Many urban garden struggle with providing enough sun to their plants, especially in areas with tall/mature trees, our preference for fencing off all areas of the property, and the rise of taller condos and buildings. For this reason, sometimes we have a choice whether to grow our plants in an area with more morning sun or afternoon. In this tip, we’ll go over some differences and how you can choose the best location for your garden.
In general, the more sun you can provide the plants, the better. This is especially true for hot crops like tomatoes, peppers, beans, and onions. The more sun you can provide, the better the chance they will produce an abundance of produce for you to enjoy all season long.
But what if your garden area gets an equal amount of morning and afternoon sun? For leafy greens and crops that are more disease prone, morning sun is preferred. The energy of the sun goes towards warming the soil, burning off the morning dew and stimulating the plants after a night of growing. By drying off the dew quickly, this can greatly help to control fungal diseases. Finally, morning sun can help with frost protection as it will warm the plants faster than a shady area.
Afternoon sun is considered to be more hot and intense as the air and soil temperature has risen, the morning dew has evaporated, and the air temperatures are continuing to rise. During the summer growing months, this also means longer hours of daylight and the potential for more sun exposure to your plants. For these reasons, you may want to grow your plants in an afternoon sun location. Like all gardening tips and advice, your results may vary.
Where do you grow your plants? If you need help choosing the right spot for your plants, talk to us about our garden planning and coaching services.
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