DIY Network

Cool-Season Shade Garden Cool-Season Shade Garden From "Fresh from the Garden" episode DFFG-211

Figure A

A number of cool-season vegetables can be grown in shaded areas, so Joe prepares a garden under the trees (figure A) to grow crops such as fennel and cabbage. He'll show how to add compost, soil conditioner and fertilizer to increase the level of nutrients in the soil, and then, because of the high volume of traffic from kids and pets around the bed, he builds a fence out of bamboo stakes and string to keep intruders out.

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	Figure B
	Figure C
	Figure D
	Figure E
	Figure F
	Figure G
	Figure H

Cool-season vegetables need less sun and heat than many other warm-season vegetables such as tomatoes and peppers. To grow cool-season vegetables, you need a site that doesn't get the broiling sun all day, that has cooler soil temperatures and that gets plenty of moisture. Cool-season crops will bolt, or grow seeds too quickly, if they're planted in a spot that's too hot.

Choose a shady spot, for example, under a tree, to plant cool-season vegetables. Normally you wouldn't plant warm- and cool-season crops in the same day, much less the same month, but a shady site makes it possible. You need a site that gets filtered sun all day -- but never direct sun. The ground temperature here is about 20 to 30 degrees cooler than the spot where we planted the tomatoes and squash, which makes the ground stay moist.

Just like the other bed, this area needs to have a high level of nutrients in the soil (figure B). Add several inches of composted manure, soil conditioner and a few handfuls of slow-release fertilizer to the bed. Turn the soil to a depth of 6". When everything is mixed in, use a hard-tined rake to smooth the top of the ground (figure C).

There are no rules in gardening that say you have to use square or rectangular beds or rows for your plants. When you plant vegetables in the landscape, it's important to use the same design techniques as you use for shrubs and trees. Put the tallest plants in the back, working your way forward to the smaller plants in the front (figure D).

If your yard gets a lot of use from kids and pets, then the bed may need something to keep them out. One easy way to build a fence is by using bamboo stakes and string. This fence won't keep out anything large or heavy: it'll just be a good reminder to everyone that there are plants in here.

1. The first step is to push the bamboo stakes into the ground until they're sturdy (figure E).

2. Hammer the stakes into the ground along the edge of the bed, spacing them about every foot.

3. Take a spool of string and begin wrapping it around each stake a few times. Then go straight across to the next stake, repeating the step until all of the stakes are tied together (figure F).

4. Complete the fence by adding the second row of string and tying it off (figure G).

5. Dangle some CDs from strings and tie them to the top string on the fence (figure H). This will help keep birds away and make the fence more noticeable to kids who might forget the garden is here.

In a few months the leaves on the trees above will fall and more light will shine down on the plants below. This'll be perfect timing since that's about the same time the temperatures start to get cold. By then the plants will need the extra sunlight to stay warm.