I like turnip greens. I raise some every year, but this year I tried raising some in a raised bed. I sowed them in late March and they are still not doing well . I removed the soil in an area . The soil is dripping wet at the bottom. The top looks dried out and brown. I am usually eating turnip greens with a few turnips. any advise?
Have you fertilized them ? And are you using potting soil in the raised beds ? Potting soil is sterile and anything the plants need,, you have to add ! I have on occasion got bad seed that did similarly ! Changed the seed brands and no problem ! Looks to be plenty of moisture so I do not think thats the problem !
that looks like a lot of uncomposted wood mulch,. that will suck all the nitrogen into breaking down the mulch.
Your plants have the classic look of nitrogen deficiency. Pee in a watering can and dilute and water your plants once with it and see if they improve.
You know,, a few years back I bought some "compost" that had a lot of wood mixed in ! Didnt hurt the flowers but didn`t buy it anymore either !
I have my doubts about that raised bed soil. I think I need to get a couple bags of Miracle Grow garden soil and start over. The problem is I have four raised beds, some of them are 16 inches deep. and nothing is really coming on like in years past. . I'll try your trick, Odif. Maybe I'll change out the soil in that bed.
Mart, I have fertilized with Miracle grow from a sprayer. Same seed that I used last fall and I think it is still good. Pretty bad when you cant get turnips to grow. All my plants are having a hard time of it. Tomatoes, bush beans, Kale, squash, zucchini, and peppers. I watered heavy with fertilizer in the sprayer today and it looks like we are in for a very soggy week , all the way into Tuesday of next week. I've got to get this sorted out before summer sets in here. Gets up above a hundred really quick.
I understand your frustration. Planted parsnips and some came up so replanted the holes. At least with those I know they are slow to germinate. But what’s with the spinach and lettuce. I’ve now planted twice and am still waiting. It’s on the north side of a raised bed so am wondering if there are some errant slugs hiding in the area. We have continued to have some really cold nights that might also be contributing to the problem. Tomato plants were frost nipped a couple of times. Gardening can be a gamble. Glad my meals aren’t reliant on me growing my own food. Dandelions and woodland plants appear to be my specialty.
Jewel, you may have the same problems that I have. And yes we are very fortunate that we don't have to depend on our garden for survival.
I have no confidence in Miracle Grow for food ! Ordinarily when I have a big garden I use 13-13-13 commercial fertilizer ! You can get by with using less of it than the others but rarely use less than that ! I have never had any luck with Miracle Grow ! Most vegetables require more than it has in it ! Its fine for flowers !
I agree mart. It is ok for starting seeds indoors but it doesn't have any natural nutrients in it. In short order, plants need real food.
Miracle grow for plants is what I tell all my customers is like drinking Gatorade as opposed to eating food. I always recommend a granular manure based fertilizer such as jobes or tomato tone.. etc...
@Don Perry. If your mulch is pine mulch then it will be too acid until it breaks down completely. Too acid will limit the bioavailability of nutrients. It is all about electricity. Woodchips if green need time to break down. If I use woodchips, I use a ten inch layer on top if I can. I will leave them 6 months to finish eating the nitrogen, which they release afterwards. You then don’t have fertilise your bed for 3 years. Wait six months and replant your bed if you can. You should have better results. @carolyn I agree with your previous comment totally.
Not much I can add to this mate. You are in good hands with the colleagues that have commented above. You said how moist the raised bed's soil is. I looked at what appears to be the material covering the bottom of your bed. What is that material? I am beginning to worry a little bit about the moisture. You can place materials at the very bottom of your raised bed, but it must be a so called, "geo textile" material that will let the water go through. Is there any chance that your raised bed soil is too moist? Just something to think about from another angle.
