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New Raised Bed Garden Woes

by Jennifer
(Dawsonville, GA USA)

Runner Beans

Runner Beans

Runner Beans Bush Beans Tomato Plants Sweet Potatoes

Been gardening for a few years, never really had any problems. Well now I finally got my dream garden.My husband built raised beds and we filled with organic soil. Everything was coming up great and then we had some rain storms. They started turning yellow from too much water. This has been almost a month ago and these are stunted and still yellow. Cucumber, beans, squash, zucchini. After that I planted a new bed of runner beans and they came up great...now THEY are turning yellow! My tomato plants are all dying of a fungus. I spray them and they are still dying! I checked the PH level and everything seems fine. When I dug down the soil was lightly moist but not sopping wet (about 3-4") What am I doing wrong?

Comments for New Raised Bed Garden Woes

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Jul 01, 2015
 Raised Beds
by: Anonymous

I live in Georgia also and have raised beds all the rain has killed my peppers and potatoes. I even put some horse radish in one bed it is gone to. If it wasn't the rain then the insects took over and ate the squash and cucumbers. I have gone down into the woods where I have another garden, my cucumbers and tomatoes and peppers are really multiplying here so many green tomatoes. Lost all of the squash to the squash bore starting over in a window box then to containers. I just keep trying when I fail in one place move on to the next. Ellen from Georgia
Jul 06, 2015
 Plants not growing in new raised beds
by: ~ Megan

Jennifer, this is really sad that finally you get your dream garden, and look what happens! If you are not used to these problems and have grown vegetables before, then it may be something to do with the raised beds.

Great photos! Although terribly dejected plants. It's hard to know what's wrong, but here are a few suggestions:

1. The photos seem to show a very dry soil although you say it's damp underneath. Maybe from being flooded, they are now drying out too much. When veggies get into growing they need steady water, not too much or too little, and with no long dry spells.

2. If the weather is hot, those little plants will have shallow roots and will suffer - a deep mulch layer would help. What about wind – is your new garden in the direct path of some howlers?

3. Are they getting enough nutrients? Maybe all got washed away in the rains. Your plants do look severely stunted, and with the tomato, that can then cause diseases to appear. Organic soil is good, but did it have plenty of old compost incorporated into it. Have you added any fertilizer, such as compost tea, seaweed or fish liquid? That could be the problem.

4. Is there a chance that there is spray drift happening, some weed killer nearby that got onto your beds?

Finally, it looks like not much can be saved, if you have a long enough season where you are, try replanting and checking out some of the above suggestions. Best of luck next time, I'm sure with careful observation you will get to be picking your own soon.
Jul 06, 2015
 Raised Beds
by: Ellen from Georgia

The raised beds got too much heat to fast and not enough water for sure. This year we started out in the 90's and stayed that way for a couple of weeks then the rain came and we had rain for eight or nine days and much cooler temperatures in the 80's. I have already given up on the raised beds until next year, I still have a garden. My tomatoes and peppers are all waiting for the sun and good old Georgia heat to return this week. Ellen from Georgia

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