Food plants for shady area?

[Nicole Rankin]

We have a shaded garden area under the stairs, gets maybe 1-2 hours sunlight a day in early morning / late arvo. Right now we have some herbs and cucumber happily sprouting there, but there's more space and I wonder what we can put in there! Any suggestions?
The soil is clay-ey, and I'd rather something that I can plant at this time of year, and doesn't need heaps of water, maybe that's too much to expect!

Thanks :)

[Nicole Rankin]

Wow, 2-3 years from crowns, I'll have to grow some patience before growing asparagus I think!
I wonder whether we'll even still be in this house by the time the asparagus start producing well :)

[Elaine de Saxe]

It's a plant for the long haul. Not quite up to 'plant it for your grandchildren' like an Olive, though! The payoff is longevity of the crop - 20 and more is average if well looked-after. If you're renting or know you're going to be transferred regularly then Asparagus is not the crop for you. Realistically, the crowns get so big after a few years that growing it in pots is not an option.

[Donna]

Nicole, Trinette has had huge success with growing most things in shady areas. Full Qld sun is not ideal for most things anyway despite what the packet says!

I would give anything that you like to eat (based on the gardenate.com growing guide - free to your inbox) a try and see how you go. If it is good soil and well mulched you should be able to reduce the watering that you would have to do were they in full sun.

[Nicole Rankin]

Thanks for that Donna. Will check out Gardengate again....

[Donna]

I also collated them once and grouped by season (must have been bored lol)...

http://brisbanelocalfood.ning.com/forum/topics/what-to-plant-in-spring

[Nicole Rankin]

Have been goin through the Gardengate stuff and looks like Marrow is a possibility and not too water-hungry. Does anyone know what this tastes like and how easy it is to grow? Thanks :)

[Donna]

Pretty sure a 'marrow' is a zucchini... or at least from the cucurbite family - squash, pumpkin, gourd etc...

If it is a zuke, they are *supposed* to be easy to grow, but mine always seem to get powdery mildew on the leaves - mind you this can be easily treated by spraying with milk/ water solution. I believe that it also suffers from blossom end rot like tomatoes and might need extra calcium - dolomite/ lime.

[Florence]

From all the references I read & remember, marrows refers to mature zuchinni, which is usually used for stuffing or soups.

This reminds me of a couple of nights ago, my sister-in-law was over, and I had a few green scallope squash on the kitchen bench. She commented that I picked them too early, they supposed to turn yellow when riped and ready for picking ^^" Told her they are different varieties of squash.... don't think she was really convinced though...

[Donna]

Love it when non gardeners give advice, my father in law gave me a lecture about the importance of compost, told me I should be making it and even how to make it (he lives in NZ and obviously doesn't check out my garden on BLF very often...).

[Elaine de Saxe]

The terms 'marrow' and 'squash' seem to be interchangeable or open to interpretation.

In general most 'marrows' or 'squashes' are fairly bland soft-textured melons and sometimes are a bit of an acquired taste. Spaghetti Squash for instance is kind of watery but if you prefer veges (it's really a fruit!) to pasta then it's a good choice.

Don't really know about their water needs - all the melons are more or less high water content fruits ranging from Watermelons to Pumpkins. Or at least in really hot weather, at the hottest time of day, they droop whether from lack of water or from the plant's ability to switch off its internal pump so as not to lose moisture when conditions are very hot. So it's hard to know without any definite information just what their water requirements are. And it may well vary with soil type, season and location as well as variety.