Planting Herbs and Spices in a Shaded Area

It can be extremely frustrating, particularly for newer gardeners, to have the desire to garden but only have shaded areas to work with. While you can always try to increase the amount of direct sunlight that isn't always the most cost effective method. Planting herbs and spices in a shaded area is a great way to get around this limitation on your workspace. The trick to this is learning which herbs to grow. Here are a few of the more common herbs that you could grow, as well as a brief description of what you need to do to grow them properly. On the average, the following plants will only need to get between three to six hours of sunlight, but can also do well with a constant source of dappled sunlight.

• Mint. Generally speaking mint likes to have a lot of space so that it can spread out a bit. This means that you will want to choose a location that doesn't have too many other plants nearby (or at least plants that you are trying to grow). Further, since mint can be fairly difficult to grow from seed, you may want to purchase seedlings that are already growing well from your local nursery. These seedlings should be planted when the ground can actually be worked easily.
• Coriander. Interestingly enough, coriander is an herb that pulls double duty. This is done in the fact that the seeds of this plant are typically referred to as coriander, while the leaves are known by a different name—cilantro. Considering that this plant will turn bitter if it is grown in temperatures that are over 75 degrees Fahrenheit, it makes it a perfect choice to grow in some dappled sunlight. Make sure that the soil is well drained and rich.
• Chives. While chives prefer full sun, they can often have a nasty tendency to grow out of control. This means that they can be perfect for growing in the shade. The shade itself will help prevent the chives from growing out of control. Simply make sure that you start the chives indoors, about six weeks prior to planting them outside (usually around the time of the last frost of the season).
• Lemon balm. Lemon balm does really good in partial shade, so make sure that at least a few dapples of sunlight occasionally splash across the plant during the day. Furthermore, lemon balm absolutely loves to be planted in moist rich soil, though it can do quite well in normal soil as well. The ideal time to plant this herb is in the early spring and will grow rather quickly.