One of the best investments I made 13 years ago was a 20'x20' patch of raspberries. As long as they are consistently watered they produce many pounds of fruit. The variety is Caroline and don't require pruning and trellising; I cut all of the canes down to the ground each year. They are fall-bearers so I spend Sept and Oct evenings harvesting them. I make jam and freeze the rest. I use a small chest freezer just for fruit: raspberries, blueberries, elderberries, and cherries.
5. Meadowsweet (spirea ulmaria Or filipendula ulmaria) tall flowers
6. Oregon grape (mahonia aquifolium)
7. Black cohosh (actaea racemosa) wall white flowers
8. Wild ginger (asarum caudatum)
9. Bugle (ajuga reptans)
ps- (I think I remember you covering some of these in other articles on your website but I thought I would share here incase you are not familiar with some or others find the info helpful)
Hello from Maine! Currently requesting alllll the books from the library so I can research and plan for my permaculture projects and beginning a chicken flock now that we’ve moved to the countryside! We only have half an acre but it’s a dream compared to where we were in the city, and our neighbors have acres of field and forest they graciously let us roam, so I’m excited to learn some foraging skills as well. I identified usnea for the first time yesterday and can’t wait to find more! I’m also looking for good books to add to my personal library, so I’m grateful for your booklists and the recommendation for Chelsea Green. I’m in over my head but loving it 😆
Nice! If you're looking for foraging guides, anything by Sam Thayer is amazing. His new field guide has everything you could ever want to forage (except mushrooms), and his other books are really in depth (but less broad).
This is timely for me, as we're looking for property that has gardening potential and have been discouraged (a little) that so many properties we've looked at, have so much shade. Sounds like shade shouldn't be a deterrent. Thanks, Ashley!
There is A LOT you can grow in the shade, especially when it comes to perennial fruits and veggies. Not so much when it comes to tomatoes/peppers, but there are still plenty of options.
Hi Ashley, just letting you know that scammers emailed me from your substack email offering a 'fantastic crypto opportunity that I couldn't refuse.' I refused anyway lol
That's really unfortunate, and I have no idea how they would have been able to do that...I wonder if anyone else got a similar email? Please do forward it if it's not already permanently deleted so I can see if I can track down what happened. (Sorry about that, that's nasty...scammers are so prolific these days!)
Wish I could find a guide to shade tolerant vegetables for Central Florida. It can be very hot in the sun on days with a high of low 70s and it just gets worse from there. I am going to try lettuce in my shady areas. It is almost always cooler there. Enjoy your work and learn a lot from it. Very good tincture-making instructions. Thanks.
That's tricky...intense heat, but also shade. I seem to remember reading an article a few years back about how tomatoes thrive in shade in Florida and fruit just fine that way because there's so much heat and reflected sun. I can't find it now, but I'm definitely not the expert on that climate!
Beets are an amazing shady superfood that I use in borscht, kvaas, and beet salad . How's the weather where you are Ashley? Here in Ontario it oscillates, yesterday freezing, today balmy.
We're having a record late winter all of a sudden, and it's warmed up so fast that the maple sap isn't even running. Things will have to cool down or we won't have any syrup this year. Not that I'm specifically complaining about bright sunshine and almost 60 degrees today...but it is pretty unseasonable.
Hi, You are doing so many great things it’s a joy and so useful to read your posts. A while ago I think you posted a fabulous video of a woman showing her amazing pantry of stored food…please could you direct me to the link again ? Many Thanks
I have been reading about vegetables that can grow in the shade or partial shade. I am confused - as some of them are good up to zone 3. I live in Kansas, zone 6. Can these also be grown in zone 6 as well? Also, are there other vegetables, plants that can grow well in zone 6 in partial shade?? Thank you.
Hi Ashley, just letting you know that scammers emailed me from your substack email offering a 'fantastic crypto opportunity that I couldn't refuse.' I refused anyway lol
Hi Ashley, just letting you know that scammers emailed me from your substack email offering a 'fantastic crypto opportunity that I couldn't refuse.' I refused anyway lol
One of the best investments I made 13 years ago was a 20'x20' patch of raspberries. As long as they are consistently watered they produce many pounds of fruit. The variety is Caroline and don't require pruning and trellising; I cut all of the canes down to the ground each year. They are fall-bearers so I spend Sept and Oct evenings harvesting them. I make jam and freeze the rest. I use a small chest freezer just for fruit: raspberries, blueberries, elderberries, and cherries.
Couldn't agree more! A raspberry patch is worth its weight in gold in my book =)
Fantastic collection of resources/links as always.
