Looking for food crops you can grow with low light requirements? We'll delve into all the low-light food crops here.

mizuna leaves growing japanese spider mustard
Mizuna, also known as Japanese Spider Mustard, is a spicy leafy-green that'll tolerate low-light conditions quite well

Can You Grow Food on a Windowsill?

Absolutely! Even in some of the most shady windows, there are some food crops which will grow for you.

While you may not get the largest yields on a windowsill, and you certainly won't get fruit - you can usually get basil or spinach to grow even in a window that doesn't get much light.

How Many Hours of Sun Does a Vegetable Garden Need?

For almost every photoperiod (hours of sun per day) and every UV intensity level there is a vegetable that will grow. It's simply a matter of matching your veggie choices to your garden conditions - sunlight included.

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Fruiting and flowering require far more light than root development and foliage, which means if your garden does not get a ton of sunlight you may find root crops and leafy greens will do best.

Herbs are also great candidates for low-light conditions, so if your garden doesn't get enough sun for most veggies you can always turn to herbs which can thrive in much lower light conditions than vegetables.

Even in the most shady gardens, you can likely grow a variety of herbs, as well as spinach, lettuce, carrots, radishes, and more! Check out our lists below that will help you to pinpoint the food crops that match your light availability.

What Vegetables Require the Least Amount of Sun?

Let's delve into what veggie crops have the lowest light requirements, and work up to those with more moderate light requirements:

Zero Light Food Crops

You may not think you can grow any food in complete darkness, but you'd be overlooking the fantastic realm of fungi! While gardeners tend to focus on plants, we're here to remind you that mushrooms make for incredible food crops that you can cultivate.

Here are some commonly-cultivated mushroom varieties which are easy to grow and don't need any light at all:

small mushrooms growing out of wood chips

Extremely Low-Light Food Crops

These crops will do well with only 2 to 4 hours of direct sun per day, or with longer exposure to indirect light:





While mushrooms don't actually have any need for light, we put them on this list to get you thinking outside the box. Plants aren't the only food crops you can grow with zero or almost no light!

Very Low-Light Food Crops

These foods will grow in 4 to 6 hours of direct sunlight per day, even in far Northern latitudes (Northern Hemisphere) or far Southern lattitudes (Southern Hemisphere):

Moderately Low-Light Food Crops

If you can get 6 hours of direct sunlight in your grow area, your options for growing food expand to all of the following veggies and herbs (and more!)

Final Thoughts

As you can see, there are food crops which will fit any amount of light you have available - so don't get discouraged if all you have to grow on is a windowsill or porch.

I started growing on a sill in an apartment up North with 1 single solitary window looking out into a narrow couryard, surrounded by 5-story buildings on all sides. Light came in for only a couple hours a day, yet basil and lettuce both grew for me! From these humble beginnings my gardening journey began.

If you've got even 1 window, there is something edible you can grow. And if you have no windows or light at all you can still cultivate tons of edible mushrooms - so there's really nothing standing in your way from growing food if you set your mind to it.

If you'd like to push your plants further for larger yields and greater variety, consider utilizing indoor grow lights or a local community garden to take your cultivation to the next level!