The best sun-mapping techniques use your phone camera, a simple sketch, and one clear day to show you exactly where light falls in your yard. You track sunlight garden wide by snapping photos every two hours from morning to evening. These simple methods tell you where to plant sun-loving tomatoes versus shade-tolerant greens.
I mapped my own yard last spring using my phone and a piece of paper with a quick sketch on it. I took photos at 8am, 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm, and 6pm on a sunny day. Then I sketched my yard and shaded in the dark spots at each time. The patterns surprised me and changed where I planted everything that season.
Your garden light assessment starts with picking a clear day with no clouds blocking the sun above. Walk your yard at each time slot and note what areas sit in full sun versus what hides in shade. Take a photo each time so you can compare them later when you plan your beds. Mark buildings, trees, and fences that cast shadows.
Sun exposure mapping in summer looks different than in winter because the sun angle changes a lot. The sun sits 47 degrees higher in summer than in winter at its peak. A spot that bakes in full July sun may sit in deep shade by December when the sun hangs low in the sky. This matters for year-round crops.
I learned this the hard way when my winter greens failed in a spot that grew great summer tomatoes. The house next door blocked all the low winter sun even though that same spot got eight hours of light in June. Now I use sun-mapping techniques twice a year to catch these shifts before I plant new crops.
Sunlight tracking methods also include free phone apps that use your location to predict sun paths all year. These apps show you where the sun will be at any time of year without waiting for that season to arrive. They help you plan ahead for crops you want to grow months from now in spots you have not tested yet in person.
Most fruiting crops like tomatoes, peppers, and squash need 6 to 8 hours of direct sun each day to produce well for you. Leafy greens like lettuce, spinach, and kale can get by with just 4 to 6 hours of light. Your sun map tells you where each type of plant belongs so nothing ends up in the wrong spot.
Create a simple legend for your map that shows full sun, partial shade, and deep shade zones in your yard. Full sun means six or more hours of direct light hitting the soil. Partial shade means three to six hours of direct light. Deep shade gets less than three hours and limits you to just a few crops that can handle low light.
Update your map each year as trees grow taller and fill in their canopies more over time. A spot that got full sun when you moved in may turn into partial shade five years later as your trees mature. Regular sun-mapping techniques catch these slow changes before your crops start to struggle in spots that no longer get enough light.
Match your plants to your sun zones and you will grow more food with less effort in your yard all season. Put your heavy feeders in the brightest spots where they get maximum light. Tuck your salad greens into the shadier corners where they will stay cool longer into summer heat. Your sun map is the guide that makes all these choices easy.
Read the full article: 10 Essential Edible Landscape Design Tips
