Oh, What a Difference Two Hours of Sun Can Make

I know sunlight, or lack thereof, is a topic gardeners can get hung up on. Especially me. I fret about the corner yard not getting enough sun, but then the partial shade is nice in the brutal summer heat. The other corner yard only gets enough sun for about 4-5 months during the summer. The side yard is perfect, but I'm limited to the size of the beds by the two foot wide buffer zone between the house and the grass. Most of the summer veggies didn't seem to mind the limited sun except for the peppers. They didn't produce hardly at all and no pepper ever ripened to color. Other veggies are usually pretty good with the 4 hours or so of sun, but they're slower in their growth.

Point in case....last year, my cabbage never formed heads. I know now it's due to lack of sun. I have two sets of cabbages I planted, one in the corner yard and one in the side yard. They were both transplanted at the same time from seeds sown at the same time.

Here's the Corner Yard cabbage:
Just sad.

Here's the side yard cabbage:

It's already trying to form a head. Hopefully we'll actually get two cabbages this year!! Woohoo!However, it just makes me dream of what could be if I had a little more sun. I'd also love a raised bed or two (only 4x4) on rolly wheels that I could put in the driveway in the summer for full sun, but move it out of the way when necessary and store in the basement during the winter. We all wish for something, don't we.