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| I'm a first time gardener and am having a really hard time. We built a raised bed 1x11 and used 1/2 steer manure and 1/2 top soil last saturday and have planted 1 bush bean, 1 hot pepper, 2 bell peppers, a six pack of cucumber, and 2 tomatoes. Now everything is wilting/dying. The peppers were doing great until yesterday. I need some help figuring what the problem is and how to fix it. I think it might be 1. poor drainage (We put the planter right on top of the grass and the soil is about 14" deep.) 2. These dang fruit fly things and their little babies crawling all over the soil 3. Too hot (It's been about 100 every day for a while so I put some umbrellas up to try and cool the plants down but I don't if it's helping) Any tips? I've already replaced 3 of the cucumbers with a bigger cucumber that seems to be doing ok. |
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| I am suspecting that the heat is the main culprit. The bugs are there for the manure smell, I think, and shouldn't cause plant death as far as I know. I wonder if the manure is too "hot"-- too much nitrogen "burning" the plants? How fresh/composted are they? 50% seems a lot. Also, are you saying the bed is 1 foot by 11 foot? If so, seems like way too many plants for a small area. Enough space for everything? |
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| Rig temporary shade. |
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| You may have better luck in your second year. I'm a big advocate of planting over grass, as it will compost down and create rich soil. But it's always best to give it several months to decompose before planting. I probably would have gone 2' wide at a minimum, though I don't know how much the narrow width will hinder your garden. I'm in agreement that your wilting is most likely heat. That temp is awfully hot for new plants. If they're turning yellow and wilting, they're getting too much water. If they're staying green and wilting, they're not getting enough water. I always give my plants extra water when the temps go over 90 like they have this week. |
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