Puny Squash Plants

Question

Our squash plants this year are kind of pathetic looking. They seem small, not thriving like some of our friends’ plants. We garden in a large raised bed, and have happy looking tomatoes in there as well. Our beans got a slow start too, with smaller plants resulting. There are no visible bugs or disease markers – just sad looking, puny plants. Our summer heat has started late, and is cooler than normal so far. But since others in the area seem to have happy plants, I don’t know what to think. Any ideas?

Answer 1

I would suspect that the spot where the squash is has a lack of nitrogen. Squash are nitrogen hogs and need more nitrogen than most other vegetables, so there is probably enough nitrogen for the other plants but not for the squash. This article may help:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/nitrogen-plant-fertilizer.htm