Full shade usually refers to an area that gets 3 hours or less of sunlight per day.
Here are the plants we have covered so far that grow in full-shade conditions:
Full shade is the least common sun condition for popular garden vegetables, fruits, and herbs. But as shown above, the practical plants that do tolerate full shade are mostly leafy greens and leafy herbs. This is because leaves do not take as much energy to produce as other plant parts like fruits, thick roots, and flowers.
Some plants that tolerate full shade grow faster in part shade, though this depends on other environmental factors such as temperature and how intense and direct the sunlight is.
For example, chard prefers 2-5 hours of sunlight, spanning both full shade and part shade. I had chard that continued to grow throughout an especially low-light Pacific Northwest winter in which we didn't get direct sunlight for months. But the chard's growth was much slower during this time than it had been in mid to late spring, summer, and fall, when it received closer to a part-shade amount of light.
Because plants grow more slowly in the shade, they are more susceptible to pests and disease, as they are exposed to such risks for a longer period of time. If you have a very shady garden or spot, though, shade plants can be well worth growing as long as you are extra watchful for these issues.
Further Reading
Check out these other articles about other sun conditions:
- Gardening in Full Sun
- Gardening in Dappled Shade
- Gardening in Part Shade
- What Does "Full Sun to Part Shade" Mean?