full sun

Recently, I saw a meme on social media that had a cartoon picture of a garden where the plants were wilted and either steaming or smoking and the sun was shining bright. The caption read, “Full Sun doesn’t mean full sun in Georgia.” and man, that couldn’t have been more accurate. But it got me thinking about all the new gardeners out there that have no idea what the difference is between full sun, partial sun, and shade AND how it relates to their own climate. So today we are going to go over what is full sun but also what it means if you live in a HOT place.

What IS Full Sun

Full sun is an area that receives direct sun for at least six hours. But there is so much more to it than that. Just because a plant label or seed packet says it requires full sun doesn’t mean that you need to plant it in the brightest part of your garden or yard. There’s also partial sun and shade labels. But the most important part of those labels isn’t necessarily full sun, partial sun or shade, it’s YOUR climate in relation to those labels.

All Full Sun Is Not The Same

I’m pretty sure that those plant labels are for people that live in climates that don’t feel like Satan’s armpit during the summer. I feel like they are probably for people that live in climates that have all four seasons. Not those of us who live in the south. Because full sun in Pennsylvania is not the same as full sun in Georgia or Texas. To be honest, Texas full sun and Georgia full sun are totally different.

To give you an example, we planted 4 4x20ft beds with tomatoes. One of those beds is in full direct sun for about 8 hours. Those plants are scorched and the beds require more water than any of the others. Another bed is about 15 ft away, and only a 8ft section receives full sun, the rest is shaded for most of the day. That 8ft section is totally scorched. But the plants that are right next to those scorched plants in the shade? Growing beautifully.

Why? Because in the south, we get a lot more direct sun because of angle of the Earth in relation to the sun. We may not get the same amount of sun, but we do get more of a direct hit. There’s whole science behind it, but in the end the important thing to know is that our summers are hotter because our section of the planet is angled towards the sun.

Understanding Full Sun

No matter where you live, you could be dealing with scorched plants if you aren’t paying attention to your labels. I once put a Boston Fern in my greenhouse and forgot about it. Needless to say, I no longer have a Boston Fern.

But one of the biggest misconceptions about full sun is that you need 6 hours of direct sun… in a row. This is not the case. In fact, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Unless otherwise noted on those labels, ambient sunlight is more than sufficient for many plants. And 2 hours in the morning and then another 4 in the evening is perfectly fine for most full sun plants, if you live in a really hot place.

Off the top of my head, the only plants that I know can handle full sun would be peppers, okra, and corn. Beyond that, if you don’t give other plants some sort of shade they will scorch.

Creating Shade

Creating shade is a necessary evil for a lot of us. We are lucky that we have a ton of trees in and around our gardens. This allows for most of our beds to be in shade or ambient sunlight. But those few beds that are in full sun? We have to create shade for them.

Shade cloths are a great way to reduce the amount of sun your plants are getting. They come in a variety of different sizes and strengths. This shade cloth is 40% and great for things that require “full sun” but you live in an oven. You can get other percentages up to 90% depending on what you are dealing with. I recommend 90% for things that are sun fragile like beans, some squashes, flowers, and the like. But any shade will be better than none.

Why Watering Doesn’t Always Help

For most plants, animals and people, it doesn’t matter how much water you give them, too much sun is too much sun. So while you may think “It’s fine, I’ll just water extra”, remember that it may not be enough. We water those super sunny beds every other day or every day if necessary and they still wilt and die.

Also, pay attention to your rain cycles to know how often to water your plants and when to water your plants. In Georgia, we cannot water our plants in the morning because they will scorch. Specifically for us, we can’t water overnight because we will get mildew, rot, or other fungus. Really the only time we can safely water is in the evening when the sun is starting to go down but it’s still warm.

Understanding Your Climate

If you live in an area that gets hot, I suggest very highly, that you carefully consider your garden placement. You do not need to put your garden in the sunniest spot in the garden if you live in an area where you don’t get a ton of rain, clouds, or it feels like Satan’s armpit from May to September.

Instead, pay attention to what your weather looks like. For example, Florida, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and other super hot places, garden in the winter because it is just too hot to grow anything in the summer.

What Is Full Sun For You

At the end of the day, full sun is not the same for everyone. The angle of the Earth, the direction of the sun, and your specific location all matter in determining if your plants, on YOUR property, will get too much or too little sun.

So if you haven’t set up your gardens yet, I would recommend putting one of these outdoor thermometers and set it to where you want your gardens. See how hot it actually gets and figure out if that is too much or too little heat in that area.

But the reality is that it may be easier to get a couple of plants and put them in that area. If they scorch, wilt or don’t do well, that may be too much sun for that area. It’s not a deal breaker to put a garden there, but you need to be ready to install shade cloths or consider planting trees around that area.

If you like the content I put out, feel free to buy us a coffee! It helps keep this site running, marketing and the goats in grain!

Buy me a coffee