As I said above we can't tell you what to add without first knowing what is in there. Did you use the standard Sq Ft recipe of peat, compost and vermiculite? There are specific ratios of them required so that the pH is balanced. Or did you just make up a recipe of your own? If so then you have no way of knowing what the pH is. Or is it all just mushroom compost? Was any soil, any dirt mixed in? If not then it sure needs some. But whatever is in your mix you still have to cut way back on the watering. Water only when the soil at the root level feels dry. Over-watering kills more plants that all other things combined. When in doubt, don't water. best to add liquid so Im guessing worm castings tea would be good right? How often do I apply it? (by the way how does casting tea have more nutrients than worm castings if its watered down???) Think about it. It can't have more nutrients. It has what it has. But they are nutrients the plant roots can easily absorb. Plants take up nutrients with water so nutrients in the form of liquid/water are readily available to them. Solids just sit there until watered down. Plus, again, no soil bacteria to convert them to a useable form. Basic principle of organic gardening - an active soil web of bacteria is required. Until it develops you have to feed the plants. Worm castings are only 1 option of many organic fertilizers available and there are others that are better balanced and contain micronutrients as well as NPK. But the choice is yours and if that is what you want to use fine. It is normally made into tea that is steeped for several hours and then diluted to 1/2 strength, and applied weekly as a root drench when watering. The sunscald is from the plants being poorly hardened off first. Guaranteed when one tries to rush or skip the process of hardening off properly. And proper hardening off includes nights too not in and out and in and out. If it is too cold for them to remain out at night then it is too soon to be hardening them off. Sometimes the plants recover, sometimes they don't so be prepared to replace some of them. Dave PS: And while some mushroom compost may contain some nutrients they are of no benefit to the plants without and active soil food web. That requires soil - dirt - and time to develop.

I agree with the sage and lovage. I am a little surprised at the lovage, since it is a very large plant for a raised bed. The sage plant does not need pruning, unless you want to for cosmetic reasons. If I were in your situation, I would consider starting new, with plants that I prefer for my tastes. The sage would transplant, should you choose to keep it. I like knowing where my plants came from. But do some research too on spread- if the one plant is a mint or lemon balm, it will overtake the entire bed with runner roots. Also consider water requirements- sage, thymes, oreganos like more drought conditions, while basils and mints like a lot more water. As far as raised bed care, search forums. I am not super familiar with them, but believe they need more of a certain soil type, and may need fertilizing more often than in ground beds.

Carol- I would love to have room for some dwarf fruit trees! How very potager :) For the new garden, I'm trying to come up with a plan that will be fun, but practical...and easy for the ten and over kids to navigate. It would also be nice to have a seating area. I have one shady corner that would be perfect. Right now, I'm planning to have the entrance in the opposite corner (with an arbor over it) and put a diagonal path running from the entrance to the seating area. Then there would be (sort of) triangular beds on either side of the path, each large enough for a bean or mini-pumpkin teepee and pumpkins, squash or melons around them. There would also be two L-shaped perimeter beds (for potatoes, broccoli, tomatoes and some root veggies) one behind each triangle bed, separated by a narrower path. The main path will probably be grass and about four feet wide (softer for the kids) but I might use blocks for the narrower paths. It would be nice to have a little heat reflecting into the beds in the spring. My growing season is so short, I can use all the help I can get! Also, behind the little seating area, there might be just enough room for a couple of roses....just for a little color and fragrance, while I'm taking a well-deserved break :)

I've skimmed thru the responses. I'd like to recommend Johnny's Selected Seed in Albion ME for varieties that do well in the north. They also have a lot of growing information on their website. I usually order most of my seeds thru FEDCO which also has a website and allows group buying. The more $ spent, the better the discount. Keep eyes and ears open for somebody in your area that is acting as a group manager. Sometimes it's mentioned in local community news. The group I buy through had an order deadline of 1/21 because so many start seeds. I've also been happy with Pine Tree Seeds which offers smaller packets and some interesting varieties. They are a family owned and operated seed business in Maine. They promise not to sell any GMO seeds. Right now you might be able to get discounted fertilizers etc thru the organic farmers association in MA. The NH bulk order is due by 1/28 with March pickup in a few specified towns. In NH, you do not have to be a member to order thru them. It's a once a year event. There is no order minimum for the individual. There are used book stores around and I usually see copies of Crockett's Victory Garden available. This was my first gardening guide and I still love it. This used to be a Boston tv gardening show so the month by month guide of what to do in the garden is perfect for your growing zone. Your local library might have a copy. I suggest you also keep ears and eyes open for a local plant grower. I love the yearly plant list from a local backyard grower in my area. We have to order in April and plants are ready mid-May. The great thing is I can buy individual plants at a reasonable price so I can try a variety of tomatoes and peppers. There's a backyard grower near Manchester NH (really small farm) who grows heirloom tomatoes for local restaurants. He sells a small selection of his extra plants in May. I realize it's probably not worth the trip for you but it might be fun to look at his homemade website. I see he has notes about which varieties can be grown in a large pot. I find his photos dazzling but haven't yet been able to buy any plants from him although a friend has. http://www.rustysheirloomtomatoes.com/