Above ground vegetables doing poorly

by Beth Boswell
(Knoxville, TN.)

We started our first raised-bed vegetable patch this spring. It is a 9'x8'x15" bed. The bottom 5" or so is gravel. Above that is 800 lbs. of Ace potting soil mixed with about 50 lbs. of mulch. We are attempting to grow zucchini, Roma toms, Mr. Stripey toms, jalapeno peppers, and a few tomatillos and Best Boy's the rabbits didn't eat after our fist plating! We transplanted on May 15 (as per the Almanac) and the only thing doing well is the marigold/squirel defense perimeter. I water daily, set up the sprinkler on scorching days, and fertilized with Miracle Grow liquifeed last week. My Roma's are growing but they haven't doubled. Zucchini is not growing, turning yellow, and losing blooms. Peppers are getting taller but they're yellowish. Mr. Stripey's are getting a little bushier but no taller. You can only so tomatillos if you know where to look. I was considering straw for water retention. I will try to upload a picture to help you out.

Doug says that a garden bed that isn't growing well such as this one is usually a feeding or watering issue (always assuming the soil isn't contaminated)

Your note re adding/mixing in mulch to the soil would be the key here - if you've added wood chips to the soil and mixed them in, the soil is likely nitrogen deficient. The wood is using the available nitrogen and the plants can't get it.

I recommend fish emulsion for all my plant growth needs (miracle gro is like candy with no minor nutrients - great for fast growth but not great for plant health) Fish emulsion does it all.

Second - get your watering right. Watering every day is considered bad for the plants unless the soil is drying right out daily. Only water when the soil (about a half inch down) is dry to the touch.

Big containers/raised beds such as this one are just big containers. Next time - don't put gravel down - that's just a waste of space and an old wive's tale. Put soil right from top to bottom.

Here are the articles on growing vegetables including in containers that might help out

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Above ground vegetables doing poorly

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improvement
by: Beth Boswell

Well, the pepper are a wash, but tomatoes are thriving! It looks like we will also get results from 1 zucchini plant and 1 tomatillo that I saved from the rabbits. Thanks for your feedback, the sprinkler really helped.

Raised Bed
by: Angela

Further to all the great comments, I noticed in the photo that you've used what appear to be railroad ties which often contain creosote as an anti-rot/anti-insect treatment which is reportedly carcinogenic. Yours may not contain it, but they often do. Secondly I agree with increasing watering. The gravel base you placed might be allowing too much water to slip away on you. Try watering with a soaker/drip hose weaved between veggie rows for a couple of hours one morning, then monitor the soil daily to get an idea of the soil water retention. Perhaps a straw mulch cover according to Doug's thickness recommendations will also help. Best wishes.

One more idea
by: Ferne, Kamloops, B.C., Canada

It sounds to me from the way that you worded your comments about watering that you are watering by HAND daily.

If so, you may also not be watering deeply enough to do any good. I would say you would have to stand there for at least 20 minutes to half an hour to be sure that the water is getting to the roots, an hour might be better, depending on your soil and the heat. Water with a sprinkle when you do water, unless you have a ton of patience. It is easy to underestimate the length of time it takes for water to penetrate deeply enough to do any good. Water early in the day before it gets hot if you can and for maybe an hour with a small sprinkle ONLY when that top half inch is dry...as Doug suggested. Then check to see if the water has gone all the way through the upper level of dry soil. If you check on it a few times you will soon know how long you need to water to do the job. The corners will be a problem and you would need to add extra water to those areas by hand or in some other way (depending on the type of sprinkle you use). Next time you could also plant the corners with something more drought tolerant than the thirsty vegetables. A good place for you marigolds.

Gardening is a lot of trial and error. So keep on plugging and you could be displaying some prize winning vegetables in a few years.

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Doug Green