Here are a few medicinal plants I like to include in designs for shady/partly shaded areas :
1. American ginseng (panax quinquefolius)
2. Mondo grass (ophiopogon japonicus aka Radix Ophiopogonis or "Mai Dong" in TCM) only hardy to zone 6
The roots offer cardio protective and perhaps even cardio regenerative benefits
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31923517/
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213422017301798
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27641605/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26434529/
3. Panax Ginseng (Korean Red Ginseng) Though it is only hardy to zone 6.
The rhizome also offers cardio protective benefits among other benefits.
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-61491-4
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3818953/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21253944/
- https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fphys.2018.00699/full
- https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0144733
4. Golden seal (hydratis canadensis)
5. Meadowsweet (spirea ulmaria Or filipendula ulmaria) tall flowers
6. Oregon grape (mahonia aquifolium)
7. Black cohosh (actaea racemosa) wall white flowers
8. Wild ginger (asarum caudatum)
9. Bugle (ajuga reptans)
ps- (I think I remember you covering some of these in other articles on your website but I thought I would share here incase you are not familiar with some or others find the info helpful)
Thank you! Some of those are new to me. I appreciate it =)
Hello from Maine! Currently requesting alllll the books from the library so I can research and plan for my permaculture projects and beginning a chicken flock now that we’ve moved to the countryside! We only have half an acre but it’s a dream compared to where we were in the city, and our neighbors have acres of field and forest they graciously let us roam, so I’m excited to learn some foraging skills as well. I identified usnea for the first time yesterday and can’t wait to find more! I’m also looking for good books to add to my personal library, so I’m grateful for your booklists and the recommendation for Chelsea Green. I’m in over my head but loving it 😆
Nice! If you're looking for foraging guides, anything by Sam Thayer is amazing. His new field guide has everything you could ever want to forage (except mushrooms), and his other books are really in depth (but less broad).
This is timely for me, as we're looking for property that has gardening potential and have been discouraged (a little) that so many properties we've looked at, have so much shade. Sounds like shade shouldn't be a deterrent. Thanks, Ashley!
There is A LOT you can grow in the shade, especially when it comes to perennial fruits and veggies. Not so much when it comes to tomatoes/peppers, but there are still plenty of options.
Hi Ashley, just letting you know that scammers emailed me from your substack email offering a 'fantastic crypto opportunity that I couldn't refuse.' I refused anyway lol
That's really unfortunate, and I have no idea how they would have been able to do that...I wonder if anyone else got a similar email? Please do forward it if it's not already permanently deleted so I can see if I can track down what happened. (Sorry about that, that's nasty...scammers are so prolific these days!)
Wish I could find a guide to shade tolerant vegetables for Central Florida. It can be very hot in the sun on days with a high of low 70s and it just gets worse from there. I am going to try lettuce in my shady areas. It is almost always cooler there. Enjoy your work and learn a lot from it. Very good tincture-making instructions. Thanks.
That's tricky...intense heat, but also shade. I seem to remember reading an article a few years back about how tomatoes thrive in shade in Florida and fruit just fine that way because there's so much heat and reflected sun. I can't find it now, but I'm definitely not the expert on that climate!
Beets are an amazing shady superfood that I use in borscht, kvaas, and beet salad . How's the weather where you are Ashley? Here in Ontario it oscillates, yesterday freezing, today balmy.
We're having a record late winter all of a sudden, and it's warmed up so fast that the maple sap isn't even running. Things will have to cool down or we won't have any syrup this year. Not that I'm specifically complaining about bright sunshine and almost 60 degrees today...but it is pretty unseasonable.
I absolutely LOVE your posts!!! Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us.
Have you written a book? I would love to buy it. I feel like your knowledge is so crucial for future generations.
Thank you so much for what you share. You inspire me!!
Thanks! Great List
Hi, You are doing so many great things it’s a joy and so useful to read your posts. A while ago I think you posted a fabulous video of a woman showing her amazing pantry of stored food…please could you direct me to the link again ? Many Thanks
I have been reading about vegetables that can grow in the shade or partial shade. I am confused - as some of them are good up to zone 3. I live in Kansas, zone 6. Can these also be grown in zone 6 as well? Also, are there other vegetables, plants that can grow well in zone 6 in partial shade?? Thank you.
Hi Ashley, just letting you know that scammers emailed me from your substack email offering a 'fantastic crypto opportunity that I couldn't refuse.' I refused anyway lol
Hi Ashley, just letting you know that scammers emailed me from your substack email offering a 'fantastic crypto opportunity that I couldn't refuse.' I refused anyway lol