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Poor production from my garden #745741

Asked April 22, 2021, 4:20 PM EDT

When we bought our house in 1972, our garden produced prolifically. I started a compost pile in 1972 (mostly leaves and garbage (banana peels, egg shells, etc.)) and mixed the compost in the soil, and it's much more friable now. But hardly any vegetables will grow, other than beans. I plant zucchini and get maybe 3 squash, none more than 5 inches long (and if I don't pick them at that size, they rot). Brussels sprouts plants sometimes grow but have hardly any sprouts. I put out six tomato plants and get at most 2 tomatoes all summer. I had the soil tested and things were in the optimum range except MgO was above normal and CaO was way above normal (we stopped putting egg shells in the compost after that). How do I get my garden to produce again?

Franklin County Ohio

Expert Response

If you NPK numbers are all good then its not a nutrient deficiency.  Did you fertilize beyond the compost?  You can overfertilize and damage crops.  Other possibilities may be watering - was the garden watered regularly? well drained - or did it hold water? water logging can certainly damp off your veggies. Did you mulch the garden? Have your shade trees grown in those years and are they blocking your plants from getting sufficient sunlight?  From what you say, it seems like the problem with your garden may not be what is missing but what is there that is undesirable.  You may have been putting things into your compost which are less than optimal - potentially if you added peels you may have added pesticides or herbicides if the peels were from GMO crops.  You may need to consider moving your garden if you have the room or reevaluating sun and water and not add additional compost and only fertilizers specific to the plants you grow.  If there is a sunlight issue and you cannot move your garden, consider planting plants which require less light.  Look for hearty varieties and make sure you plant healthy plants.  In any case certainly change up what you plant in each location - plant the tomatoes where you had the broccoli last year etc.  Be careful what you plant together  tomatoes grow well with carrots abut not with garlic or onions.  if you think this could be a problem get a book on companion planting so you can situate your plants with friendly companions.  Have you noticed bugs? slugs? feasting on seedlings - consider diatomaceous earth around the plants

An Ask Extension Expert Replied April 22, 2021, 4:39 PM EDT

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