I will tell you one reason: something keeps eating it. My poor little cilantro seedlings have been chomped to bits before they even had a chance. Same goes for my lettuce, rocket and Mizuna. So much for salad.
Elsewhere, in the raised bed, I can’t explain my pathetically stunted French beans and jalapeno plant.
The jalapeno has not grown a centimetre in the last two months, and the French beans have yielded a measly THREE beans. Where have I gone wrong?
My pickle dreams are being torn asunder – I don’t know who would want to eat this pathetic, yellowed, withered gherkin:
Even in the non-veg department, the leaves of my black-eyed susan are turning all purply-red, and the flowers are quick to turn white and shrivel to bits.
The garden is giving me the blues. I was so distraught this weekend I had to pull some potatoes (albeit a tad early) just to reassure myself that I’m not a total failure. The pink fir spud warmed my downtrodden spirits.
I’m totally mystified by all my loser plants. The bug thing I get – and thanks to MiskMask for the natural insecticide recipe (1 part vinegar, 2 parts water, 1 tsp dish soap). I have sprayed what’s left and it has helped so far… I’ve also started some new lettuce seeds and will be sure to spray as soon as the seedlings break through.
Part of me wonders if the UK weather is to blame. It’s been VERY dry, a touch windy, and not terribly warm. Things seemed happier last year when I used my makeshift polytunnel during the early part of the season. But my (thwarted!!) desire for French beans this year (and hence, a tall structure to grow them on) meant no polytunnel for my raised bed.
Indoors, things seem to do better. I already have tomatoes coming in on my Latah tomato plant. Looking on the bright side…
Are your chilli peppers under glass, like in a greenhouse so they're nice and warm? That first photo looks like slug or snail damage.
No greenhouse, which is probably a big part of my problem. I have some serrano chillis I'm growing indoors that seem perfectly happy… so far!
The cucumber looks like it didn't get pollinated. I have that issues sometimes. So if you see multiple flowers on the plant open up try using a paint brush to transfer pollen from one flower to another. When fruits don't get pollinated they yellow, wither, and fall off.
It doesn't look like this is an issue here but if you have any onions in your raised bed with the beans that will stunt bean growth.
Such a bummer to have the garden perform poorly! I've been there.
I hope your garden starts to thrive soon! Our isn't doing so well either :\ the herbs are fine of course, but nothing else seems to be growing. The most tragic thing in our garden was the death of our papaya tree 🙁 There needs to be a male and female tree, and I believe they both died. I swear I had the best papaya from that tree.
XO!
p.s. if you come across any tidbits could you do a post about it? I would appreciate it so much!