A Gardeners Forum Forums General Discussion Plant pests and problems weird fungus?

I planted 3 plastic containers with vegetable seeds. They are on my deck, which gets plenty of afternoon sun. I have kept them well-watered. I planted them almost 2 months ago. The seeds sprouted, then they stopped growing. (I have other seeds in clay pots that are growing just fine.) I couldn't figure out why they stopped growing. I thought that maybe it was because they don't like plastic. However, upon closer inspection, I noticed TONS of tiny little brown things sticking up out of the soil. They are reaching up vertically and are about 5mm in height. They blended in so well with the soil that I never noticed them until earlier this week. I will try to get some pictures if I can get my camera to cooperate. I was hoping that in the meantime, someone might know what on earth is going on. I desperately wanted to do a veggie garden this year, but ran out of time, so this was my stab at growing at least a few veggies - but it's not working. Thanks!

Welcome, Angelscarol.
There are thousands (millions?) of different kinds of fungi. Not all are any danger to your plants. Sometimes they can leach from the soil some nutrients your plants need. How tall and how many leaves did your seedlings get? Did they die of or just stop growing?
Most fungi do best in damp, darker conditions. Maybe offering more light? Better drainage? I just don't have answers for this. I hope someone else comes along and helps.

Hi Tina - thanks for responding. The seedlings all (including a couple of marigolds) sprouted to 4 leaves and then just stopped there. They haven't grown at all in several weeks, but they don't seem to be dying either - they're just stuck. I've been working on gardens for 10 years, though I am still a relative novice, but I've never seen anything like this. Maybe the fungus- like things and the stunted growth aren't even related, but I can't figure it out. The weird thing is that the seeds in the clay pots (with the same soil - which doesn't have the fungus) are doing great.
Oh - I also have a tomato plant which should be huge now, but also seemed to stop growing. That is in the same soil, but it is in a large clay pot. I thought it might have the tomato ick, but maybe that's somehow related?
I don't know...it's all a big mystery!
Thanks!