HELP! my plants are not growing well...poor compost???

My plants look healthy and are growing but are still too small. For example, my squash plants bloomed almost 2 weeks ago and they cant be more than a foot tall, whereas all the other gardens in my area that were started much later than mine are full size plants. My corn was planted from seed on 3/30 and is not more than a foot tall. I really think the bagged compost manure I bought was of poor quality (even though I purchased bags from different stores). I have a compost bin but it is not ready to use yet.

1.)My husband and I started building our own compost tumbler today and hope to finish it tomorrow in hopes to speed up the process.
2.) I have a neighbors with rabbits, chickens and horses that I am going to ask for poo tomorrow.

What can I add to my existing beds that will feed these plants and help them grow???

How long should I give them to respond before pulling them out and replanting???

Thanks,
Rebecca

Hello, Rebecca. First of all, don't use any of that lovely farmyard manure in your beds - it must completely age.

I had that problem last year with some of my beds. I used all purchased compost last year. It was suggested that perhaps the composting process hadn't finished, therefore the nutrients were not available to the plants.

But I am going to hang out here and see what other suggestions people might have. Most of my crops do really well, but last year and so far this year my radishes are growing very slowly. And they aren't supposed to grow slowly, and when they do, they are really spicey - not in a happy way!

I am not positive, but it has been my observation that a plant put in a little too early, instead of getting a head start tends to run behind.

And if you don't think your plants are getting enough food from the soil you gave them, by all means feed them. Mel's mix isn't magic and he isn't a guru. If the soil is great then no worries but there are so many variables that sometimes you have to give them a hand.

I lean towards fish emulsion, epsom salts and cal/mag tablets crushed, and then go to general fertilizers meant for veggies if needed. There are both organic and non-organic widely available. I also started my own compost pile in the hopes of having some really decent compost to add to the mix next planting.

Good luck - a little heat may see everything take off.

You could try manure-water maybe? The link below says it takes two weeks to be ready

http://www.aselfsufficientlife.com/tag/manure-water

Chopper wrote:I am not positive, but it has been my observation that a plant put in a little too early, instead of getting a head start tends to run behind.

And if you don't think your plants are getting enough food from the soil you gave them, by all means feed them. Mel's mix isn't magic and he isn't a guru. If the soil is great then no worries but there are so many variables that sometimes you have to give them a hand.

I lean towards fish emulsion, epsom salts and cal/mag tablets crushed, and then go to general fertilizers meant for veggies if needed. There are both organic and non-organic widely available. I also started my own compost pile in the hopes of having some really decent compost to add to the mix next planting.

Good luck - a little heat may see everything take off.

+1

In additional to the above posts with excellent advice, I want to add that you can add rabbit pellets right into the garden. They are considered a cold manure. I also use a soluble Miracle Grow clone when I have problems like yours. Miracle Grow does market a certified organic one if that is important to you. Although I try to be as organic as possible, my personal opinion is when a plant needs a boost it needs it right now, not three weeks down the line when compost or manure has time to break down into the soil.

And yes on plants becoming stunted when put in too early. But they normally will catch up.

I used some vegetable fertilizer after my posting and things are looking "greener" already. Plus one of my neighbors delivered some composted horse manure via his tractor (which I graciously thanked him for!) and I spread some of that around on the sickly plants as it needs to be weeded through and I didn't want to introduce a lot of grass/weed seeds to the beds. Thanks for the info about the rabbit pellets, I didn't even know there was a such thing as cold manure.

OH!!! I picked my 1st harvest of sugar snap peas.....a tiny little portion, but they were yummy!

Rebecca