The Partial Shade Bed
For the bed that only gets three to five hours of sun. Leafy crops and roots that genuinely prefer it, rather than fruiting crops that will merely survive.
The plan
Each square is one square foot; the number is how many plants go in it at recommended spacing. North is the top of the plan — the tallest crops sit there so they don't shade the rest.
Spinach + Swiss Chard
Chard is the same species group as beet and shares spinach's leafminer and leaf-spot problems.
Why it's arranged this way
Most shade-garden advice is a list of crops that tolerate shade badly. These actively benefit: leafy greens bolt more slowly out of full sun, and a shaded bed extends the spring salad season by several weeks. Nothing here is asked to ripen fruit, which is the thing shade genuinely prevents.
- Fruiting crops — tomatoes, peppers, squash — do not belong here. They will grow and simply not fruit, which is the most disappointing failure mode in gardening.
- Mint is in a corner deliberately: it spreads aggressively by runners and will take the bed. Sink it in a buried container or grow it separately.
- Shade means slower drying, which means better moisture retention but more slug pressure. Check under leaves rather than reaching for bait.
What's in it, and when to plant
| Crop | Squares | Plants | Start indoors | Plant outside |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lettuce | 3 | 12 | Feb 27 – Mar 13 | Mar 20 – Apr 2 |
| Spinach | 3 | 27 | Feb 27 – Mar 6 | Mar 20 – Apr 2 |
| Swiss Chard | 4 | 16 | Feb 27 – Mar 13 | Mar 27 – Apr 9 |
| Arugula | 2 | 8 | — | Mar 13 – Mar 26 |
| Kale | 2 | 2 | Jan 23 – Feb 13 | Mar 13 – Mar 26 |
| Parsley | 1 | 4 | Feb 13 – Feb 27 | Apr 10 – Apr 23 |
| Spearmint | 1 | 1 | Feb 13 – Feb 27 | Apr 10 – Apr 23 |
What you'll need
Bill of materialsSoil and equipment
- Raised bed soil, 12 in deep 16 cu ft · 11 bags · 0.593 cu yd
- Soaker hose — these crops split or bolt with uneven water
- Floating row cover
- Straw or leaf mulch
- Deep container if not planting in ground
Seed for this bed
- Lettuce seeds 12 plants · 3 sq
- Spinach seeds 27 plants · 3 sq
- Swiss Chard seeds 16 plants · 4 sq
- Arugula seeds 8 plants · 2 sq
- Kale seeds 2 plants · 2 sq
- Parsley seeds 4 plants · 1 sq
- Spearmint seeds 1 plant · 1 sq
Soil volume is calculated from this bed's footprint at 12 inches deep — adjust it on the soil calculator. Plant counts come from square-foot density for each crop. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Equipment is listed because the crops in this plan need it, not because it is sponsored.
Other layout plans
The Beginner 4×8 Bed
The standard first raised bed: eight crops that are hard to kill, spaced properly, with nothing planted next to something it fights with.
4 × 4 ftThe Cut-and-Come-Again Salad Bed
A 4×4 bed of fast greens and roots that you harvest continuously rather than all at once. Ready in six weeks, productive for months.
4 × 4 ftThree Sisters
Corn, beans and squash grown together — the one traditional polyculture with measured evidence that it out-produces the same area grown separately.
6 × 4 ftThe Salsa Bed
Everything for a bowl of salsa in one 4×6 bed: tomatoes, peppers, onions and cilantro, timed so they are ready together.
6 × 4 ftThe Insectary Strip
A 4×6 border of flowering plants chosen for the evidence behind them — sweet alyssum for hoverflies, borage for pollination, calendula and dill for predatory wasps.