By Skylar Nourse, Director of Operations

As we approach our midpoint of Summer, gardens with Summer vegetables are thriving under the warm, steady sun. Growth depends on the amount of sunlight the plants are exposed to daily. If you want to start your Summer garden or have one and want some garden tips, Each Green Corner is here to help! 

Some Summer Veggies that need full sun exposure are pumpkins, tomatoes, peppers, and squash. What does “full sun” mean? Full sun requires at least six hours of direct sunlight per day, but plants like veggies will thrive in upward of eight to ten hours. 

Signs your full sun veggies not getting enough sunlight: Low growth rates, not producing as much, stretched-out (leggy) stems, leaves are different (spotty or wilted)

Other Summer veggies operate better with partial shade; these partial shade veggies are Collards, kale, and Swiss chard. What does “partial shade” mean? Partial shade requires about two to three hours of sunlight daily because these vegetables can get swamped with too much sun. 

Signs your partial shade veggies are getting too much sunlight: the plant looks bleached or washed out and will eventually change colors; the plant will start dying. 

If you notice that your Summer vegetable garden is either getting too little or too much sunlight, you will either need to move the location of your plants if they’re potted or set up an umbrella to protect them if they are in a garden bed. 

Sources

https://meadowsfarms.com/lawn-garden/gardening-tips-and-information/excerpt-from-a-handbook-for-gardening-in-nova/what-does-full-sun-really-mean/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CFull%20sun%E2%80%9D%20definitely%20means%20at,terms%20sometimes%20are%20used%20interchangeably

​​https://www.creativevegetablegardener.com/soil-problems/

https://www.masterclass.com/articles/types-of-sunlight-for-gardening#5-types-of-sunlight-for-garden-plants

https://www.familyhandyman.com/article/how-to-tell-if-your-plants-need-more-sun/#it-leans

https://www.nourishingpursuits.com/garden/troubleshoot-garden-going-back-basics/


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