[FaithK]

There are so many things it could be. Right now, most things here are stunted because of lack of rain (6B, Southern Illinois). Other places have too much rain. Other places are having too much heat and blazing sun. And those are only the beginning of issues that could be happening.

Soil testing doesn’t have to be expensive to get an idea what’s going on nutritionally (at least with NPK). Lustre leaf (or leaf lustre, or something like that) has what they call a 40 test pack. It’s 10 each of pH test, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium. I found out I basically had dead soil, very slightly acidic, that needed a bunch of things to produce. I don’t keep up with the fertilizer though. I really wanted a STUN garden (sheer, total, utter neglect) but I’m a few years from that. Anyway, that test pack is only like $15 and can be found at most big-box stores or even places like Ace. It’s good for keeping tabs on how your soil is changing through the season. You can get in touch with your local extension service; they may offer free or very very inexpensive soil testing. There are places online that also do pretty detailed soil testing for like $40-50 with quick turnaround.

Good luck, and come back with some pics! Experienced gardeners are great at diagnosing a lot of issues just by looking (I am not one of them lol)