Thanks for your fast response! I have some bags of alfalfa meal that I will use to amend the topsoil with.

This was my first year using bagged soil, I thought it would be easier--what a headache!

I'll repost in a few days to see if there's any improvement with the alfalfa, thanks! :]

How often do you water, how much do you apply and at what time of day? How old are the plants?

I use soaker hoses, the same I used for my rows.

Right now they turn on for a few hours and the soil gets about 3" of water (into the soil), every three days. The plants are only a few weeks old.

I'd like to offer a slightly different view about the problem.

First question is; are you confident in the quality of the manure? There are so many pitfalls to using manure, whether it comes from your place or from another source, that I won't even bother to attempt to use it. First problem is picloram, which passes undisturbed through the gut of whatever ruminant ingested it. Second is the common practice of using lime to reduce odors. It goes on from there, but you get the trend.

Next is that if you do indeed have something with woody material in it, yes, there will be a problem of the organic material being partially decomposed. During the process of decomposition, organic matter breaks down into simpler organic acids that will inhibit root growth and prevent seed germination. If the problem were 'nitrogen tie-up', then that can be remedied by adding nitrogen fertilizer, but so far nobody has ever reported success with that remedy.

I would try to find some native topsoil to fill your raised beds. I make my own compost and rely heavily on leaves. If I know the source of grass clippings, I'll add that. I also incorporate some wood chips from my chipper shredder. But I mostly use leaves.

Good luck.

If nitrogen doesn't rapidly green things up, you might want to have your pH checked to see if the manure was very alkaline from lime. That's fixable too. Just about any problem can be remediated given a little time and the right materials.

Good advice above about using soil here instead of container mix. The good news is, the highly organic stuff you put in will decompose and shrink, and you can refill with topsoil. It will work itself out.

The others have good tips already but in essence, it sounds like you bought a bag of garden soil. That is intended to be mixed with your in-ground soil.

I tried my own soil mix last year, and the plants didn't do well. Since peat/coco and perlite/vermiculite are fairly consistent (meaning that I can't get that wrong too much), the main thing I think went wrong was the compost component. Like idaho_gardener said, that also can be a factor, if everything else is confirmed to be OK.

The best way to determine if you have a good healthy soil that will grow strong and healthy plants is to test the soil for soil pH and nutrient levels. "Topsoil" is really a meaningless term because it simply means the top 4 to 6 inches of soil from someplace which may, or may not, be something you want in your garden. For most food plants you will want a soil with a pH in the 6.0 to 7.0 range and balanced nutrient levels. There are numerous reasons why plants "turn yellow" (that is known as Chlorosis) and low Nitrogen levels is only one.

Along with a good reliable soil test, for soil pH and nutrient levels these simple soil tests may also help.

1) Soil test for organic
material. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level
in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and
replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24
hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight.
For example, a good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the
bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above
that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top.

2) Drainage. Dig a hole
1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains
away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain
away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains’ too quickly and needs
more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the
soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up.

3) Tilth. Take a handful
of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is
released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a
finger that clump should fall apart.

4) Smell. What does your
soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant
odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria
will be and the nicer your soil will smell, to a point. Too much organic matter
can be bad as well.

5) Life. How many
earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5,
according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that
is not healthy.

kimmq is kimmsr