Back to the first inch...

My seedlings have died.

Yes, that's right. They didn't make it. I'm not sure what went wrong. Here is a list of possible suspects:

1. (I think the most likely culprit) The compost in the potting cups. I amended the potting soil with about 50% chicken compost. Thinking back on the previous seeds I've started, I usually do not add the compost until transferring the seedlings into bigger pots.

2. The amount of water wasn't correct. I used a spray bottle of water to water the seedlings. I've used this technique before, but I couldn't find a bottle in my local grocery store that had a dispersed spray. The bottle I purchased had a more direct stream, I believe for bulk window cleaner or something. I could not adjust the spray stream at all. At one point I resorted to spraying the water into one of my hands and allowing it to drip onto the seedlings.

3. The plants were over/under watered. I think that the plastic seedling trays offer a "continuous watering" feature, so if you over water, the water remains in the secondary pan. Whereas, with the new paper cups, the seedling cups would be sitting in the extra standing water. For this reason, I paid particular attention to the amount of water, and attempted to not over water them. Perhaps the seedlings didn't get enough water after all.

4. Some of the seedlings outgrew the tray lid, while others did not. Most seedlings had their new leaves only. The small seedlings are completely dead. The seedlings leaves died away, while the stalks are still green, leaving me curious whether or not they are completely dead.

Only the pole beans were still visible in two weeks. 

If you have any thoughts, tips, or help-- by all means-- please leave it in the comments below. 

An update on the compost- things are going well with the compost. One bin is completely full. I was able to pick up a couple of large bags of spent coffee beans from Starbucks for free. I've been adding browns greens and other things to the bin in order to make a good amount of compost. 

At some point I'm thinking of creating layers within my raised bed. I've read a lot about amending soil with compost that isn't completely finished, and I'm thinking of attempting this technique. I have incredibly sanding soil here, so I've heard from coworkers that fertilization around here is necessary twice as often as usual. 

I'm really unsure if this will work, but if it does or does not- I'll write it down here :)

I'm planning to start some more seeds next weekend, and I think I may breakdown and buy a seed tray. I really wanted to make the paper cups work, but I'm not sure how much time I am willing to invest to make them.