grow vegetables - vegetable patch in Far North Queensland

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by ulla, Apr 22, 2004.

  1. ulla

    ulla New Member

    Joined:
    Apr 22, 2004
    Messages:
    1
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    I have moved to Yorkeys Knob north of Cairns recently and would like to grow vegetables in my backyard on a 3x3m patch and tubs along the fence. I consulted a gardener who told me I can forget about it because my bckyard is too shady. Is he right?
     
  2. makehumusnotwar

    makehumusnotwar Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 18, 2004
    Messages:
    60
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    6
    all i can say after researching and talking to various people is - no, he's not necessarily right.
    there are far too many variables for such a general statement like that to apply. there always seem to be stories of plants grown successfully where the book says they should have withered and died. also, there are many, many varieties of vegetables and herbs etc - some do like shade. has he tried all of them?

    unfortunately, i can't give you a comprehensive list of what will work, as i'm still trying to learn myself. just talk to as many people esp locals as you can and read read read. then - give it a go.

    at worst, trying and failing is still much more fun than doing nothing.

    good luck......................
     
  3. muttabuttasaurus

    muttabuttasaurus Junior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 14, 2003
    Messages:
    68
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    It depends on how shady your yard is and what exactly you want to grow.
    Especially in your area where the sun can be so wonderfully fierce, some shade, especially in the hot wet season probably wouldn't be such a bad thing. I reckon ideally a dappled shade in the midday with 4 or 5 hours of morning sun would be about perfect...
    But you've got to work with what you've got, haven't you?
    Leafy greens require less direct sun than root crops which require less direct sun than fruiting annuals, in my experience.
    You could probably grow a lot of things that in theory you shouldn't be able to, but if you really are in full shade you would probably get significantly less production. Plants do require sunlight for photosynthesis, after all.
    One terrific crop that you might like to try is the climbing yam (dioscorea elata), which is quite ornamental in its growth with lovely purple green foliage, will climb just about any height to get to the light, and in time is incredibly productive. Absolutely to die for when baked just right. Good luck, and remember to let us know about any happy accidents!
     
  4. trish

    trish Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 8, 2004
    Messages:
    14
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    an excellent book is 'tropical food gardens - a guide to growing fruit,herbs and vegetables in tropical and sub-tropical climates' by Leonie Norrington published by Bloomings Books Pty Ltd. also the markets at Yungaburra or Marreba / Kuranda would certainly help you out.

    aahh to have your rainfall........
    cheers trish
     
  5. Chook Nut

    Chook Nut Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 31, 2003
    Messages:
    227
    Likes Received:
    0
    Trophy Points:
    0
    I live in SE Qld in the subtropics and i grow a few things in semi to full shade as our UV factor is quite high and the plants dont need to be exposed to as much direct sunlight as they do in the southern states. (basically i am agreeing with the above comments!)

    Things i grow are Sweet potato, coriander(try to get ahold of Thai coriander.... its far superior in taste!), cardamon, gingers, galangal and some native spices and berries will do very well(i grow midgim and wombat berries in semi shade). Its a matter of talking to your neighbours and others in your area and see they are successful at growing in their gardens in a similar situation to yours.

    You may be limited in growing some things.... but other alternatives will give you options that you may not have considered b4 that are just as nice :)

    Hope this helps a little.... Dave
     

Share This Page

-->