My Garden Seems To Be Sluggish!

I don't know if it's the case of being a rookie and being impatient for things to grow, but my garden seems to be slugglish. I've mixed together Mel's mix and they are getting sufficient water. I know that Mel says we don't need any fertilizers but wanted to know if anyone is giving their plants food of any type?

Maya Papaya :scratch:

My first batch of Mel's Mix did fine - we made it earlier in the season when there were more kinds of compost available. Our second batch was made with only three different types and our plants did not grow in it at all. The leaves turned yellowish or red and just sat there doing nothing.

I had divided a large catnip plant in half. I set out one half in our earthen beds and it was green and growing to a huge plant, while the other half of the same plant I placed in the boxes in Mel's Mix. It turned red and did not grow. I knew the problem had to be the poor compost in the Mel's Mix.

We mixed up a couple of gallons of fish emulsion and gave some to each plant, and the leaves began greening up on everything within a couple of days. We gave them more fish emulsion two weeks later, and they are growing fine now.

Yeah, I think I'm going to get some fish emulsion.

Maya Papaya

When I made my boxes and mix I could only get 3 types of compost. I took the sod off and tested the soil and then made the mix in the boxes, including a bit of the soil underneath. I added a bit of wood ash, blood meal and bone meal to amend the mix and things are going great so far!!! I also don't water too often. It has not been hot (90s) here yet so every other day I'm giving each plant a good drink.

Done...very interesting smelling stuff! Feel like I went bay fishing.