Think of a typical summer day: how much direct sunlight (not dappled shade, not bright-but-shady) hits the spot where you want to garden? Answer three quick questions and we’ll tell you which sun category your spot falls in — and which plants match it.
How it’s figured
The verdict uses the standard nursery definitions: 6+ hours of direct sun counts as full sun, 3 to under 6 hours is part sun / part shade, and under 3 hours is shade. Heavy obstructions knock your effective hours down a notch — a spot under big trees often gets less light than the number on paper. The “what thrives” list is filtered from our 59-crop reference dataset (compiled from published Extension and almanac growing references) by each crop’s sun requirement. These are typical ranges, not guarantees — soil, water, and your local microclimate matter just as much.