CONTAINERS: Flats and large plastic pots.

SOIL: Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Soil that's been in the garage for a few years. I used it straight (100%) in the flats and I mixed it with Miracle-Gro Garden Soil in the large pots.

ENVIRONMENT: I think I sewed them in mid-April. They were outside 98% of the time (just moving them inside the garage on cold nights). Sun from morning to mid afternoon.

SEEDS: Burpee. Two kinds of Meclun (each with 5 or 6 different plants) and Bush Champion Cucumbers. I've used all of these before.

RESULTS: Nothing worked. All seedlings were stunted or have started bolting when they were just an inch or two high. The cucumbers should be huge by now, but they stopped growing. I even added a healthy tomato plant (purchased from a garden center) to one of the large pots and that isn't doing well either. The rest of the tomato plants in the garden are doing great. Also, I put one tomato plant in another pot with some cheap topsoil added to whatever was already in there and it looks much better than the one in the Miracle-Gro pot (see photos of white pot).

I'm not a super serious gardener, but I've never had this problem before. Does anyone have any idea what went wrong? The only thing I can think of is there is something wrong with the old Miracle-Gro Moisture Control Potting Soil. I thought I used that last year, but I could be wrong. Can that go bad?

Miracle Gro soil seems to suck. The Moisture Control stuff seems just awful in my unprofessional opinion. Houseplants seem miserable in it, it doesn't dry out properly or absorb water well when dry.

I don't use containers for vegetables except potatoes, so I can't offer any positive suggestions.

The tomato is your first photo looks like it is deficient in nutrients. I would re-pot is ASAP but buy fresh potting soil from a farm and feed type store.

I don't use MG but that's my best guess - I know the beneficial fungi in Espoma and Promix "expire" (literally!) after a year or 2 but other than that a potting mix is generally just a mix of peat and vermiculite/perlite, maybe with fertilizers (MG does include those I know) so it doesn't "go bad" unless it's gotten wet and started growing "bad" fungi/bacteria.

but they are right.. never reuse media for seedlings ...

and i have heard repeatedly.. nothing good about MG media ... is for the mass markets ... you can do a lot better.. if you talk to some local greenhouse.. and get professional level media ..

dont know where you are.. but its been a long cold spring... lack of vigor is usually related to such in spring ...

but your last pic says it all .. doesnt it... its a media failure... not that i recommend dirt in pots ... but it working better than the stuff you have ...

ken

A hippie gardener caught me at the nursery that first year, noticed all the expensive seed starting equipment I had in my cart and told me it was all a waste of money (the heating mats, special seed trays, triple-priced seed starting mix, etc.) I took his advice and have never regretted it. I don't even put it through a screen. I just pick off the larger woody pieces if they happen to land on top.

I also buy a big bag of it which lasts a number of years. It's never gone bad on me.

My advice is to use the money you save not buying expensive seed starting mix and invest it in good quality seed. Others may disagree, but I've never had any luck with Burpee seeds. I buy mine from Johnny's (they last me years and I'm still getting 100% germination), but there are many other reputable seed companies such as Territorial and Baker Creek.

There is also a seed starting forum here on GardenWeb that you might want to browse. Lots of good solid advice. I think they are ones who told me not to waste my money on expensive grow lights....

I like Fertiome combination seed starting and potting soil.

And some years all goes well as expected without much notice.

I'm just guessing you are in zone 5b-6. I'm harvesting lots of salad now and will continue for a while with a shade set-up. Different varieties can handle cool weather and others don't mind the july heat.
I suggest getting a Johnny's catalog. (or view on-line). Great consistent seed quality and i'm even using some last year seed. My winter purchased spicy micro mix, grew it all winter indoors, is doing great direct seeded in the garden right now....

Being impatient, some seed i planted too early did bolt quickly but another variety is doing well in the same bed.

My beds get some compost in the fall, then covered...a quick double dig early spring a few weeks before planting...salad beds get an inch of pro-mix, wet good, then direct seed salad mix thick. Topped with a dusting of pro-mix and shade cover to sprout.

We normally will use the mix all spring and summer and then in the Fall make up another batch, fill our aluminum can and bring it down to the basement for the winter for houseplants and seed starting in early spring.

I'm sure there are premixed potting mixes available if you don't have the interest in making your own. I've heard Fafard makes a good product, although expensive. If I were buying pre made, I'd be looking at the ingredients. Peat moss, perlite, compost maybe, bark fines. I'd be avoiding a lot of other ingredients. Especially aimed at water retention, or synthetic fertilizer, coloring or soil 'conditioning'.

Seeds have become so expensive now, that I would have to agree with Loribee, to save the money to spend on that. I don't use Burpee either. I have been buying from FEDCO which is an organic growers coop for seeds, supplies, potato tubers, etc. I wouldn't hesitate to buy from Johnny's either.

Loribee, I love your yogurt container idea! We usually make our own yogurt and buy the large container once in awhile. I am going to have to try to start using multiples of the smaller size and save those for next year. I also have those red drinking cups that I use too.

I know that personally, I had some tomato plants that I rested a shade cloth on because I was too lazy to put up stakes to hold up the shade cloth. Those tomatoes never recovered from that stress, while the ones right next to them (not touching the shade cloth) are now 1.5 feet taller than the over-stressed plants.

Veggie plants are like people - if you over-stress them early in life, they'll never recover.

Love Johnny's for seeds. I've got some seeds dated 2010 that are still germinating like they're brand new!