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enter image description hereI'm brand new to gardening. I've got a raised bed filled with composted garden clippings and soil. I just grew a bunch of radishes and lettuce is the soil and it did very well. After removing it all and tiling the soil, I planted some Yukon golds, red skin potatoes, cantaloupe and a small pepper plant all purchased from a local nursery. I used some topical fertilizer (5-5-5) and watered heavily after planting. I let it sit for three days. The Yukon golds and the pepper plant is wilted. The melon and red skin plants are looking just fine. I watered them last evening and still they are wilted this morning. Any thoughts ? Trying to take a photo small enough to upload.
By the way, I'm in Utah.

JStorage
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Blake P. Ramsey
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  • What kind of drainage have you got going? How much fertilizer did you use for this amount of soil? Is this garden soil in a raised bed with dimensional lumber all the way around but without a bottom? Is there any rock at the bottom of the soil between the surface of the garden soil? What kind of compost precisely? How cold is it getting there at night? Were these plants starts that were used to being outside, acclimated? It looks like way too much water but need to know more. – stormy Jul 07 '17 at 03:16
  • Thank you so much for the response! The drainage has seemed to be sufficient but I haven't placed any special lines or rock bottom to drain the water. I used the recommended amount of fertilizer from the bag but don't recall the exact quantity. Yes it is a 4x4 cedar raised box without a bottom. No rock at the bottom I just lightly tilled the normal soil that our yard grass was growing on before setting the box. The contents of the compost is actually mostly unknown to me as it was made from the previous home owners who used it for vegetables gardens. Lows are around 65-70. – Blake P. Ramsey Jul 07 '17 at 13:13
  • Also they were not acclimated at all. I just purchased them from the local greenhouse and put them outside immediately – Blake P. Ramsey Jul 07 '17 at 13:14

1 Answers1

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Plants grown in a greenhouse have a thinner epidermis than plants in the real sunlight. This could easily be 'sunburn'. In fact, this really looks like sunburn.

Go get some Row Cloth. It is white fabric also called 'floating' row cloth. Cover your plants with this stuff. They might be able to recover. Actually you should start to see new growth, the old stuff will just keep dying. Using this you should be able to...acclimate them. Let them recover for a few days and then start taking it off; let the plant be in the sun for half an hour, three days in a row; then an hour for a few days, then 2 hours and then 4 hours.

Cover your plants if it gets down into the 40 degree F at night. This cloth can help extend your season. Next year get seed potatoes from The Potato Garden in Colorado. You won't be able to grow potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant in that soil for 2 years. You can get big plastic pots and use potting soil in the pots to expand your garden.

You want certified seed potatoes and I absolutely love this little company that you live quite close to...

Try the row cloth and take a picture in a few days to send us, okay? If you are new to this you will love reading other question/answers on this site. Please ask more questions of your own. I sure hope this is what is wrong. It is worrisome to use compost you didn't make.

stormy
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  • Thanks you so much! I was suspecting too much sun because this morning they all looked fantastic but this afternoon they began to wilt again. I just covered them after reading your answer. I will update you! Thanks! – Blake P. Ramsey Jul 07 '17 at 23:03