My beans and cucumbers are looking similar. They went out, and then we got 2-3 nights in the 40s, and lots of rain since. I think your weather has been similar.

Cold weather and not enough sun can stunt them a bit. I am assuming that they will recover when the rainy weather is over and the sun is out more.

Your plants dont look pest ridden or diseased. Your beds are going to hold moisture, with peat and vermiculite, so dont give them additional water unless they are actually dry.

Another picture....

How do I upload more then one picture?

Another

It does look like either lack of nitrogen, too much or too little water, or too chilly temps. Several of my plants were looking like that about a month ago, so I added some bloodmeal and then the weather warmed up and they're looking great. I wouldn't worry too much - - just do what you can and I'm sure the plants will bounce back.

My first experience with the one raised bed I have was similar, and my nephew with the masters in ag science said very simply, "You need some *rock*" meaning since I neglected to mix everything I'd bought in with the native soil, I was trying to grow in something other than earth and that was not as good as plain old soil. So, my advice to anyone building a raised bed is to mix what ever you fill the bed with in with the native soil so that you've got the benefits of the soil food web, the minerals, and all the other magical things that are part of soil that they don't sell in bags (and that aren't even necessarily in composted manure.)

What I did was moved my plants clockwise around the bed, one section at a time, and dug and mixed the bed one section at a time. This worked well.

Also, what's on the bottom of your bed? If you used cardboard to kill the grass, this can often hold too much water and/or prevent your plants' roots from going deep. If so, punch holes in the cardboard with a digging fork to help it decompose and improve drainage. It'll be hard to mix in the soil this year if you've got cardboard, but next year you'll be able to.

Hope this helps!

another

Eliza's nephew has it right. From the look of the OP photos the medium is highly or entirely organic - plants want a mineral component.

a13art:

In regards to multiple pics. click below.

Kevin

Here is a link that might be useful: photobucket tutorial

When you look at the WHOLE plant rather than a few leaves...they look fine. Just relax and don't over water, they will be fine!

g'day,

i dunno really not there to see and feel medium, but it looks lifeless, i'd suggest a dose of gypsum and lots of mulch(seems missing) tuck kitchen scraps under mulch daily in random spots, introduce some composting worms(red wrigglers maybe).

maybe now you might need a shot of liquid marine type fertiliser??

len

Here is a link that might be useful: lens garden page

Well hopefully the organic plant food helps too...... Any other helpful ideas I should do? And thank you everyone for your help.

Its Just Weird How That One Looks Great But Not The Other ones Next To It

Day 1........... Just To compare How Lighter Gren They Turned.

May 27Th So Almost Month They Have Been Planted.

Day 1........... Just To compare How Lighter Gren They Turned.

May 27Th So Almost Month They Have Been Planted.

{{!gwi}}

Day 1........... Just To compare How Lighter Gren They Turned.

May 27Th So Almost Month They Have Been Planted.

{{!gwi}}

Day 1........... Just To compare How Lighter Gren They Turned.

May 27Th So Almost Month They Have Been Planted.

{{!gwi}}

Its Just Weird How That One Looks Great But Not The Other ones Next To It

{{!gwi}}

have you added mulch yet?

len

I don't think that an organic-only (well, aside form the vermiculite) planting medium should be of any concern. Trace metals and light minerals should be in abundance from the compost, and you'll actually get them from those sources, in which they're already in ionic form, faster than you'd get it from rocks. Rocks and sand don't dissolve. I've used pure compost in potting soil, and it works great. I've heard of people that have gardened in pure compost, and they seem happy as well.

Actually, most of your pictures look good, especially the new growth. You use the new growth to measure the vigor of plants.

I don't think you need to add anything at all. Given that your soil is very permeable (but you didn't, as noted, tell us what's underneath the bed, nor how deep it is -- looks to be at least a foot), it may dry out quickly, but it won't get soggy. That being the case, just water well. I'm assuming they have good sun.

I Dug Out About 4-6 Inches And Didn't Lay Anything Down. Then The Bed Is 12 Or 16 I Can't remember.. It Drains Very Well Cause It Never Gets Soggy And Runs The Extra Water Into Th Lawn. Cause One TIme I Ran Th Water Long And The Puddle.Wa IN The.grass. So ItIt Has At LeAst 20 Inches Of ThIs Soil.

I Dug Out About 4-6 Inches And Didn't Lay Anything Down. Then The Bed Is 12 Or 16 I Can't remember.. It Drains Very Well Cause It Never Gets Soggy And Runs The Extra Water Into Th Lawn. Cause One TIme I Ran Th Water Long And The Puddle.Wa IN The.grass. So ItIt Has At LeAst 20 Inches Of ThIs Soil.

{{!gwi}}

The tomato does the best is furthest from the shade corner.

Picked up some tomatoe tone... And how would mulch help? Any any other things I should try to do?

Picked up some tomatoe tone... And how would mulch help? Any any other things I should try to do?

Just a quick up date tomato tone seem to help a decent amount however my peppers are still not growing taller but they are producing a pepper on each one. I lost all my cucumber plants but one and my zucchini are starting to come back and grow. I lost my sugar snap peas also. Did a soil test the other day and I'm high ph and low nitrogen.

Mulch would help regulate the soil temp and moisture level. Perhaps the peppers are struggling is because you have them alongside water hogs. If you mulched, you would need to water less. Which, in turn, might jump start the peppers. If all you have is one pepper on each plant and there are no others forming, you MAY want to pick that one pepper so the plant goes back into GROWTH mode. All depends on how long your season is though.

Kevin

Well I live in Chicago so maybe another month and a half.

This was my soil test results too.

Hi a13art,

I got to wonder about your stables compost... what barn did it come from? I rode and worked at stables in this area for years, and nearly all of them use wood shavings as bedding. Manure from the barn isn't composted really, it's just the cleaned bedding thrown in a pile. Usually trucked away once it accumulates.

I believe decomposing wood will consume nitrogen. That could be why your N levels are so low.

I live in Orland park, and I got it from the horse stable on 130th and lagrange ave

My mother (who has horses and a garden in ground) and I (who uses her horse manure in my containers and raised bed) have both found that composted manure cannot really stand alone as an additive to native soil. It is great to include in the mix but you need real compost in there too. I don't know the science behind it all all but we have had similar experiences. The first year everything looks good and the second year when the soil gets depleted and only manure is added, everything is stunted and yellowish. I think there is some nutrients missing.