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12 Easy Vegetables To Grow In Full Sun

by Idris Ya'u
This article was fact checked.
Helpful: 100%

If you are living around a region that receives a full amount of sunlight (6-8 or more hours of sunlight) that is good news for you. This is because there are wide great varieties of vegetables, which you can select and grow in full sun.

Before we go into explaining the basic of photosynthesis and why sunlight is essential for plants’ growth and yield, let me provide you with the list of some good vegetables that you can grow in sun:

Sun-loving vegetables that you can consider growing in your garden include tomatoes, peppers, corn, cantaloupe, cucumber, eggplant, okra, pumpkin, potatoes, watermelon, asparagus, and few other green leafy vegetables such as spinach and asparagus.

Read on for detailed information about these vegetables plus tips on how to derive the most out of the Sunny spot.

What vegetables can grow well in full sun?

A full sun area is an area that receives at least 6 hours or more of sunlight. Water usually evaporates quickly into the atmosphere in this region due to constant heating by the sun. And this on the other hand affects the growth of other plants especially green leafy vegetables.

Most leafy vegetables do not like full sun. They prefer partially shaded areas for proper growth and yield. This is because full direct sunlight bleaches the leaves of leafy vegetables and this affects their rate of photosynthesis (process plants used to manufacture their own foods). Leafy green vegetables and root vegetables such as carrots, cabbage, and kale do well in shade.

However, the number of plants or specifically vegetables that can grow in full sun outnumber the vegetables that love the shade. This is because the sun is the most factor that plants used to synthesize foods in order to carry out photosynthesis and other vital physiological activities such as translocation, reproduction, and respiration.

Vegetables that produce fruits require sunlight to produce flowers and for fruit maturation. Even the root vegetables do better in full sun but they only manage in the shade.

Read also: What Are The Best Garden Seeds To Buy? The Ultimate Garden Seeds Buying Guide

Below you can find detailed information about vegetables that you can grow in full sun:

1. Tomatoes

Tomatoes are a flowering plant that is mainly grown for its fruit vegetables. Tomatoes do thrive well under acidic soil and require full sunlight for fruiting.

Related: How To Harvest Tomatoes At Home 

The fruit-vegetable is one of the widely cultivated plants in Sunny regions such as Arizona and other countries in the United States that experience hot summer. African countries are also major growers of tomatoes. Learn more.

Read also: 20 Best And Easy Vegetables To Grow In Sandy Soil

2. Peppers

Pepper is another fruit vegetable that is similar to tomatoes in terms of temperature and soil requirements. Peppers do not thrive well in the shade because the fruit vegetable requires full sunlight for flowering and fruit maturation.

Peppers are the one common spicy vegetables in many parts of the world such as the United Kingdom, Asia, and many African countries. Learn more.

Read also: 15 Best Vegetables To Grow In Wet Soil

3. Corn

Corn is a common name of maize that is widely cultivated as a vegetable. This plant also requires full sun to set flowers and fruits.

Corn is usually is e enjoyed as roasted corn or processed into cornflakes. It is a very delicious vegetable that found in many places in cooking and popular recipes. Learn more.

Read also: 21 Best Vegetables That Can Be Grown In Full Shade

4. Cantaloupe

This is another vegetable that can be cultivated in full sun. Cantaloupe is commonly known to n Australia and New Zealand as rockmelon and in South Africa as spanspek and sweet melon.

Cantaloupe is a cultivar of muskmelon species, a plant that is scientifically known as Cucumis melo from the Cucurbitaceae family. Learn more.

Read also: 14 Vegetables That Can Be Grown Well In Arizona Full Sun

5. Cucumber

Cucumber is another nutritious vegetable that you can consider growing in full sun. The vegetable is widely cultivated for its large edible flesh. Cucumber can be eaten raw as salad greens or used as an ingredient in cooking. Learn more.

