Everything died!!!

Well, not everything, but here's a list of what did die/didn't sprout (dns)...

Lettuce- dns
arugula- dns
beets
fennel (still hoping for this one to make it)
chives-dns
onions- dns
cantaloupe
carrots-dns
okra-dns

All were planted between 3 weeks and one month ago! What am I doing wrong?!

Oh, dear! How dreadful and sad.

Unfortunately, I think you will have to relive the trauma and give us a detailed description and/or photos for us to be able to help you.

What zone is San Diego in? I'm lousy on geography, but seem to remember SD is in southern Cali? If so, then you planted when the weather was too warm for most of the plants listed to germinate and grow well.

I'm in 8A (northwest central Texas), and planted everything on your list except cantaloupe and okra in February/ March. I seeded cantaloupe and okra May 1st, and they have been growing very slowly, but my Mel's mix is very weak. After I started fertilizing on a regular basis, they are finally taking off. The only reason I can think that okra and cantaloupe didn't sprout was possibly due to either too much or too little water -- or bad seed.

Both of those can be planted now, but you'd probably be better off buying plants instead of direct seeding. But don't give up -- you are in an area where you can have a fall garden.

Hi Ward,

We live in Midtown, about 6 miles from the coast. Average temp has been about 68, and I water daily in the morning. The box in question gets about 4-5 hours of sun a day (I have another box in full sun, which is doing beautifully). I have a few extra squares in that box, so I may replant some of the stuff on my list in there. The one that baffles me the most is the lettuce, which is supposed to be so easy to grow.

Gina

my climate is nothing like yours, but i say keep waiting for the DNS's. They still might sprout. My beans, spinach and carrots took FOREVER to sprout. WAY longer than the package of seeds said they would. I even re-planted my beans and then the originals came up and so did the new ones. My scissors got quite a workout!!

GinaLynn wrote:Well, not everything, but here's a list of what did die/didn't sprout (dns)...

Lettuce- dns
arugula- dns
beets
fennel (still hoping for this one to make it)
chives-dns
onions- dns
cantaloupe
carrots-dns
okra-dns

All were planted between 3 weeks and one month ago! What am I doing wrong?!

It was way too late in SD to plant lettuce. However there is no reason for these things not to sprout. It is imperative that you keep the soil constantly moist until everything sprouts and is somewhat established.

That said, it seems odd. If other things are growing OK then it is likely not the soil. Did you plant too deeply or shallowly? It matters. Some things need light to sprout. If too shallow they should still sprout, but might fall over. Onions are very slow to show as are carrots and like I said, if they dry out at all they could die that say and you might never see them.

The other thing might be birds. Early in the season I lost some seeds to birds.

Also, in reading one of your answers, 4-5 hours of sun is likely not enough. If it gets some reflected sun too it may work. But only watering seeds in the morning is not enough. They should get a hose down in the evening too.