By
eHow Home & Garden Editor
Difficulty: Moderately Easy
Things You’ll Need:
- Large piece of paper
- Yellow marker
- Orange marker
- Blue marker
Step1
Make a rough map of your yard on a large piece of paper, marking any large objects which may cast shadows, such as trees, fencing, bushes or the house itself. Prepare to begin filling in your sun chart at about 9 o'clock in the morning.
Step2
Use a yellow marker to make your morning notes. Draw vertical lines on your yard map to chart any area where the sun touches, leaving all shadowed areas blank.
Step3
Repeat the sun charts notes at 1 o'clock in the afternoon, this time marking sunny areas by making vertical lines with an orange marker. Make sure, again, to leave all shadowed areas blank.
Step4
Complete the sun chart at five in the afternoon, using a blue marker to make vertical lines representing sunny areas.
Step5
Take note of the sunniest area in your yard and choose that spot for your vegetable garden. You may choose to place your garden in a location where one corner gets afternoon shade for your shade tolerant plants, such as spinach and lettuce.
Step6
Keep your sun chart handy as reference each time you purchase a new tree or plant. Speak to the nursery where you purchase the plant, asking them about how much shade or sun a plant requires and choose the location accordingly.
