I think John that that the plants are too tender and getting too hot. I've had the same problem with brassicas on my front windowsill this year. They start off all lush and green, then all of a sudden over a day or two the leaves start to go dry around the edges and then the leaves curl up and die.
I searched all over the web and the answer every time was 'too hot'. Hope that is of some help, perhaps where you are putting them is a bit of a sun trap and they are just getting fried?
But only the seedlings growing in garden soil are dying. Obvious answer - sow your seedlings in proprietory compost.
As for wondering why other plants aren't growing in your soil - from the analysis it sounds as if it's in really poor heart and needs the addition of good quality organic matter and a balanced slow release fertiliser. I would use Fish, Blood & Bone as directed on the pack.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
That's true Dove, I think I would have just stopped using the garden soil for seedlings, though personally I would never of used it. I sow in a propriety seed compost then pot on into a multi-purpose. It's only the brassicas this year that have ever given me trouble. Reminder to self, must build that cold frame, must build that cold frame.
I think its just going to be trial and error with your soil, did the previous owners keep lots of animals? Does the soil smell? I made a patch of grass as a loo for the dog we lost a couple of years ago, despite soak aways and all manner of other things it still stunk and i had to replace the soil after we lost her, that was one dog for less than a year!
If i were you, i would do bed by bed at least diluting with compost or well rotted manure, if it works, great, if not then we will have to think of something else!
Have you planted anything tougher yet? I just wondered if something like a shrub had survived
Do you know the history of the garden? Could anything have been dumped there?
My garden was used as a dump for years
Now, after more than 20 years there are still areas where I wouldn't plant anything important. During that time it's had compost, horse droppings, wood chip mulch and assorted fertilisers. One area was the home of the compost heap for two years, today there are nettles growing there and they are yellow and sick looking.
Some oil based dumpings take a long time to disappear
Ive used garden soil for seeds before now, its only the same as sowing direct isnt it? But am usually a little selective with what i sow in it. I also use it to bulk out coir, the greedier plants dont seem to mind one bit
well the soil smells fine, just like dirt, but is very muddy when it gets wet, so muddy that i can make a mud ball, and in the cups the soil when it gets dry hardens like a rock. even all summer long when it was really dry out the soil went very hard. i know that the summer before i moved here it was all overgrown with weeds, last summer i had a terrible problem with weeds too, and since i was sick i wasn't able to keep at them a lot.
any thoughts on that? my garden is quite large so it would cost me a lot of money to put bloodmeal and what not in there, im hoping to find some aged manure, i have some 30 year old sheep manure that i can pickup for free, so i will be tilling that into the soil
Sounds like clay John, would not be good for seedlings. I grow my veg in clay and can sow direct, but that is after massive amounts of compost are added to it in the spring.
Unimproved clay out of the garden is going to be no good at all for seedlings in trays or pots. It's always either claggy and wet or rock hard. It sits 'cold' too, so the roots probably are not getting much chance to develop.
Get as much of that manure as possible onto that soil and incorporate it - it will help to improve the soil structure. However, at 30 years old a lot of the nutrients will have been leached out of it - you will have to add nutrients as well. I would divide your plot into 3 or 4 sections and work out a proper rotation plan (have a look here http://www.allotment-garden.org/crop-rotation/four-year-crop-rotation.php ) and then you can concentrate on improving the fertility section by section.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
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Nor me nutcutlet.
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I think John that that the plants are too tender and getting too hot. I've had the same problem with brassicas on my front windowsill this year. They start off all lush and green, then all of a sudden over a day or two the leaves start to go dry around the edges and then the leaves curl up and die.
I searched all over the web and the answer every time was 'too hot'. Hope that is of some help, perhaps where you are putting them is a bit of a sun trap and they are just getting fried?
But only the seedlings growing in garden soil are dying. Obvious answer - sow your seedlings in proprietory compost.
As for wondering why other plants aren't growing in your soil - from the analysis it sounds as if it's in really poor heart and needs the addition of good quality organic matter and a balanced slow release fertiliser. I would use Fish, Blood & Bone as directed on the pack.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
That's true Dove, I think I would have just stopped using the garden soil for seedlings, though personally I would never of used it. I sow in a propriety seed compost then pot on into a multi-purpose. It's only the brassicas this year that have ever given me trouble. Reminder to self, must build that cold frame, must build that cold frame.
I think its just going to be trial and error with your soil, did the previous owners keep lots of animals? Does the soil smell? I made a patch of grass as a loo for the dog we lost a couple of years ago, despite soak aways and all manner of other things it still stunk and i had to replace the soil after we lost her, that was one dog for less than a year!
If i were you, i would do bed by bed at least diluting with compost or well rotted manure, if it works, great, if not then we will have to think of something else!
Have you planted anything tougher yet? I just wondered if something like a shrub had survived
Do you know the history of the garden? Could anything have been dumped there?
My garden was used as a dump for years
Now, after more than 20 years there are still areas where I wouldn't plant anything important. During that time it's had compost, horse droppings, wood chip mulch and assorted fertilisers. One area was the home of the compost heap for two years, today there are nettles growing there and they are yellow and sick looking.
Some oil based dumpings take a long time to disappear
In the sticks near Peterborough
well the soil smells fine, just like dirt, but is very muddy when it gets wet, so muddy that i can make a mud ball, and in the cups the soil when it gets dry hardens like a rock. even all summer long when it was really dry out the soil went very hard. i know that the summer before i moved here it was all overgrown with weeds, last summer i had a terrible problem with weeds too, and since i was sick i wasn't able to keep at them a lot.
any thoughts on that? my garden is quite large so it would cost me a lot of money to put bloodmeal and what not in there, im hoping to find some aged manure, i have some 30 year old sheep manure that i can pickup for free, so i will be tilling that into the soil
Sounds like clay John, would not be good for seedlings. I grow my veg in clay and can sow direct, but that is after massive amounts of compost are added to it in the spring.
Unimproved clay out of the garden is going to be no good at all for seedlings in trays or pots. It's always either claggy and wet or rock hard. It sits 'cold' too, so the roots probably are not getting much chance to develop.
Get as much of that manure as possible onto that soil and incorporate it - it will help to improve the soil structure. However, at 30 years old a lot of the nutrients will have been leached out of it - you will have to add nutrients as well. I would divide your plot into 3 or 4 sections and work out a proper rotation plan (have a look here http://www.allotment-garden.org/crop-rotation/four-year-crop-rotation.php ) and then you can concentrate on improving the fertility section by section.
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Have you got a compost heap going yet?