I have a question. So, I have a u shaped garden bed in my curb strip. The bottom of the U is at the south end and the opening at the top of the U is north. There is a tree at the top north end that ends up shading a small section of the top of the U but mostly on the West side. And on the west across the street there is a tall tree and tall buildings that block the sun partially from about 5 or 6 pm on.
I've been rotating my crops around the beds each year but I've never put tomatoes or cucumbers on the east side of the U. I grow them vertically, and placing them there would likely block sun from reaching the west leg of the U all morning and then the west side of the U would only get light till about 5 pm when it ducks behind that tree and eventually buildings. That seems like too little sun to grow most things but then I read this post and thought ... oh. East side for tall crops?
Basically, in my garden the tree across the street starts to filter the sun before it's low enough to cast a shadow from tall crops.
I have successfully grown Toms on the bottom east side of the U (summer 2020) but then my cucumbers didn't do well on the bottom west from partial shade (although I had a crap year for cucumbers in other non blocked spots so might have been unrelated) and both cucumber and toms did well on the west side of the U. (summer 2019) when shorter crops were on the East side.
How hard and fast of a rule is it to but the taller things on the East? If I do it - what can I grow with reduced sun in the other half of my garden?
HI! I'm just seeing this comment, so apologies for the delay! This is not a hard-fast "rule" at all - it's just a good strategy. For you, sounds like the space is somewhat limited, so just do your best to rotate around the tomatoes - some years will be good, some will be bad. As for the sun-blocking tree to the west, I would also point out that it grows every year, so what may have worked 2 years ago may not work well now. As the tree grows, you'll have more or less sun every year - the branches and leaf structure will constantly change.
Any areas of "reduced" sun would be best used by your less sun-demanding crops - leafy greens and root vegetables. Remember, too, that the earth will continue tipping south and the sun sits more northerly on the horizon, so maybe it will come up and over the tree for a few weeks, too?!
Hope this helps! If I were you, I would just rotate crops and keep fingers crossed. I am, by the way, hosting a zoom 'class' in March (more info coming shortly) and you can share your screen and show me pics in real time, or login via your phone and walk out there to show me, so I can get a proper look and give you real time advice. oxo, amyp
I have a question. So, I have a u shaped garden bed in my curb strip. The bottom of the U is at the south end and the opening at the top of the U is north. There is a tree at the top north end that ends up shading a small section of the top of the U but mostly on the West side. And on the west across the street there is a tall tree and tall buildings that block the sun partially from about 5 or 6 pm on.
I've been rotating my crops around the beds each year but I've never put tomatoes or cucumbers on the east side of the U. I grow them vertically, and placing them there would likely block sun from reaching the west leg of the U all morning and then the west side of the U would only get light till about 5 pm when it ducks behind that tree and eventually buildings. That seems like too little sun to grow most things but then I read this post and thought ... oh. East side for tall crops?
Basically, in my garden the tree across the street starts to filter the sun before it's low enough to cast a shadow from tall crops.
I have successfully grown Toms on the bottom east side of the U (summer 2020) but then my cucumbers didn't do well on the bottom west from partial shade (although I had a crap year for cucumbers in other non blocked spots so might have been unrelated) and both cucumber and toms did well on the west side of the U. (summer 2019) when shorter crops were on the East side.
How hard and fast of a rule is it to but the taller things on the East? If I do it - what can I grow with reduced sun in the other half of my garden?
HI! I'm just seeing this comment, so apologies for the delay! This is not a hard-fast "rule" at all - it's just a good strategy. For you, sounds like the space is somewhat limited, so just do your best to rotate around the tomatoes - some years will be good, some will be bad. As for the sun-blocking tree to the west, I would also point out that it grows every year, so what may have worked 2 years ago may not work well now. As the tree grows, you'll have more or less sun every year - the branches and leaf structure will constantly change.
Any areas of "reduced" sun would be best used by your less sun-demanding crops - leafy greens and root vegetables. Remember, too, that the earth will continue tipping south and the sun sits more northerly on the horizon, so maybe it will come up and over the tree for a few weeks, too?!
Hope this helps! If I were you, I would just rotate crops and keep fingers crossed. I am, by the way, hosting a zoom 'class' in March (more info coming shortly) and you can share your screen and show me pics in real time, or login via your phone and walk out there to show me, so I can get a proper look and give you real time advice. oxo, amyp