Were they hardened off? Are they getting too much or too little water? Where did the compost come from? Are they exposed to a lot of wind for the first time? Those are the first things that came to mind for me.

I'm inclined to think it is transplant shock, especially if you were not incredibly gentle with the roots. Think about everything on Scott's list too. If the wind has been blowing hard there like it has blown here, no wonder they look unhappy.

Did you water them in well after you transplanted them?

I'd be a little concerned about the compost too unless it is your own home-made compost and you've used it before with no problem. I'd be especially concerned if it is a compost that's high in manure.

Regarding the hardening off of plants, a reputable wholesaler should harden off the plants so they gradually become accustomed to the outdoor light/wind after being raised in a sheltered greenhouse or low or high tunnel. However, I've seen plants with sunburned leaves on the shelves at retailers this year so I know they were sent from the wholesale to retailer before they were hardened off. Plants that have sunburnt will have faded out/bleached out leaves or white, tan or light brown splotches on parts of the leaves.

Tell us what it is about the plants that look bad. Wilting? Discoloration? Straight stem but droopy leaves? Leaves yellowing from the bottom of the plant upward? What size container did they come from? Did you transplant a single plant from a container to the ground or did you maybe find the container had 3 plants so you separated them out and planted each individually? The more detail you give us about what you did when planting, the better the chance we'll be able to figure out what might be wrong.

Dawn

Give us a little more information. What kind of compost? How much? How long ago? In what way are the plants "not doing so well"? Are they wilting? yellowing? With some more info someone will know how to answer you.

My plants always look crappy for a few days after transplanting. I keep them watered until they start perking up. I bet yours will be fine. If I don't have too many, I will layer newspapers over them if planting in hot sun, weighed down with rock for a day or so.

Hope so.

glenda

I just park a patio chair over my new plants, to shield them from the sun for a day or two. Sure makes for a funny looking yard. :)

Moni

OK... Thank you for all of your responses. First off, I added compost to my beds the week prior to planting. I bought the compost at TLC. The brand was "Back to Earth" I believe. I did water them after I transplanted them. I bought the plants at Lowes, I probably was not gentle enough with the roots however. The plants are droopy and look like they are starting to wilt. I did not know anything about hardening off. Thank goodness I came here! I am a newbie and very green. I bought three- one gallon pots and planted them each about a foot apart.