Food forest succession and sunlight

I planned my backyard garden as a small food forest. I've reached the point now where the trees (cherries, pawpaw, plum, mulberry) are mature and I do get a good crop of fruit from most.  However, they also now cast shade over what had been good spots for annual veg in the past. I basically don't have a decent spot for potatoes any more.

What are the best "staple" vegetables to grow in the part shade "forest edge?"  Not just wild greens but more substantial crops.

Appreciate any suggestions.

Personally, I'd cut down a fruit tree or two and plant some potatoes! The balance of crops in your garden should reflect the balance of foods you want in your diet, and living on fruit alone is neither wise nor enjoyable. Potatoes are perennial plants that thrive in the organic-matter-rich soils of a food forest if you plant blight-resistant cultivars and space the trees out enough. Failing that, my favourite starchy root for deepish shade is Erythronium, a.k.a. fawn or trout lilies or dog's tooth violet. The sterile hybrid 'Pagoda' is particularly good as it makes larger bulbs than the species, but in North America you are also spoiled for choice for native species.

Hmm, then maybe time to ax the underperforming plum...

Root crops and cool-season legumes seem like a good bet! Burdock, scorzonera, and parsnips pack a decent caloric punch and can handle some shade. Peas, cowpeas, and favas should also tolerate the forest edge. If you don't mind a smaller yield, potatoes might still produce a worthwhile crop.

Less calorically dense, but still maybe worthwhile: beets, turnips, alliums, carrots.

Trout lilies are a great idea! Looking at them, I'm always shocked that they're hardy down to zone 3.

Does anyone know how closely Trout Lily (appears to be https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythronium_albidum ) and Fawn Lily are? It looks like the Indigenous people ate the Fawn Lily (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythronium_oregonum ) which is native to my area and I have some growing at the edge of a rocky area.

Alan Carter wrote:

The balance of crops in your garden should reflect the balance of foods you want in your diet, and living on fruit alone is neither wise nor enjoyable.

That's part of the problem I'm facing. Fruit grows well and easily here, but most common veggies are not only annuals, but need more sun than I have. I do add some uncommon plant material (and common in the case of dandelion leaves) to dishes, such as lily buds in stir fries, but my family is highly suspicious of many of them. Camas is an indigenous starchy food crop this area's known for, but I haven't found any on my property nor had luck propagating it. Also, despite potato leaves supposedly not being very palatable, the deer disagree and ate all of the ones I planted outside deer-protected areas.

Jay Angler wrote:Does anyone know how closely Trout Lily (appears to be https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythronium_albidum ) and Fawn Lily are? It looks like the Indigenous people ate the Fawn Lily (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erythronium_oregonum ) which is native to my area and I have some growing at the edge of a rocky area.

Trout lily and fawn lily are generic terms for the genus Erythronium rather than corresponding to single species. All the Erythronium species are pretty similar, from North America (lots of species) to Europe (E. dens-canis, dog's tooth violet) and Japan (E. japonicum, katakuri). They are also used in similar ways around the world. Using your local native species is a good bet, as is the cultivar 'Pagoda' for size.

Jay Angler wrote:Alan Carter wrote:

The balance of crops in your garden should reflect the balance of foods you want in your diet, and living on fruit alone is neither wise nor enjoyable.

That's part of the problem I'm facing. Fruit grows well and easily here, but most common veggies are not only annuals, but need more sun than I have. I do add some uncommon plant material (and common in the case of dandelion leaves) to dishes, such as lily buds in stir fries, but my family is highly suspicious of many of them. Camas is an indigenous starchy food crop this area's known for, but I haven't found any on my property nor had luck propagating it. Also, despite potato leaves supposedly not being very palatable, the deer disagree and ate all of the ones I planted outside deer-protected areas.

Forest gardens were never traditionally expected to provide the whole diet, especially the starchy element. In Indonesia the pekarangan, or home garden, is complemented by rice growing. In my climate perennials and annuals complement each other not only nutritionally but in terms of the time of year when they are most productive, so I grow both.

Alan Carter wrote:

Using your local native species is a good bet, as is the cultivar 'Pagoda' for size.

By "size" do you mean just a little improved, or improved to the point that the nutrition and food value's been degraded? I've got some "antique" strawberries I've cultivated for decades because they taste good, but my friend's complain "they're little" (they're a lot bigger than wild strawberries - generally about the size of shooter marbles). Then my friend's taste them and get my point!

Mk Neal wrote:I planned my backyard garden as a small food forest. I've reached the point now where the trees (cherries, pawpaw, plum, mulberry) are mature and I do get a good crop of fruit from most.  However, they also now cast shade over what had been good spots for annual veg in the past. I basically don't have a decent spot for potatoes any more.

What are the best "staple" vegetables to grow in the part shade "forest edge?"  Not just wild greens but more substantial crops.

Appreciate any suggestions.

I don't know about your specific growing conditions but my favourite substantial crop is perennial kale. Once it establishes after about 18 months, it becomes a gloriously abundant shrub that will have you handing out cuttings to anyone who will grow them and feeding the neighborhood regularly.
One person's (region's) light shade is another's deep shade so I don't know how it would do in the spot you have in mind.  If you like kale or any brassicas, however, it might be worth looking into how well perennial brassicas might do in the shade you're considering.

(I'm planning the row behind my young apple tree in a new garden and that's exactly where I'm going to be placing some of my perennial kale as I know it should manage fine over the years as shade creeps up.)

Good luck!

I've heard sunchokes do great even in quite a bit of shade.  I grew some near our forest's edge which did very well but it got quite a bit of afternoon and evening sun so it might not fit your situation.  This year I planted many more all along the forest edge and everywhere else so I'll have a better answer for this in a few months but so far they're growing great.  I also tried a few within my walnut's dripline that survived and grew well and others seems to have the same success.  It might be worth trying because if a couple of plants succeed then you'll quickly have many plants.  Anyways, good luck!

Can you move your veggie patch to your front yard? or talk to a neighbor about allowing you to plant in their backyard in exchange for some of the harvest?