Gardening Questions--Shade and late daffodils

[EdithKeeler]

I'm actually planning my garden in time for spring this year. Usually I wait until the last minute and either don't get stuff done or do it half-assedly. This year I'm trying to get ahead of it, and I'm getting my beds ready. (Memphis--zone 7)

I have a lot of shade in my yard, and of course most vegetables prefer sun. The sunniest part of my yard gets maybe 4 hours of sun at the most (neighbor's trees for the most part); I usually get a few tomatoes, a few beans, a few peppers, but I wonder if I'd get more if I used more specific varieties than Home Depot carries that do better in shade, or just planted particular vegetables that can tolerate less sun.

So... any suggestions for edibles that can tolerate less sun? My lettuce usually does pretty well--it gets so hot in Memphis, the fact that it's in the shade helps it grow a little longer. Anything you've had luck with? I know beets apparently will do ok in less sun... but I hate beets. I suppose I can learn to like them.....

Also, another question: I found a bag of daffodil bulbs that i didn't plant in the fall. Most seem ok (Ie, not all dried up and hollow). If I plunk them in the ground now (my current daffodils are getting ready to bloom), will they survive and not just rot? I know, of course, they won't do anything this year, but I don't know if they'll survive if I store them and just plant them in the fall, or if maybe I should try to do them in pots inside and then plant them.... thoughts? I've read varying things online, so again, any experience?

Thanks.

[George the original one]

So... any suggestions for edibles that can tolerate less sun?

Celery. Difficult to grow like you find it in the supermarkets (I failed completely my first year and half-succeeded my second year and will try again this year), but once you figure it out, you should be able to repeat it.

Rhubarb. Just need to get it established and remember the poisonous aspect.

Peas. Problem is your locale may have a short season for them.

And thinking outside the box, you could set up mirrors to reflect more sunlight into your shade area.

***
If you currently have severe cold bouts, plant the daffodils in containers. Otherwise I'd have no qualms planting outdoors and my wife agrees; we don't have any choice about planting in soggy ground, just make sure there's drainage. Here in the coast range of the Pacific Northwest, we're getting the polar vortex leftovers and are facing 10+ days of 20-28F nights, so planting outdoors is not an option right now.

[7Wannabe5]

If the shade is dappled, because mostly due to neighbor's deciduous trees, you could have some luck with fruiting perennials, such as blackberries. You might also attempt earlier plantings of relatively quick growing crops, such as radishes and arugula. Tomatoes and peppers are real sun-lovers, so if you are able to get any at all of those, you can safely attempt anything in the cabbage family, root-based, or leafy. You will just have to walk a bit of a narrow ledge between too little sun, perhaps followed by too much heat.

What George said about the daffodils. Drainage is most important.