Two Out of Three...

So out of my 3 SFGs that I started this spring, 2 have really taken off, but the third is not doing so hot. While they all have partial shade around mid-day, the 3rd box is just not thriving. Everything has taken longer to sprout in this box, and things that I've transplanted have remained miniature versions of the plants they're supposed to be. I can compare plants that I put in each box around the same time (dill, anise hyssop, lettuce). It's weird. I know this was the last box I made, and my Mel's Mix ratio was estimated each time, but I felt like this was right on target. Guess not. I can't tell if I have not enough fertilizer, or air circulation or what's off. If anyone has any guesses, let me know! And how can I remedy this situation?



This is the first garden ^



This is the 2nd ^



And this ^ is my problem child. Granted, some of it looks okay, like the cabbages, which I purchased as seedlings (but I don't know how big they're actually supposed to be...) and the lavender, which is doing better in this box than in the other box (and I think that lavender likes weaker soil). The zucchini/squash are small and yellow, while in the 1st they are thriving...the chives are small, my spinach has hardly sprouted and done nothing for weeks, and the anise hyssop (on the right) is like 6 in. shorter and so much scrawnier than in the 2nd box.

.... Also--what can I do about aphids? I bought some ladybugs early in the season (too early--I didn't even have any aphids yet!) and they all flew away in search of buggier lands. Now I've got aphids and those sugar ants, and I want to get rid of them!!!

Thanks guys!

correction--I meant compost, not fertilizer.

I don't know if this will help of not, but cabbage needs more water than most other plants.
As for herbs, they only need half the water of regular veggies.
So maybe its the watering and not the soil mixture.

Aphids. Grrrr. They do respond pretty well to insecticidal soap spray. Knock them off the plant enough and they either move on or die or something, but they are less of a pest. Hopefully you still have a few ladybugs hanging around to help also. And the infamous cinnamon remedy for ants seems to do the trick.

It may be any number of things for your third bed, including that it really gets a little more shade than the other two. If you want, throw a little more compost on it or give it a little food. Herbs are usually low fewrtilizer/poor soil plants so I am leading towards shade being the joker in the deck. But of course that is only a guess.

And I love your pretty blue boxes.