops all love to sunbathe.

Tomatoes
Cucumbers
Corn
Basil
Squash
Onions
Garlic
Broad beans
Asparagus
Rhubarb

For fruit favourites, such as feijoas, citrus, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, apples and pears, a good rule to stick to is that full sun and a spot away from strong winds is needed to initiate and ripen the fruit.

Vegetable crops that will thrive in partial sun are peas, beetroot, carrots, leeks, radish and other root vegetables. Partial sun means around 3-4 hours of sunlight, often this will be in the morning and shade in the afternoon.

CROPS THAT DON’T MIND THE SHADE

There are a number of crops that will produce a decent harvest in areas of the garden that are shaded during most of the day. Full shade can mean only 2-3 hours of sunlight per day.

Reserve your shady spots for leafy greens as they will be quite happy in that cooler location.

Kale
Spinach
Lettuce
Silverbeet
Celery
Mizuna
Cavolo nero
Parsley
Mint

top garden TIPS

Before planting replace nutrients used over the summer growing season by digging in Tui Compost and Tui Sheep Pellets to your soil before planting.
Give your garden a boost every 2-4 weeks with Tui Organic Seaweed Plant Tonic. Regular applications promotes healthy plant and root growth to make plants more resilient to frost and pests and diseases.
Feed your plants regularly with a fertiliser specially blended for what you are growing e.g. Tui Vegetable Food, or choose an all purpose variety like Tui NovaTec Premium fertiliser - also suitable for pots and containers.

When should I plant

Rhubarb Growing Guide