Getting my kale to produce through winter ?

[Potstubsdustbins]

Disease, pesticide wind drift, contaminated soil, bad batch (doubtful).

[PyreneesPlot]

I wondered if it might be harvesting too much (or the leaves dropping) so the plant cannot get the energy it needs to keep growing?

[bario1]

I reckon they're just suffering due to the bad weather Marb - the rain has probably washed all the nutrients out of the soil, the roots are sitting in water, and we've had precious few bright days. They're probably about to run to seed as well.

[sparrow100]

Mine have started to produce flower shoots Marb. The warm winter hasn't helped.

[Marb67]

Well I have never seen the like of plants tapering like that but hey, that's me all over. I always seem to get the strange, mysterious things you can't quite put your finger on what it is. It's the same when ever I buy any new electronic gear. I always get the duff model with something wrong. You wouldn't believe the camera gear I have had to return recently.

[Penellype]

I think its very easy to assume that everyone else manages to grow everything successfully, because people tend to post about what goes well, or about specific problems, looking for an answer. In my experience for every one of these



you probably get one of these



or these



or these



which you shrug your shoulders over and try again.

Picture 1: Spring cabbage Spring Hero, growing nicely.
Picture 2: Spinach Amazon full of holes - I forgot to put copper tape round the pot.
Picture 3: Leeks sown in March, some of which have yet to reach "pencil thickness".
Picture 4: Mispoona, which has collapsed and died for no apparent reason.

[veggiechicken]

Spot on, Penellype. I doubt that anyone here has 100% success - and if they say they do, I won't believe them
The only kales alive here are the perennial ones - maybe Marb could consider growing those?

[Potstubsdustbins]

^^^^^^Have to agree, my kale is very late this year but it's my fault forgot to sow seed, remembered 6 weeks later.

[veggiechicken]

I mentioned earlier that you might grow perennial kale like Daubenton. It saves the annual round of sowing and nuturing as its always available.
Here's an article https://scottishforestgarden.wordpre...g-and-cooking/

[Potstubsdustbins]

Marb Chill matey I have still to harvest a single leaf of my curly kale just one of those years...........

[PyreneesPlot]

My kale is now starting to flower, too. And the plants are largely lying down because the mole has tunnelled right underneath the plants and a little gust of wind blew them down. At least the slugs don't have to worry about climbingall the way up the stems this spring

[Marb67]

I mentioned earlier that you might grow perennial kale like Daubenton. It saves the annual round of sowing and nuturing as its always available.
Here's an article https://scottishforestgarden.wordpre...g-and-cooking/

Thanks. Hey, were are the other posts here ? They seem to have vanished.

[Marb67]

I mentioned earlier that you might grow perennial kale like Daubenton. It saves the annual round of sowing and nuturing as its always available.
Here's an article https://scottishforestgarden.wordpre...g-and-cooking/

Thanks but I can't find any for sale as seeds on Google. Hey, were are the other posts here ? They seem to have vanished.

[veggiechicken]

I PM'd you, Marb, to explain why the other posts had been deleted.

[Marb67]

Well it's mid March, the sun is up longer and yet my Kale are still diminishing in size . It doesn't make sense