I have a raised bed that just seems to grow nothing. Everything is yellow, stunted and pathetic. This year I put identical plants in bed #3 and bed #1. The difference is staggering. They have identical wood boxes, soil, amendments and mulches. I used to think it was because it was much shadier. Now it's in the sun and the same light-wise. So now I think it is the cedar hedge behind me sucking out all the nutrients. Through the process of elimination, that is the only culprit left.
Sorrel...garden shoe for comparison
Sorrel in Bed #3...about 6" across the whole plant...plants were the same size.
Squash...about three feet across in the Back to Eden garden.
Squash in Bed #1
Squash in Bed #3...plants were all seeded in my greenhouse. Identical soil, planting dates etc.
Thyme in Bed #3...not nearly as large, but not too bad.
Artichoke...with my garden shoe for comparison...about 2' across.
Artichoke in Bed #3...leaves are about 5-6" long at most.
Black Krim tomato in Bed #1
Black Krim Tomato in Bed #3...again both grown from seed in my greenhouse. Plants were identical when planted. This is pretty sad.
I will be removing bed #3 when I have time.
comparisons are very interesting. What a difference!
ReplyDeleteIt is quite amazing. It just kills everything.
DeleteMaybe not jinxed but not natural. Maybe something not so good below...an old paved area? a place where a leaky fuel truck was parked for ten years... Might have the soil tested perhaps? Definitely a problem.
ReplyDeleteIt is a real conundrum Brenda. We bought the house new in 1979. Before that this was the Canora Road Duck Farm. So 31 years later I start to garden here. I put in bed #2 and 3 the same day so it was the same batch of soil and same wood. It is about 14" from bed two. That said, if there was a truck parked there the leak could be very localised. You have given me something to think about that I had never considered. Thank you.
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