Can anyone offer some advice?

This is my 4th year with a garden. Each year my garden has been on a different plot of land (I've moved 2x, and at my current home I've changed plots 2x).

So a local farmer is a friend of mine and I picked up about 15 plants (tomato, cucumbers, cantaloupe, broccoli, watermelon, peppers, etc). These plants were healthy when I brought them home. I also germinated my own beans, peas, broccoli, cucumber, etc, and prior to transplants these plants were very healthy as well.

The problem is, my cucumbers, cantaloupe, and peppers (both my homegrown and the my farmer's variety) are limp, withering, and yellowing. I amended my naturally sandy soil with humus, manure, and homemade compost. We just had some really rainy weather followed by 2 days of 85 degree days, so the soil was slightly damp when I checked it today.

I haven't tested the pH this year, but last year it was slightly acidic. I just don't know what to do. I worked so hard to make sure the soil has all the best qualities but I still have dying plants. The cantaloupe is almost dead. I've never had veggies die on me in 4 years. HELP!

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healthy watermelon - this enables you to see the difference - there is no yellowing on this one, and it is standing up strong. Compare it to the cantaloupe and you will know what I mean.

Post this question over on the Soils and Compost thread for a speedy answer...

Gymgirl - can you tell me how to post over there? I went to Soil and Composting and when I click on the "new thread" icon nothing happens.

I am a gardener too that is learning the hard way. I think what might have happened is that when you made your new garden, & when you laid your compost & Manure, you were suppose to let it lay for 5 weeks to let the soil do its job of getting ready. When manure & compost is laid down, they will heat up , & it will burn the plants if you plant them imediately. This is just my idea. Maybe someone else can verify this.

You have to be a subscriber to use that forum. Other than peppers and broccoli I don't transplant any of the vegetables you mentioned. I suspect tho, that you are trying too hard. Just maybe it may be transplant shock. The other possibility is that your amendments may contain some organisms that attack the root systems. None of these vegetables are really choosy. They will tolerate a pH of 5.5 - 6.5 so it highly unlikely that that is your problem. Compost is normally pretty weak, but some animal manures can overload the plants ( excess ferilization). Another possibility is that you or an adjoining neighbor have been using weed and feed in the area or your compost contains grass clippings from a weed and feed lawn. I don't know hwere Richboro is exactly, but in most of Pennsyvania, you can till up any plot throw in the seeds, keep the weeds down and harvest a crop.

"You have to be a subscriber to use that forum. Other than peppers and broccoli I don't transplant any of the vegetables you mentioned. I suspect tho, that you are trying too hard. Just maybe it may be transplant shock."

First off, thanks for responding with these ideas! As far as trying too hard though, I literally just turned over the soil and mixed in some aged compost and manure. I keep this gardening stuff as simple as possible. I also agree that transplanting melons is not ideal. If I had started them from seed I would have simply let them germinate in the garden, but since I picked them up from my friend's greenhouse I didn't have much of a choice.

"They will tolerate a pH of 5.5 - 6.5 so it highly unlikely that that is your problem."

I just stopped by my friend's farm and he said the same thing about the pH. He said it's likely a nitrogen or iron deficiency because of the yellowing, which makes sense considering I haven't fed these plants yet - they were just transplanted last week.

"I don't know where Richboro is exactly, but in most of Pennsyvania, you can till up any plot throw in the seeds, keep the weeds down and harvest a crop."

You are probably right in most circumstances. The only difference is the area that I turned over was loaded with sand and sedimentary stone that broke apart when I started digging. Therefore, when I tilled the area there was little to no organic material in the bedding. The compost and manure was used just as much for retaining water as it was for its nutrient value.

I just fed the garden for the first time - I will give you an update tomorrow. Fingers crossed!

It could also be a problem with too much water, even if the soil felt damp. Deeper down (say 1"-2") it may be too wet. Combine that with the transplant shock and you've got a not quite so winning combination.

Gardening is definitely a learning process and it seems like something new happens all the time.

Personally, I always put some organic fertilizer in the hole/trench when I sow seeds or set out transplants. Then I mix it thoroughly with the surrounding soil. My melons were started indoors under lights this year, and they did not suffer transplant shock when I put them out. Each seed was set in it's own 3 oz pot.

I don't mulch my plants until they are well-established because I find slugs will hide in the mulch. If you saw my garden now, you would see bare soil around the newly sprouting seeds. Later, as the weather gets hot, they will have mulch, mulch and more mulch!