Ideas for what herbs and veg I can grow in raised beds in shade

Hello all!

I am looking for ideas on what vegetables and herbs I can grow in a new area of garden being created in the current driveway of our house.



the plan shows a sketch of the area. Orientation is probably correct (road running maybe 8.50 - 2.50, rather than 9.00 - 3.00).

It is currently a very steep sloping drive down to the road at the top of the plan. The retaining wall would be around 6’ or 2 metres high. The building to the left is a generous two stories high affair. The building to the right is a single story gable-roof garage, rising about 1 metre at the walls, 1.75 metres at the tip of the gable.
The “garden area” will be about 7 metres long, and 2.3 metres wide.

My plan is, once the retaining walls have all been suitably reinforced, to backfill the area with hardcore to about 0.5 metres below the top of the wall, and then build raised beds and planting areas, as indicated on the plan.

What could I grow in the raised beds, apart from salad vegetables and maybe some fruit (rhubarb and black currants come to mind)?
The area will be right next to the kitchen, and the other area that was previously developed by my father for veg-growing is down two flights of steps, so not ideal for a “quick pick”….

 

Leafy greens, root vegetables and some herbs will grow in shade as they prefer cooler conditions but they still like some sun. Veg such as spinach, lettuce, kale, Swiss chard, beetroot, radishes, carrots, and herbs like mint, basil, parsley and coriander. I have those herbs on my shady patio in summer and some of them on the window sill in winter.

 

That is perfect, @Busy-Lizzie! Apart from carrot, which I have never successfully grown, you have pretty much listed what I grow for the kitchen! Well, also peas, beans, courgettes, and chillies (which are in a lovely cocoon of their own) - but I can grow them in the lower garden!
Onwards and upwards!!

 

Any suggestions for soft fruit?

 

The Best Fruit Plants & Fruit Trees for Shady Areas - Chris Bowers & Sons

 

Alpine strawberries do really well in partial shade, they actually prefer it to full sun. Gooseberries are worth a go too, they're one of the few fruit bushes that genuinely don't mind a shadier spot.