Of all the ingredients for a successful garden—rich soil, consistent water, high-quality seeds—none is more fundamental or more frequently misunderstood than sunlight. Every leaf on every plant is a tiny solar panel, converting light into the energy it needs to grow, flower, and produce fruit. But not all sunlight is created equal, and not all parts of your yard receive the same amount. The single most powerful tool for understanding this vital resource is a garden sun map, and creating one is the most important first step in planning a truly productive garden.

A garden sun map is a simple, hand-drawn diagram of your yard that tracks the path of the sun and the shadows it casts throughout the day. This powerful yet low-tech tool removes the guesswork from garden planning, allowing you to place each plant in its ideal location. By investing a little time in observation, you can unlock your garden’s full potential, ensuring your sun-loving tomatoes aren’t languishing in the shade and your delicate lettuces aren’t scorched by the intense afternoon rays.

Why a Garden Sun Map is a Game-Changer

Before you put pencil to paper, it’s worth understanding just how transformative this simple map can be. It’s more than just a sketch; it’s a strategic plan that informs every decision you make.

• Enables Smart Plant Placement: The primary benefit is matching plants to their preferred light conditions. Knowing exactly which spots receive eight hours of sun versus four hours means you can confidently plant vegetables where they will not just survive, but thrive.
• Solves Garden Mysteries: Have you ever had a plant that seemed stunted or unproductive for no apparent reason? It was likely in the wrong light conditions. A sun map can reveal that the spot you thought was “full sun” is actually shaded by a neighbor’s tree for half the afternoon.
• Maximizes Yields in Any Space: By identifying your sunniest “prime real estate,” you can dedicate those areas to your most valuable and demanding crops, like peppers, squash, and tomatoes. This is a core principle of Small Plot, Big Harvest: Planning Your High-Yield Vegetable Garden.
• Improves Garden Design: Your map will help you strategically place taller plants, like trellised cucumbers or sunflowers, so they don’t cast unwanted shade on shorter, sun-loving crops. This is especially critical when planning for The Ultimate Guide to Vertical Vegetable Gardening: Maximizing Small Spaces.

Understanding the Currency of Sunlight

To use your map effectively, you need to speak the language of light. Garden sunlight is typically categorized into four main levels.

• Full Sun: This means an area receives 6 to 8+ hours of direct, unobstructed sunlight per day. This is the ideal for most fruiting vegetables.
• Partial Sun / Partial Shade: These terms are often used interchangeably. They describe an area that gets 4 to 6 hours of direct sun daily. Importantly, morning sun is gentler and cooler than the intense afternoon sun. Many plants that appreciate partial shade do best when they are protected from the harsh late-day rays.
• Dappled Sun: This is the filtered light that comes through the canopy of a deciduous tree. It’s less intense than direct sun and moves throughout the day.
• Full Shade: An area that receives less than 4 hours of direct sunlight, and often none at all. Growing traditional vegetables here is challenging, but not impossible.

How to Create Your Garden Sun Map: A Step-by-Step Guide

Creating your map is an easy and enjoyable process. All it takes is a piece of paper, a pencil, and a day of observation. For best results, choose a sunny day near the start of the growing season.

Step 1: Gather Your Materials

You don’t need anything fancy.

• A clipboard with several sheets of graph paper or plain paper.
• A pencil and an eraser.
• Colored pencils or markers (e.g., yellow, light green, dark green, and blue).

Step 2: Draw Your Base Map

Start by sketching a basic, bird’s-eye view of your garden area. Accuracy is more important than artistic skill. Be sure to include:

• The outline of your house.
• Any fences, walls, or sheds.
• Existing large trees, shrubs, or other permanent structures that will cast shadows.
• Indicate North on your map to help you orient yourself.

Make three or four copies of this base map. You’ll use one for each observation period.

Step 3: The Observation Phase

This is where your map comes to life. Your goal is to chart the movement of sun and shade across your property at different times of the day.

• Early Morning (e.g., 9:00 AM): Take your first base map outside. Stand in your yard and observe where the shadows fall. On your map, lightly shade in all the areas that are not receiving direct sun. Note the long shadows cast by structures on the eastern side of your property.
• Midday (e.g., 12:00 PM): Go out with your second base map. The sun is now at its highest point. The shadows will be much shorter. Again, sketch the location of all shaded areas. You’ll notice that this is when most of your yard is likely in full sun.
• Afternoon (e.g., 3:00 PM): On your third map, repeat the process. The shadows will now be stretching out from the western side of your yard. Note which areas that were sunny at noon are now in shade.
• (Optional) Late Afternoon (e.g., 5:00 PM): For an even more detailed map, a final observation in the late afternoon can be very revealing, especially for identifying areas that get that hot, late-day sun.

Step 4: Create the Final, Color-Coded Map

Now it’s time to consolidate your data. Take a fresh base map and your colored pencils.

1. Look at all your observation maps. Any area that was sunny during all your checks (morning, noon, and afternoon) is your “Full Sun” zone. Color these areas yellow.
2. Identify the areas that were sunny for only one or two of your checks. These are your “Partial Sun” zones. Color these areas light green. Pay special attention to whether they get morning sun or afternoon sun.
3. Any area that was shaded during every observation is “Full Shade.” Color these zones dark green.
4. If you have areas with filtered light under trees, you can indicate this with a different color or pattern.

You now have a finished garden sun map, a powerful visual tool that clearly shows the unique light conditions across your entire property.

Using Your Map for a Smarter, More Productive Garden

With your completed map in hand, you can begin planning your garden with precision and confidence.

Matching Plants to Light

This is the most direct application of your map. Group your vegetable choices by their light requirements and plant them in the corresponding colored zones on your map.

• Full Sun Zone (Yellow): This is for heat-loving, fruiting vegetables. According to the Missouri Botanical Garden, these plants need maximum energy to produce abundant harvests.
  • Tomatoes, Peppers, Eggplant
  • Squash (Summer and Winter), Cucumbers, Melons
  • Corn, Okra
  • Most herbs (Basil, Rosemary, Thyme)
• Partial Sun Zone (Light Green): Ideal for plants that bolt (go to seed) in intense heat or those grown for their leaves and roots.
  • Leafy Greens: Lettuce, Arugula, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Kale
  • Root Vegetables: Carrots, Beets, Radishes (They can tolerate less sun than fruiting crops).
  • Brassicas: Broccoli, Cauliflower, Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts
  • Peas and Bush Beans
• Full Shade Zone (Dark Green): While challenging, some crops can still produce. Explore our dedicated list of Vegetables That Grow in the Shade for more ideas.
  • Hardy Greens: Some varieties of lettuce, arugula, and kale.
  • Herbs: Mint, Chives, Parsley, Cilantro.
  • Rhubarb and Asparagus (once established).

Planning for Seasonal Changes

For the advanced gardener, it’s worth noting that the sun’s path changes with the seasons. It is lower in the sky during the spring and fall and higher in the summer. This means shadows are longer in the cooler months. Your summer “full sun” spot might only be partial sun in April. Making a few notes on your map during different seasons can help you master succession planting and is a key part of determining What to Plant Each Season: A Year-Round Gardening Guide.

By taking the time to create and use a garden sun map, you are moving beyond hope and into the realm of strategy. You are working with the most powerful force in your garden, not against it, setting the stage for your most successful and bountiful season yet.

Check out the author’s book here: The Year-Round Vegetable Garden for Beginners.