Herb Gardens In Shade

Not all of us have the perfect place to grow things. What happens if you have a shady yard, or you have no yard and only a shady windowsill, with little to no sun? You can still grow herbs! Some herbs do well their entire growing season in shade or dappled sunlight.

If you do plant a shade garden, be sure to trim back regularly to keep the plants from getting too leggy. If you plan on having a shady garden, here are some other considerations:

• Soil Quality - You may need to increase the organic matter in a shady area. Add composted manure and even topsoil to the area before planting.
• Watering - Shade may mean also protected from natural rainfall and may not be the easiest to reach by hose. Check carefully for adequate water in each location.
• Pruning - I keep mentioning this, but it is important. Your herbs are still plants, and will naturally reach for sunlight, even if they grow well in shade. You will find that pruning is very important for shade grown herbs. Keeping the plant pinched back will keep its attractive shape, and also keep stems from becoming long and weak.

Don't forget that if you want to grow more herbs and are running out of sunny locations, you can always keep them in pots and move them in and out of the sunny areas. Herbs will do very well for 4 or 5 days in the shade, before you have to move them. This also adds to the beauty of your garden, because you are able to change it every few days!