fruit you can grow in part shade in Calgary

Most fruits and vegetables require full sun (6 hours or more) to produce well.  But if you're like me, you have lots of shade on your property and therefore you must experiment with your edible-producing plants and push the limits a little.

I have raspberries growing in these raised beds on the patio.  They are on the north side of my house and in the shade of large spruce trees (if you read this blog regularly you'll know I have way too many large spruce trees - they are the bane of my existence) so they only get, I don't know, maybe about 3 hours of sun a day.  They still produce.  They might produce a little more if they got more sun (I haven't done a controlled experiment or anything) but they seem to do just fine here.  They are 'Boyne' raspberries which are tried-and-true hardy in Calgary.

I am also lucky enough to have a neighbour who planted Saskatoon shrubs all along the north side of our shared fence many years ago.  They're large enough now to reach over the fence so I get some too!  Yum!  They are also in the shade of - you guessed it - two of my large spruce trees and do just fine, although I expect my neighbour must water them a lot.

On another note, the season seems to be quite condensed this year.  I'm still picking strawberries this week and the raspberries have started ripening as well - usually I don't get them at the same time.  Other things around the garden seem to be late also.

Comments

[Christine B.]

I have but one large spruce tree, and though it provides welcome privacy, it is so dry and infertile under said tree that almost nothing will grow. I can't imagine having scads of spruce to deal with.

Everyone should have neighbors with fruit overhanging the fence;)

Christine in Alaska

[Janice Miller-Young]

Only one spruce??  Consider yourself lucky Christine!  I dont even try to grow anything underneath them but because I have so many its even difficult to grow things NEAR them!
I am grateful for the fruit though!

[dzfvsa]

Some cherry tomatoes grow very well in shade - four hours of sun.

[Laura]

Raspberries! That is toping my list for next years garden. I'm going to have to play with their shade tollerance a little myself. I might need to do some tree trimming.

I like you planters!

[Janice Miller-Young]

Cherry tomatoes!  I never would have thought of trying!  Im guessing that four hours has to be a hot four hours though, middle of the day?
Janice

[dzfvsa]

Good question. Probably not morning sun, anything else should be fine. Keep the tomatoes on your patio, the bricks act as a heat releaser during the night.

Try out Sungold, they're amazing.

[Mike Graf]

Hi, I am new to gardening. Where do you recommend I get some Raspberry canes?

I live in Calgary too.

[Calgary Garden Coach]

Hi Mike,
You can buy bare-root canes in spring in any garden centre such as Sunnyside or Greengate probably around early May. The big box stores may have them too but I wouldn't trust them as much for quality - make sure you check them to see that the roots aren't too dried out.
Cheers,
Janice