I planted a raised bed, square foot garden about a month ago. We have planted tomatoes, green beans, cucumbers, with spinach, lettuce, beets, and cilantro on the next row. Then there are onions, more lettuce, and carrots. So far, the tomato plants, green beans, and cucumbers have grown the fastest and largest.
But because of the rain we have gotten here (north Texas) I wonder if we have watered too much. Their leaves are starting to look very light colored and there are holes in the cucumbers and the green bean leaves?
As far as everything else, the onions are very small, so are the carrots, and I just replanted the lettuce because the only 2 plants that came up have already died. My garden has no weeds, just a lot of mushrooms that are growing. Any suggestions?
The soil is a combination of vermiculite, compost and peat moss. Thank you for any help! Doreen
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I wonder if you have been watering in addition to rain?
When it rains, it's been watered. If it's just the rain and it's that wet, boy, what to do? When it stops raining so much, replant. If money is an issue, there are seeds still for sale at Walgreens 3/$1 and check Walmart. They had seeds ranging from 10 cents on up last year. Don't do any watering for now for at least a week until it drys on top and put finger down in soil to see if it's damp or wet. You want it damp and even a bit dryer before you water again since you have mushrooms. Using garden gloves, get rid of them. Make sure you wash your hands outside with soap before going in an touching things if you didn't have gloves on. Mushrooms and toadstools can be quite damaging to the liver.
If you could find a way to poke or drill holes in your boxes that would help with drainage.
Basically, that's gardening. Some years it goes without a hitch, some years the slugs win. [oyster shells on top of soil good for slugs but do cut].
Pinch off some of the tomato leaves [lower down] if it seems you are getting too much green [the little scrawny ones]. If it rains when it's flowering time,when you are having a dry moment, take a Q tip and hand pollinate your blossoms [look on web] or you might not get many tomatoes or other fruiting crops. Charles Wilber of Guinness Record tomato fame says another way to increase pollination is to take an old nylon slip and rub it to get static and put it over your plant and it will attract pollen. Then carefully gather it up and shake it over the plant you want to pollinate. Flowers amongst veggies also increases pollination.
You might even put containers in the garden to catch some of the water. Good luck.
I have gardening all my life. I'm 54. I have done interior plants, outside gardening (in florida) Now I am in Ohio. My most rememberable lesson was: If you had your feet in a bucket of water, how long would it take to take your feet out of the bucket? Think about the plant and if it's got their roots in water, how long can they survive without any air? The roots take up the nutrients to the plant. If it's sitting in water it can not breath! Let me know if you need any more help. I never stop learning about horticulture! The bad thing is sometimes you have to learn the hard way. Take Pikka advice. Happy gardening.
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