Read also: 12 Best Vegetables That Be Grown In Clay Soil

6. Eggplant

Eggplant is a common flowering plant that is mainly grown as a vegetable. It can be eaten raw or in cooking just like a cucumber. Eggplant can also survive in partial shade but the vegetable prefers full sun and sandy soil. Learn more.

Read also: How To Grow Vegetables From Scraps

7. Okra

Okra commonly known as Okro is a flowering plant in the family, which is scientifically known as Abelmoschus esculentus.

Okra is another fruit vegetable that is mainly grown for its edible green seed pods. The vegetable grows well in its native climate, which is a tropical, subtropical, or warm climate. Okra thrives well in Sunny areas and does not require more hours of shaded light. Learn more.

Read also: What Kind Of Soil Should I use For Container Vegetables Garden?

8. Pumpkin

Pumpkin is one of the popular fruit vegetables, which is native to North America. Pumpkin can be described as a smooth, deep yellow to orange in color, and with slightly ribbed skin.

Pumpkin is also one of the popular verges that are cultivated in full sun for its edible flesh, seeds, leaves. The flowers of pumpkin are usually employed in the treatment of many diseases. Learn more.

Read also: 5 basic things every plant needs to grow

9. Potatoes

Potatoes are perennial flowering plants, which are cultivated as vegetables for their tubers. It belongs to the family Solanaceae and the plant is scientifically called Solanum tuberosum. Potato is one of the popular vegetables consumed in Europe and is enjoyed in different dishes.

Potatoes are among the good tuberous vegetable that does not require too much sunlight and prefer shade for the rest of the day to grow and yield optimally. However, potatoes can also thrive in full sun when you planted under an area that receives 2-6 hours of direct sunlight. Learn more.

Read also: Learn How To Grow Cauliflower From Scraps

10. Watermelon

Watermelon is a common flowering plant and fruit vegetable that is widely cultivated for its edible flesh and dietary water. It is a scrambling and trailing vine-like vegetable, which thrives well in tropical and temperate climatic conditions. It is known in the scientific world as Citrullus lanatus and it belongs to the family Cucurbitaceae. Learn more.

11. Asparagus

Asparagus is a popular flowering plant, which is scientifically known as Asparagus officinalis. It is also a perennial vegetable like potatoes that is grown for its edible young shoots. It is called widely garden asparagus and sparrow grass in some parts of the world. Asparagus plant also thrives well in sandy soil and shaded region but also survive hot summer typically around 2-6 hours of direct sunlight. Learn more.

12. Spinach

The spinach plant is another great vegetable that you can consider growing in your Sunny region or part of your garden that receives full sunlight. However, spinach may wilt if the temperature becomes warmer typically spinach can tolerate up to 6 hours of direct sunlight. Regular watering is also required to keep the ground moist. Learn more.

How to take care of vegetables planted in full sun

As earlier explained, full sun areas are usually dried most of the time due to constant water evaporation from the ground. Therefore, in order to maintain optimum growth and yield, you need to regularly moisten the ground with water. This is especially important if you plant leafy green vegetables such as spinach.

However, even the fruit vegetables like tomatoes and peppers do require timely watering, especially during the hot summer. But, avoid damping up when you irrigating these kinds of vegetables as they do not like too much water.

Too much water around tomatoes and peppers can attract pests and cause diseases. So, avoid damping up your tomato garden even when the temperature goes too high. Just spray gently the water to keep the ground moist during the hot summer.

Tip: Click here to learn about choosing a good garden and here for a detailed guide about preparing a garden spot

Beginner to gardening? Learn how to start a garden from scratch

Conclusion

Cultivating vegetables in full suns or hade is sometimes challenging and can even waste the time, money, and energy invested. However, there are many vegetables that were found to tolerate or survive under this sunlight. However, timely gardening maintenance also needs to invest in order to derive the maximum benefits from these sun-loving vegetables.

In this article, I looked at these vegetables in a step by step guide. And I also provide some useful information that helps grow these vegetables successfully. I hope you will find this article helpful. Let me know if you have any questions.

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