Happy to post in gardening instead but since I have a “greenhouse” cover on my raised bed, I figured I would start here.
Just began with a moderate sized raised bed kit this spring and it has been extremely lack luster. I’ve never kept a covered garden so I’m at a loss of where to start identifying issues. I opted to try a raised greenhouse style veggie garden because anything on the ground or not covered would be decimated by deer, rabbits and groundhogs.
Garden bed is 71”x31” and has a standard liner that allows drainage but helps hold the soil in.
The area gets pretty sun about half of the day and indirect sun for most of the rest.
Soil is Kellogg organic raised bed potting soil
Added a sprinkling of some general veggie fertilizer pellets
Water via garden hose at what seems like a normal level and try not to let it get too dry. This soil is odd sometimes though in that I can water it for 5 minutes and then scrape an inch down with my finger and it’s super dry. Once I poke some holes around or churn it up and water, it seems to soak in better.
When I unzip it to water, it sure feels hot and humid most of the time, which I figured was good. Something is obviously off in my attempt at this though, since from what I can tell, the results of the seed plantings are quite sad.
Started most seeds indoors and transplanted. Exceptions are most of the carrots that I planted as seed in the raised bed, and the two heads of lettuce which were grocery store hydroponic heads that I decided to plant rather than throw out, to see if they’d regrow. These are doing the best in the whole garden 🤣
The bust beans are a joke, with barely any growth, spindly and yellow. The carrots just seem to hang out as tiny seedlings and never really grow much from when I started them indoors months ago. The radishes are slowly somewhat improving in some of the ones in the back, but also seem really slow. The cucumber (one died) is slow growing but does have a couple of flowers yet nowhere close to starting any actual fruit. Yellow squash plants are stubby and not doing a whole lot.
Looking for some thoughts or obvious things that anyone with experience could maybe point out.
Thanks!
by novajeff22
1 Comment
Get a thermometer in their to make sure it isn’t too hot.
Excessive humidity promotes mold and fungus. Fully enclosed is great for cold weather, open things up to breathe when the weather is warm.
Kellogg products are decent, but if was bone dry out of the bag it may have become somewhat hydrophobic, preventing water from getting in deep. If so, soak it deeply and then let it get fairly dry.