potted edible garden on patio with little sun?

[tallulahma]

is this possible?

the only space i have is a patio off of a breezy lagoon. i want to grow kale, chard and maybe a few other greens, tomatoes, and basil.

i had a decent potted garden 4 years ago- in arizona. so its been a while since i have gardened and now i am in the bay area so im a little freaked out.

any tips?

[philomom]

Without six hours of sun or high temps.. tomatoes are a no go. You might do okay with the lettuces, chard, spinach but not with herbs. Herbs usually require a lot of sun and almost a Mediterranean sort of climate.

[sunnysandiegan]

I have one section of my (tiny) yard that receives very little sun and I asked about edibles in this area at a gardening class recently. I was told it was unlikely to produce any food.

We've planted all kinds of different things in this area over the years. Some things last longer than others, but no food has grown there, yet. Yarrow lasted a few months, but didn't thrive. Beets were planted on the edge of the no-sun-zone and they did okay, but they received *some* sun.

What has thrived in that area is a white flower that I don't recall the name of...pretty, but not edible.

My current plan is to use a shepherd's hook in the ground in this area and hang a basket of something. I'm hoping the height will give the plant enough sun to thrive. Does your patio receive any sun up high or along one side or anywhere for awhile during the day?

[Snapdragon]

you will probably do fine with lettuces and kale. Tomatoes need a lot of sun. If you think about it, it takes a lot more sun for a plant to actually produce a fruit on it versus just the greens. SO that is one reason. Basil needs sun too but if you have a sunny window you can try it there.

[tallulahma]

Thanks everyone!

I didn't think to ask about sun when we looked at the apartment because we were in such a time crunch

We are moving in July, so maybe I'll just try kale and see how it goes. The patio gets close to zero direct sunlight, there is one small area that gets a tiny bit. Maybe an hour or two.
We have GREAT sun in the back of the apartment, but we have no room back there. Bummer.

Thanks again.