Why is nothing growing in my garden?

[Alan3]

Hello all,

I am an experienced vegi gardener over many years and seasons.

I have planted my vegetable seedlings and and flower seedlings however the areas where I improved the soil ie added garden soil & cow manure, etc. (all purchased from Bunnings) nothing is growing??????  Both my daughter and I have planted seeds in three separate areas and non have germinated yet the seeds from the same packet planted in an old pot that I added nothing too from last year all grew????

I am very concerned,

Is anyone else experiencing a similar issue?

Thank you.

Alan

[Jason]

Welcome to the Bunnings Workshop community Alan (@Alan3). We're pleased to have you join us. 

Could you please provide a little more information so our members can assist? For example, where are you based? When did you improve the soil and how much did you use? When did you plant the seedlings? How have the growing conditions been since then - eg what's the weather been like and how much have you been watering?

We have lots of other experienced gardeners and also horticulturists in the community so I'm sure they would love to assist you and get your vegetable garden thriving again. 

Many thanks,

Jason

[Alan3]

Hi Jason,

Thank you for your quick response.

I live in Taylors Lakes, Victoria.

We are regular shoppers at Bunnings Taylors Lakes.

I am an experienced gardener over many years and seasons.

We improved the garden/vegi soil a few weeks ago on weekend 12 November 2023 and another area the following week.

We purchased all items from Bunnings, Taylors Lakes,  garden soil, manure, compost, potting mix and seedlings. (I have receipt.)

We are all so concerned and upset that things are not growing and some seedlings have died. I fear contamination.

My daughter is also very upset that her sunflower seeds that she planted this year, in large outdoor planter boxes, failed to germinate, not one! Last year her sunflowers grew to a height of 5 to 6 feet tall.  Yet the same sunflower seeds planted in a pot that had no preparation this year expect for a little digging, all germinated and have grown.  This makes we very worried that there is a contamination in one of the items.

In the areas we improved the soil with the garden soil, compost, manure, non of the seeds germinated. The vegetable seedlings I planted are not growing nor the flower seedlings and some have died. 

The weather growing conditions are fine.  

What can be done?

Can Bunnings send someone to test the soil for contamination?

What's going to happen to my previous beautiful vegi soil?  I am heart broken.

Is the soil safe to cultivate?

I had a very successful harvester last year. I have plenty of photos.

Have there been other similar complaints?

Once again all items were purchased only from Bunnings. 

If contaminated what happens?

Please respond as soon as possible.

We are all so upset and worried and want the issued resolved quickly and safely.

Alan

(I have also sent email to Bunnings support email address in which I have provided my mobile number, please call me.)

[Jason]

Many thanks for the extra detail @Alan3.

It's probably best that our resident Bunnings D.I.Y. expert @EricL helps connect you with the Taylors Lakes store. He will be back on the site later today to assist. 

In the meantime, let me tag experienced horticulturist @Noelle for her thoughts. I know Noelle doesn't live too far away from you so will have a good feel for the growing conditions of the last few weeks and what's been happening in her vegetable garden.

Jason

[Alan3]

Thanks Jason.

Very unhappy and concerned.

Wondering if any other Bunnings customers purchasing same items have experienced similar issues? 

Thanks.

[Noelle]

Hi @Alan3 

It is so disheartening when you have put so much time and effort in to your garden but the rewards are few!

You have used quite a range of products to improve the soil, none of which would be responsible for soil contamination as such.

My immediate thought is that you have added a whole heap of soil improvers, manures, etc only a couple of weeks before planting. Sometimes adding all this goodness to the soil can make it soil so full of nutrients, especially nitrogen, that germinating seeds and seedlings suffer root burn as a result.

This is borne out by the fact that seeds and/or seedlings planted into soil that has not recently had all these goodies added are thriving.

Generally, if your soil needs to be enriched or replenished, then the time to do it is at least 6 to 8 weeks before planting, so the manures etc have a chance to break down a little and become fully incorporated into the soil. Mid to late winter is the time to prep soil for spring and summer planting. Early to mid November is far too late for preparing the garden for summer vegie seedlings.

After you have added soil improvers, compost or manures (you should not need to add all of them if your soil is reasonably good), the soil should be dug over several times over the following 6-8 weeks to ensure everything that's been added is well worked through the soil - turn the soil over to a depth of at least 45cm each time.

Your beautiful soil has not been ruined - it will be terrific for planting out late summer and autumn crops during January and February when the amount of nitrogen has dropped back to more normal levels that won't burn soft young roots.

[Alan3]

Hi Noelle,

Thank you for your quick response.

As I have indicated in each of my posts we are experienced gardeners over many years doing similar past successful practices.  

With regards to your theory/suggestion re the nitrogen content, I will take that on board however for the quantities that I added in such a large space and depth I don't think would have caused the nitrogen level to rise to such an extent to burn the roots of germinating seeds and seedlings. In attempting to encourage my daughter to continue her interest in gardening, however limited,  I replanted the seedlings that she grew in the old pots from last year with no cultivation, to the newly cultivated space and found they too have also stopped growing and some have died. No doubt your suggestion would be their roots have also been damaged by the 'nitrogen level'. 

In order to investigate your theory how can I accurately measure the current nitrogen level in the affected soil? If you can recommend a tester or a test kit, etc. I am happy to have done in order to allay my deep concerns.  I really hope your theory is correct.

My concern stems from the fact that I was one of many people by the Suez compost contamination incident from a couple of years ago hence why I have purchased all my gardening products from Bunnings.  Thankfully, after some follow-up, Suez rectified the situation and organised for the soil to be removed at their expense. Though I was still out of pocket for some replacement costs even though no fault of mine.   

I am NOT suggesting that this is the case here it just causes me great concern and anguish.  (Especially as what we grow we consume and give to family and friends.) 

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-21/suez-herbicides-contaminated-compost-melbourne-council/131752...

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-02-14/toxic-garden-compost-kills-vegetables-victorian-gardeners-ang...

To your knowledge have their been any similar incidents raised by other customers this season?

Many thanks.

Alan

[EricL]

Hello @Alan3 

Thanks for sharing your question about your garden. Allow me to reach out to you through private messaging so that I can assist you further. 

Eric

[Noelle]

Hello again @Alan3 

The Suez incident was localised and rectified and, to my extensive industry knowledge and experience, there has been nothing similar since. Certainly there have been no similar incidents of contamination reported by other home gardeners this year. I doubt very much that contamination is responsible for your current situation.

I suggest starting by testing the pH of your soil - the use of fertilisers, composts and manures can make the soil quite acidic over a period of years and that will have a large bearing on the availability of various nutrients in the soil. Some elements become chemically bound up in the soil at specific pH levels thus making them unavailable to pants, while others are freed abundantly and can cause toxicities.

Ideally the pH of you soil should be in the 6 to 6.5 range - if the number is lower than that then your soil would benefit from a dressing of garden lime. About a handful per square metre over the soil and allowed to work its own way in via rainfall and watering. This is best done in winter while the soil is fallow between crops.

I stand by my earlier observation that adding fertilisers and organic materials including manure just a couple of weeks before planting/seed sowing is not ideal - six to eight weeks to allow the additives to begin breaking down and become integrated into the soil would be preferable.

[Alan3]

Hi Noelle,

Thank you for your post. 

And if the PH level is too high ie above 6.5 what can be done to lower it to be within the preferred range? 
I don’t want to lose the entire summer growing season. 
thanks. 

Alan