Possibly. And sometimes the irrigation in raised beds leaches the nutrients out as well. Maybe try some feeding next year if you do them similarly. I’ve had (and other freepers as well) stupendous luck and results from adding ‘Texas Tomato Food’ (on other stuff besides tomatoes) to my raised beds once a week or so *after* I do the soaker hose thingie.
I’m sorry your melons didn’t work out. I know how it is to have your mouth set for something and then some evil critter (or just bad circumstances) gets there before you do. Chipmunks and voles got my entire fall/winter crop last year. I have chicken wire underneath my raised beds now. Evil furry critters wiped the whole business out last year. Augh.
My garden went to hell in a handbasket this year, same for everyone in the neighborhood. None of us has figured it out, nothing grew well.
My tomatoes (Roma is all I grow) got wet looking spots and rotted before they ripened, and about half the size they should be, cantaloupes about the same, cabbage and broccoli didn’t survive the rabbits, carrots did ok but small and took a while, only got a half dozen ears of baby corn...Peppers did well that’s it. I only grow corn and carrots for baby ones. 3 inches is about all I let either grow, eat it raw, great stuff.
Peppers...love ‘em. I got 6 Tabasco plants. Turned out to be cayenne, and mild, and something else I can’t ID. 6 Habanero plants turned out to be Tabasco...one Habanero volunteered from last year. The peppers dropped a couple of weeks ago when I didn’t keep enough water on them. I’m still getting loads of Tabascos though. Looks like that’s all I get this year...
I usually have a very good garden. I use mulch and cow manure when I can get it, usually just leaf mulch does the trick. I grew a garden in this same spot for 12 years, excellent. Since I moved back, 1st 2 years did well, this year nothing. I usually get the best cantaloups you ever tasted. Not even one this year.
But everything looks that way this year, the only thing that did do well was peach and pear trees. Squirrels got them all just before they ripened...figs did very little, I got a few for my mother I hate the things.
I don’t know what’s going on this year, and it’s not just me or my garden patch, everyone around here says the same thing. One neighbor just mowed his over in early June...Sraggly foot tall sickly looking plants, not growing, and we had more rain this year than any time in the past 20 years. My plants grew fine. Tomatoes 5 feet tall, cantaloupes started out great, but stunted later on...
I’m usually pretty good with a garden and can grow about anything. This year I’m stumped...