Help - raised beds! Have we totally messed this up?

funkymonkey849

We moved into our new house last year and started redoing the garden this year. We have got 4 raised beds but I am getting quite worried as nothing seems to be growing very well! Courgettes are tiny and lettuces are taking aaaaages to grow. I have climbing runner and dwarf french beans and neither look very happy

The raised beds are next to a fence - I thought all of the garden got sun for most of the day but I looked outside one morning this week and that half of the garden was looking really quite gloomy! They get the sun after about midday, but I didn't realise then when I built them there :mad:

Is this too little sun to grow stuff? Some of the beans and courgettes look like they are leaning towards the other side of the garden

Or is it just the weather we've been having at the moment? The first set of lettuces grew fine (when we were having the nice weather in April/May) but now they just seem to have stopped.

We spend a lot of time, effort and money to relandscape this, and ripped up what would otherwise be a perfectly good path! But obviously it is no good if nothing will grow!

Aaaaarrrgghhhh!

serena

Most of the things you mention should grow quite happily with some shade.

What did you fill the raised beds with?

As you say they grew quite well to start with, I'm wondering if perhaps they need a feed. Try giving a liquid feed, say Miracle gro or similar, and see if that makes a difference.

funkymonkey849

serena wrote: »

Most of the things you mention should grow quite happily with some shade.

What did you fill the raised beds with?

As you say they grew quite well to start with, I'm wondering if perhaps they need a feed. Try giving a liquid feed, say Miracle gro or similar, and see if that makes a difference.

Raised beds filled with a mix of topsoil, compost and with some miracle grow mixed in.

I am worrying that they grew ok to start with because there was lots of sun, but now the weather has turned a bit gloomy they are suffering because of only getting the afternoon sun

Ah well you live and learn! I hope this doesn't turn out to be an expensive mistake!

J_J_Carter

I think it's the weather, my plants have been 'checked' over the last 10 days or so. I think it's the stress of drought, now deluge and cooler nights.

funkymonkey849

J_J_Carter wrote: »

I think it's the weather, my plants have been 'checked' over the last 10 days or so. I think it's the stress of drought, now deluge and cooler nights.

I hope so! They have been on stop for nearly 3 weeks, and the beans just will not get going!

valk_scot

How deep are the beds? Are they over bare ground? Also, have they either been getting sufficient rain or water from you? Is the soil moist when you dig down into it? Multipurpose compost is not ideal for filling raised beds as it runs out of nutrients very quickly and also dries out fast. And what kind of Miracle Grow did you mix in? Slow release? And how much in proportion to both compoast and top soil? Finally, did you harden off the baby plants properly? Or did you direct sow? Spacings?

Not saying it's any of these tbh, but just brainstorming. Wouldn't worry about it being overcast tbh...it's more permenant shade that's the real problem.

funkymonkey849

valk_scot wrote: »

How deep are the beds? Are they over bare ground? Also, have they either been getting sufficient rain or water from you? Is the soil moist when you dig down into it? Multipurpose compost is not ideal for filling raised beds as it runs out of nutrients very quickly and also dries out fast. And what kind of Miracle Grow did you mix in? Slow release? And how much in proportion to both compoast and top soil? Finally, did you harden off the baby plants properly? Or did you direct sow? Spacings?

Not saying it's any of these tbh, but just brainstorming. Wouldn't worry about it being overcast tbh...it's more permenant shade that's the real problem.

Agh the permanent shade is what I'm worried about! The plants are leaning towards the sunny area of the garden. Although, the beds have sun still now while the rest of the garden is shady. They are certainty missing out on sun until about 11 or 12 o clock

I didn't harden off the beans very well, but I sowed lettuces direct and they are hardly growing at all. Although they did grow well last month!

valk_scot

funkymonkey849 wrote: »

Agh the permanent shade is what I'm worried about! The plants are leaning towards the sunny area of the garden. Although, the beds have sun still now while the rest of the garden is shady. They are certainty missing out on sun until about 11 or 12 o clock

I didn't harden off the beans very well, but I sowed lettuces direct and they are hardly growing at all. Although they did grow well last month!

Well, if they're getting sun in the afternoon and evening they're not in permenant shade, are they? Wouldn't worry about it.

The other thing is, I looked back through your posts and I read that you've got four beds of 1m x 1m? If so, you've got a lot of stuff crammed into quite a small area. It might be that there's so much competition for food and nutrients that none of the plants are getting quite enough. Is that possible do you think?

3v3

funkymonkey849 wrote: »

...
Is this too little sun to grow stuff?

I'm no expert (just starting down this route myself) but I was told that the area for veg needs at least 6hrs of sunshine.
If your bed is getting sun from midday, add 6hrs = 6pm then that should be fine

funkymonkey849

valk_scot wrote: »

Well, if they're getting sun in the afternoon and evening they're not in permenant shade, are they? Wouldn't worry about it.

The other thing is, I looked back through your posts and I read that you've got four beds of 1m x 1m? If so, you've got a lot of stuff crammed into quite a small area. It might be that there's so much competition for food and nutrients that none of the plants are getting quite enough. Is that possible do you think?

We haven't filled the beds to anywhere near capacity so they should have plenty of space

Ohh I hope they are in an ok place - argh I just don't understand why everything is on go slow! Hmpphhh

mardatha

I think its lack of sun. We've a hellish summer so far up here - April was nice but very cold, May was dull and windy, June has been very wet. My tatties are ok, got some lettuces, but nothing else really coming on .