I have been having a grump sort of day (possibly I have hit my limit for human interaction for the week already. Oh well, just a memorial viewing, church social hour, lunch with family friends, and a play left for the weekend, and then I can... start all over....)

anyway here is some grump for you, DW.

This is a short and very incomplete list of edible plants that currently grow in my yard, which is full of mature trees and very shady:

wild onion
wild raspberry
wild strawberry
pokeweed
wild mint
wild mustard
daylily
feral cherry tomatoes
chufa
bittercress
violets
dandelions
wood sorrel
wild grape
clover
rose
waybread
(and part of the reason why it is very shady: black walnut, pecan, mulberry, wild cherry, sugar maple.)

Here is a 100% complete list of domesticated vegetables and varieties that master gardeners and gardening books have suggested to me for mostly or full shade:

...cabbage, maybe, if you put it in a wheelbarrow and move it around to where the sun is.


WHY IS NOBODY WORKING ON SHADY VEGETABLE GARDENS FOR TEMPERATE CLIMATES?

Clearly it is possible to grow a variety of edibles in forest understory, since a variety of edibles are currently growing in my yard, and given the focus on resilience/sustability/urban homesteading/heirloom varieties/whatever right now, you'd think somebody would be promoting, say, a variety of potato that grows well in mostly-shade? Or publishing books that go into detail on what plants you can get some harvest from in the shade, even if it's not as much? I mean, I don't need maximum productivity, I can barely keep up with the wild raspberries as it is.

And yet all the vegetable gardening books and organic gardening gurus have to say about "if your garden is shady" is "well, maybe cut down some trees?"

I have looked into "edible forest gardens" a little, that seems to be the buzzword, but they seem to be mainly focused on planting trees and shrubs, and I'm good on trees and shrubs actually, I'd just like a squash once in awhile, is that so hard??

...anyway this is mostly just a grump but if you do have any good recs for sources for vegetable gardens that are 30% sun or less, I would be happy to get them.