My garden is mostly in full sun, but because it's situated approximately 20' from the edge of the woods, it takes awhile for the sun to get to it in the morning. 11 am to be exact. The definition of full sun is at least 6 hours of direct sun per day, partial sun is 4-6 hours of direct sun per day, partial shade is about 1-4 hours of direct sun that isn't the hot afternoon sun.
From the second the sun comes over the trees, till about 7 pm in summer, the garden gets sun.
That should be all there is to it, but because of plant placing there are a few areas that don't get as much sun as others. For instance, since my tomato plants grow to be about 4' tall, anything planted behind them doesn't get as much sun. Asparagus creates the same problem.
When planning my garden I need to take this into account.
We talked about figuring out how much sun your garden gets in How to Make a Sun Map for your Garden. If this is your first time gardening in your location (or you're moving the garden plot) you'll want to make a sun map first. If you've been using that spot for a few years you're probably familiar with the way the sun moves across your property during the growing season.
Knowing which parts of your garden has less sun, or which plants will block the sun once they're full grown is essential to planning a garden where all your plants get the correct amount of sunlight for optimal growth!