Hi! I planted these about 3 months ago and they took about 2-3 weeks to get off the ground but haven’t grown as much as I had hoped by now. It’s been 3 months and they’re super slow growing, takes at least a week to see any difference. I used brand new potting soil, water frequently but don’t over do it. Added hay a few days ago hoping it helps with something. There is good drainage . Not sure what to do to make them grow faster/ more. We’ve had a few days of rain on and off but otherwise it has been sunny.
Is it time to start adding some sort of liquid fertilizer? Any recommendations? Thank you!
In short: Carrots, cucumbers, lettuce growing very slowly over 3 months old, planted directly on final container outdoors in fresh soil from store. What am I missing? Thank you!
by checktheneedle
2 Comments
When you water do you water do you make sure it’s a good deep soak and not just a couple of seconds of water from the hose? You can start fertilizing, but if the plants haven’t grown in over 3 months it might not do much. It has to be a combination of deep watering and a consistent feeding schedule.
There could be a lot of different factors.
*Are they getting enough sun*? How far is the soil level from the lip of your container? Sometimes if the soil is lower than 2 inches from the lip of the container, the container walls can block light other than at the height of the day.
*Is your soil or medium too loose*? If soil or the planting medium is too loose, seedlings can’t establish and grow healthy roots.
*What’s your weather like*? What’s the minimum/maximum temps at night and during the day?
*How do you water*? Sometimes small seeds can get dislodged during watering. Do you hand water? A hose with an attachment head with settings?
*Do they have protection or cover*? There might be insects or errant birds that pick off your young plants. You can reuse clear bottles or wire buckets as cloches to help protect your young seedlings.
If you still have seeds left, you can always reseed. Best of luck 🍀