Waiting for the Sun

It’s early March and I am waiting for the sun.  It reminds me of escaping afternoon classes for a quick trip to the cliffs at Lake Nicol in Tuscaloosa where my GPA consistently dropped a point every spring.  It reminds me of the depressing springs when I was a tax accountant in tax season and couldn’t leave the office.  I would stare out of my window watching the world come alive on the verge of tears.  More importantly, it reminds me of every spring since I’ve been a home owner when I felt a sudden enthusiasm to get outside and play in the dirt.

Spring is when many people like to try their hand at gardening either again, or for the first time.  They think, “OK, I need soil.”  Next, “How am I going to keep it watered?”  While soil and water are vital, you should start your thought process with the sun.  The sun moves around.  Some plants need more or less.  Figuring out the right place to plant is the biggest challenge.  The best soil and watering regiment will not negate the amount of sun a plant needs.

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.  Easy enough and true.  But the sun does not follow the same path from east to west throughout the year.  You may remember this from primary school, but we forget these things through the hustle and bustle of adult life, and especially when we set out to start our garden.  First step, you have to figure out when and where the sun hits your yard, not just throughout the day, but throughout the year.

The sun arches through the middle of the sky only in the summer.  As fall and winter approach, the sun tilts to the south.  By mid-winter, the sun takes off from the east and hugs the horizon to the south all the way around to the west.  Most of our midtown streets run north and south or east and west.  This makes planning your gardens a little easier.  My street runs north-west to south east which means the sun travels diagonally over my house.  This makes garden planning a little more difficult which is why I keep most of my vegetable plants in five gallon buckets so I can move them around.

For those of you that live on streets that run north-south or east-west.  There are some simple rules you can follow regarding what side of your house you should plant on.

South Side

The south side is the best side.  This is the only place you get sun year round.  Plants that stay green all year should be planted here.  You could put plants that go dormant here but that would be a waste.  Save the year-round sun for your evergreens.  We have camellias on the south-ish side of our house and they do great.  Plus they bloom in the winter which is nice to see amongst the dull winter foliage.

North Side

The north side is a great hack for summer vegetables or plants that go dormant in the winter.  During the winter, there is little to no sun on this side of your house.  But during the summer, the sun gives it a nice hit.  My favorite vegetable (actually fruit) to grow here is okra.  Okra loves a lot of heat and sun, and the north-ish side of my house gets hit hard in the summer.  Just as the okra is petering out and the sun is moving south, I use my okra bed as a compost pile so the soil gets healthy throughout the winter and is ready for the next summer.  Winter dormant plants such as crepe myrtles are great here as well.  They get the hot summer sun during their blooming period and when they turn into dead-looking twigs in the winter, who cares?  They are in a cold shady spot where nothing is growing anyway.  They’ll fit right in.

East Side vs West Side

            Much like in the cities of Compton or Long Beach, and whatever cities represented the “East Side” in the 90s, this rivalry is more relevant in the hotter months.  The morning sun rising from the east is gentle because your plants are nice and cool from chillin through the night.  The east side of your house allows exposure to the gentle morning sun and protection from harsh afternoon sun.  Any plants that can’t handle that harsh afternoon sun, plant here.  Tomatoes, squash, and collards would qualify.  A japanese maple could live happily here.  On the west side, plant your heat tolerant plants.  Once again, okra or crepe myrtles.  I’m using common Mobile plants and vegetables as examples but the point is that you know the conditions of each side of your house.  It’s up to you to find out what your plant requires.  Hopefully you can use this information to find the right fit.

More 90s gang jargon; if your plant gets up against a fence, you gonna have to turn that stuff around.  A fence on the east side of your home will deprive your plant of the light morning sun, and leave you blasted in the afternoon.  So the plants that would go against the west side of your house can also go just inside the fence on the east side of your yard.  Inversely, plants needing protection from afternoon sun can go just inside the fence on the west side of your yard, or on the east side of your house.  The same inverse relationship exists with a fence on the north side of your property and the south side of your house, sun year round.  A fence on the south side is just like the north side of your house, sun only in summer.

These are the general rules of sun light but obstructions vary.  Trees, sheds, and funky housing designs all affect where the sun will hit.  The best thing to do is pay attention to where the sun light hits your yard at different times of the day throughout the year.  I’ve been in my house for six years and I’ve figured out a lot, but there are still a few mysteries as to where the sun will hit and when.