Seedlings along edges doing better than those in center

3 years ago

I built some new raised beds this year, and have a perplexing situation. The plants around the edges of the every bed are doing significantly better than those in the center. The only variable that I can think of might be the amount of water they get, but I don't know if it's overwatering or underwatering.

I initially had the sprayers running every other day for 15 minutes. The sprayers reach the entire bed, and I never noticed the soil drying out completely at any part of the beds. There was always some moisture in the soil. I though it might be a case of overwatering, so I decreased the schedule to 10 minutes every 3 days. I made this change about 3 weeks ago, and I haven't noticed any difference in the relative health of the outer vs inner plants. The soil still does not get too dry.

All beds are in full sun, and are fertilized every 2-4 weeks with fish emulsion. I can't think of what else could be wrong.

What do you think? Too much water? Not enough water? Anything else?

See below photos.

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Comments (10)

tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱
3 years ago
Is the soil domed at all so that it is lower around the edges?

tj
Joe Martinez
Original Author
3 years ago
@tsugajunkie No, it is not.
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floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
3 years ago
Possibly warmer soil round the edges? Or cooler?
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
3 years ago
im with flora... note on the sun side.. the wood retains sun heat deeper into the night.. giving them a few more hours of warm root growth .. which gives a larger plant that you see ...

also.. water might run down the board.. giving them a little bit more water ...

i cant see any downside ... do you really need the whole crop to bloom/produce at once???.. if they are veg.. most peeps wouldnt mind stretching out the crop an extra week or so ...

looks like you have a real nice set up .. and it looks like you succeeded .. try not to screw it up now.. with imagined problems.. and in trying to fix them.. screw it all up ...

you got past the easy part.. germination ... now relax ... just water properly.. and enjoy ...

your next possible problem if you want to watch for something.. might be bugs ...

welcome to the forums... it never hurts to give us a big city name ... you allude to CA in where you posted... but more info always helps us ...

ken

ps: what are you growing in there??? ...
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
3 years ago
also.. where the cars are parked... that pavement/stone.. whatever.. is also retaining heat .. so i doesnt surprise me.. that side of the bed it a bit advanced also ...
Joe Martinez
Original Author
3 years ago
Thanks! That's probably it. I didn't really think about the temperature aspect. The thing is that the plants at the edges are more on target to meet the "days to maturity" printed on the seed packets, and the ones in the center seem way behind, so I assumed that there was a problem with them. (I say that even though I know from experience that those numbers are always WAAAAAY too optimistic!) And also, some of those vegetables are early season crops.

Ken, to answer your questions:

I'm in San Jose, CA

The veg in the photos (from the top down) are:

Carrots

Onions

Daikon and Beets

Turnips

Celery

Thanks!

-Joe
daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
It can also work the other way around. In a very hot climate, plants near the edges, especially on the sunlit side, are toasted seriously, and suffer as a result. I see that regularly. That you're in San Jose makes some sense in that regard. Your plants want warmth.

It would make somewhat more sense if your plants on the sunlit side were larger and healthier. But maybe you can rotate these beds??
Don V Zone 5-6 Cleveland OH
3 years ago
Are the largest plants on the south side of the box? Smallest on the north? That would be sun. Sun will hit 3 sides (not north side).
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
3 years ago
thing is that the plants at the edges are more on target to meet the "days to maturity" printed on the seed packets,

==>

dude.. those packages are probably printed for the whole US... they are at best.... suggestions of expectations ... if you are with a few weeks either way.. you are in business ... heck most of the stuff you list.. in my MI ... i cant even plant them for another 4 to 6 weeks ... and even if i did.. the season isnt long enough to get a crop finished ...

as i said.. you have done extremely well.. dont screw it up now ...

and think about how that time period of watering.. it may need to be changed as summer moves along .. plants will get large.. and cover the soil to keep sun off of it.. plus your mulch ... and that might change how much water they need.. yet on the other hand.. in higher summer heat with lots of plants jammed together .. you might need deeper watering.. less frequently ... i dont know.. i said think about it.. lol ...

an underwatered plant will show you it needs water.. by wilting.. and when you see that you can water a bit more ... but if you rot the roots off by overwatering... well.. there is no coming back from that ...

ken
daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)
3 years ago
last modified: 3 years ago
On second thought, I'm skeptical that it's about temperature. In the absence of sunlight, which mostly shines just on one side of the bed, the MEAN temperature of the soil is the same throughout the bed. That is, soil is an insulator. Now, if you had a freeze in the air temperature, those plants closest to the edge of the bed would certainly suffer, and at the least would be stunted. That's the opposite of what's going on here. The plants closest to the edge of the bed would see, in the soil, more of the day/night fluctuations in the air temperature. In the daytime, they'd be warmer than those at the center. At night, they'd be colder than those at the center. I can't imagine why day/night temperature fluctuations would make things grow faster, though. Now, in a cool climate, I could certainly imagine that those plants on the sunlit side of the bed would do better. But that's not what I see here. Seems like the improved growth is on all sides.

I consider this interesting observation unresolved.

Seedlings along edges doing better than those in center

Comments (10)

tsugajunkie z5 SE WI ♱

Joe Martinez
Original Author

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floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)

Don V Zone 5-6 Cleveland OH

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

daninthedirt (USDA 9a, HZ9, CentTX, Sunset z30, Cfa)

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Seedlings along edges doing better than those in center

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Joe MartinezOriginal Author

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