Pathetic Peas, Beetroot, Radish and Onions

[Marb67]

Well, here I go again with a poor crop in my raised bed. I have limited space before anyone suggests that they are cramped.

Red onion sets (very small and long stems)
Early radish - hardly anything came up, and the odd that did bolted.
Peas (various varieties) hardly any pods. have to keep them covered as sparrows tear them to bits.
Beetroot - Very small with no swelled roots

Oh and the flowers planted in the front planter (cosmos/scabbier/germanium/borage/ ) have been eaten by slugs leaving just stems DESPITE spraying with various essential oils such as cederwood that are supposed to deter them

[Snoop Puss]

Marb, they are cramped. You're better off growing them a bit further apart and having a decent crop of something than a poor crop of everything. Sorry...

The onions look like they're suffering from two problems perhaps. Not enough light and perhaps they've been battered by wind or crushed by an animal.

[greenishfing]

I agree. One successful crop is better than none. As for slugs I have yet to find any successful deterrent.

[Marb67]

I had to plant all the sets as didn't want to waste any. I could start pulling onions for salad (thinning out) which would give the rest chance to grow.

[Snoop Puss]

It's getting a bit late, but yes, thinning out the onions might make a difference. And at least you'll have some for salads meanwhile. Good luck.

[Marb67]

Some of the sets have not got any bigger at all in months. That's ridiculous.

[Snoop Puss]

How far apart are they? And what variety are they?

[Shortie]

Yes, I agree I think it looks like things are competing for light. Possibly water too is the root crops are small

I do understand the desire to plant out all the sets as you bought them and don't want to waste them but I have done this myself, but I had an allotment at the time so had the space (and it became a bit of a friendly banter about the volume of onions I had grown)

But as Snoop said, it's better to giveenough space to less crop so that it can grow properly, than have poor crops from too much in one space

For the onions, if they are too close together they won't have the space to get big (I have done this myself before)

[Marb67]

Well months on and not a single onion has put on any weight expect 1. Peas are non existent and plants now going over. Beets are also pathetic with no roots. Granted, I have crammed into a small space UT they still should have all grown some smaller than average size at least. Top dressing of new compost, blood fish and bone should have helped feed them.

Another failure to my long list

[greenishfing]

I don't want to be negative but I do think that you have tried to plant far too much in a small space. Plants need room as well as water and food.

[halfcut]

If you are going to try again then heres a few suggestions:

Grow bunching (spring) onions (eg red holland) instead, they are cheap seeds, quick to grow and can be crammed into a corner (or a seperate pot. I grow them in 10" trugs and old drain hoppers). If you thin them out at the spring onion stage the ones left will form a bulb if you leave them.

Tall(er) peas instead of dwarf, less plants will give you the same number of peas. Make sure the peas are planted in the north corner of the bed, 3/4 cane teepee 3 plants to a cane. You might get away with leafy salad like rocket under the pea canopy.

If you didn't, make sure the beets are thinned to one plant per seed cluster when the seedlings emerge. Better yet, if you can cope without beetroot and like radish, they grow quick and can be crammed together.

"Ever tried. Ever failed. No matter. Try again. Fail again. Fail better"

[Marb67]

Well that said, they still should have grown at least a couple of inches in width having fed and put them in new compost. Some have actually got smaller, as have some of my newly sown spring onions. I know Charles Dowding sows in bunches and relies on the swelling bulbs pushing each other out and his a really cramped. If I grow tall peas they will be too big for the pyramid net cover I have over the bed to stop sparrows etc.

The peas are Petit Pois, Hurst, Keverdon Wonder and all are pathetic beyond belief. In fact, I bought 2 bags of fresh pods from Asda but when tasting them there were awful. Really bland and unpleasant with zero sweetness.

[burnie]

You can grow crops close together, but you need to feed the soil to get a good crop, I put a whole big bag of manure in each of my raised beds, yours look smaller, so I would suggest next spring adding half a bag on top as a mulch kind of thing, then work it in with a trowel when you sow/plant. Make sure you buy varieties that say "suitable for container growing" on the packet, that will help too.

[Marb67]

The soil has been fed and if you look, the onions are not too close together as suggested here and yet look how pathetic they are now ! Again, how can things grow smaller and smaller and what has happened to the foliage ? For the life of me I just can't seem to fathom it. Peas were utterly diabolical. About 10 small pods on all those plants, again that got smaller and smaller and don't start me off on £"*&% thrips. The bain of my garden.

Feel like giving up.

[Jungle Jane]

There were a lot of weeds between the onions in the previous photo,if there was no weeds,that’s how much space they would’ve had. They don’t look too bad,once they’re cut up,nobody knows how big they were