Sun Survey

[Willowwind]

So, today I'm going out to the yard every hour and charting where the sun and shade is.

Do I understand correctly that a plant which requires "full sun" needs 5 - 6 hours of sunlight a day? Does it matter what time of day those hours come?

For instance, the east side of my house gets sunlight from roughly 6am (give or take sunrise) until about 1pm, but then for the rest of the day, it's total shade. Would that still be considered full sun?

But then there are other spots in my yard that get the sun for as long as it's out, no shade at all.

 

[Snowwark]

Kristen, here are some sun "definitions" to help you out.

Full Sun - Eight hours or more of direct sunlight. (I've also read 6 hours)

Partial Sun - The term partial shade is used to describe several different conditions. Each of the following circumstances may be described as partial shade:

Sunlight shines through a canopy of trees or a lath, creating confetti-like shadows on the ground below.

For a few hours every day an area may receive direct sunlight. However, as the sun moves across the sky tall trees or structures block the sun, creating a shadow.

Tall buildings cast shadows over an area for most, if not all, of the day. Nevertheless, nothing is blocking the sunlight directly overhead (common in small city gardens).

Shade - Virtually no direct sunlight. If you step into a shade area on a sunny day you must pause to let your eyes adjust to the darkness. Typically found in thick forests.

Something else to bear in mind....

Afternoon Sun

Typically the harshest and hottest exposure. Plants that prefer full sun will do better in a spot that receives afternoon sun than plants requiring partial shade .

 

[Mamu]

Kristen one of the things I noticed over the years is the plants that get the morning sun are the plants that grow the best and produce the most beautiful flowers. So if your plants are growng in a sunny spot where they get full morning sun you can grow just about anything.

I do not live on a very sunny location. I border wet lands that shades most of the back until late morning. The north side of my house gets very little sun. The south and west get sun, not a all day sun, but enough to grow plants that are sunlovers.

I dream of having morning sun, but I learned to live with my conditions. I grow lots of partial to full shade plants. In the sunnier spots I grow veggies and some sun loving plants.

It good to learn exactly what the sun conditions are on your property, most of my plants would fry on a sunny lot.

Your property sounds like you have great possibilities.

 

[Willowwind]

Excellent, thank you!

Our lot is pretty small, and the previous owners had dogs that were diggers so the ground is really uneven, but we're determined to make the best of it. My biggest problem with the area is that we have this HUGE spruce tree that takes up what seems like 1/2 the yard.

The results of my survey were good I think. Every spot that I charted gets between 6.5 and 13 hours of sun (over a 13 hour period) with the spot I wanted to put the veggies getting the longest exposure.

Now we just have to build the raised beds this fall and come spring we'll be ready to grow!