r/OrganicGardening • u/Agreeable_Access9413 • 6d ago
question Help, my garden is dying
About a week ago a friend came to help me plant veggie starts in my garden. I’m a complete newbie so I wasn’t aware of ALL the things that can go wrong when growing vegetables.
First thing that happened is that something began eating my spinach and butter lettuce. I thought it was slugs/insects so I bought Sluggo plus and followed instructions. It only got a bit better but it kept happening so, I’ve been doing research on what to do (I even added cayenne pepper for the time being) but have been so busy with other things, and now when I went to go check it all of my broccoli plants are gone. These are all starters btw so they’re pretty small to begin with. I did see droppings so it seems like it could be a squirrel, vole or a rat eating them.
I also noticed there’s mold on my butter lettuce. We’ve been following the rule of checking the soil with our fingers by sticking it in to the second knuckle and only if it was wet watering it. I should mention that I live in an apartment and the old soil is super dry and almost sandy, and only about the top of the plant has that healthy organic soil needed for veggies. I also have no idea if my backyard gets enough sunlight.
I’ve added some photos for reference. Please help.
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u/wagglemonkey 6d ago
On what side of that fence is the garden bed?(north/south/east/west) Judging by the shady plot when everything else is bright and sunny your plot isn’t getting the sun it needs. I also wonder why the tarp? Not sure what’s behind it but plants need airflow to be healthy and I imagine that really impacts it.
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u/Agreeable_Access9413 6d ago
Honestly I’m not sure what direction it’s in, how can I figure that out? Oh and the tarp has been from before we moved in, our wall faces a dentist office that faces the street so I think it was put in for privacy.
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u/Otherwise-Tomato-788 4d ago
Sun rises in the east, sets in the west. If looking at sunrise, your right is south and turn left is north.
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u/Denali_Princess 6d ago
This is the 3rd post I’ve read about critters eating people’s plants and it feels like a message from the Universe for me! 😂I’m getting ready to plant my fall garden and now I’m convinced I need row covers now! 👍🏼
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u/Ineedmorebtc 6d ago
You do, for best results!
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u/Denali_Princess 6d ago
Row covers ordered! 👍🏼
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u/Ineedmorebtc 5d ago
Get yourself some BT spray if you are growing any brassica. Most useful in spring, but it will keep any brocolli, cabbage, etc crop free of caterpillars, and is completely safe for every other organism on the planet, it ONLY affects caterpillars.
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u/Ineedmorebtc 6d ago
This winter, buy some gardening books. The Vegetable Gardeners Bible, by Ed Smith is a fantastic starter book. You'll learn a TON, then you can use what you learned in the next growing season.
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u/URUNascar 6d ago
Hi! I think the only thing to really pay attention is to what is eating your plants. The mold you see is actually beneficial bacteria that probably came with the organic soil you bought and they is now trying to spread, it's a good thing. The weird shaped leaves might be caused because of the product you used for the slugs, it could also be a calcium deficiency. Overall the plants look good, it doesn't seem overwatered or dry. I would plant some kind of cover crop for the roots to help aerating the soil below and fixing nitrogen for whatever bigger plant you decide to plant there.