I have also been trying various fruits in the shade and have had hit-
and-miss results. It is hard to accumulate data because there is a
big difference between dappled shade and deep shade, and also between
one hour and three hours direct sun. All of which change as the
seasons progress.
Pawpaws, in one hour direct sun, but not in deep shade: these guys
are doing great. The fruit volume is somewhat less than full sun I
expect, but the space could not grow fruit otherwise.
Blackberries: I have found a significant difference in the different
kinds of blackberries I have tried.
Triple Crown blackberry in four hours of direct sun: great but less
yield than full sun
- in two hours direct sun and quite shaded at times: light yield
but healthy
- in one hour or less sun and quite deeply shaded: not much yield
at all but still growing
Marionberry in 3 hours direct sun: reasonable growth and yield
- in an hour or two of sun: too little growth and hardly any yield;
worse than Triple Crown
Loganberry: not doing well at all in a spot with 2-3 hours of sun per
day: no vigor.
Tayberry: these guys are more shade-tolerant than all of the above,
they are doing well in a spot that gets maybe only two hours of
direct sun per day.
I also have had good luck with raspberries in shaded spots. I have a
row of Carolines right north of a huge oak tree so you can imagine
how little sun they are getting (1-2 hours per day if that). They
are doing very well. Some Heritage vines in an area with more sun
than that are growing well but are producing tiny berries, I'm not
sure why. I thinned out nearly all of the canes this year to see if
that was the problem but no luck. It could be due to the soil or
water level at their location, not the variety. Some Taylors did
pretty well but were getting too many rots on the berries so I pulled
them.
I tried to grow gooseberries and currants in an area with around two
hours of sun per day but had little luck. This may be due to the
soil at the location however.
Medlars are growing very well for me with around four hours of direct
sun.
Kiwis (arguta, deliciosa, and chinensis) are doing very well in an
area with 3-4 hours of sun per day. I am glad there is shade there
to keep the vigor down. I am still getting big crops.
Before I knew better I planted some apples in areas with 2-3 hours of
sun per day. After I learned that was no good I kept them in anyway
just to see what would happen. After six years they are still
healthy but no fruit.
Scott
[NAFEX] fruits that do well in the shade,
Scott Smith, 11/07/2007