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seakale fail

Hogroast2Hogroast2 Posts: 55
in Fruit & veg
I put in seakale last year and it seemed to die away immediately, which I put down to its having been eaten by snails and possibly not liking where I had planted it. I assumed it was dead and forgot about it.
To my surprise it produced a healthy looking shoot or two about the same time as the rhubarb started coming up this year. Wary of snails I put a cloche on it but it just died away completely and its skeleton is now lying on the ground where a week or two ago there was about a 5cm high shoot. What did I do wrong? 

Posts

  • BijdezeeBijdezee Posts: 1,484
    I dont know but it grows in pebbles where i come from, hardly any soil and rather dry air.  I would imagine that it doesn't like too much moisture or humidity.

    Sorry that you have not had any replies to this. I think it must be quite a difficult one to grow outside of its natural habitat. 
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Bijdezee said:
    I dont know but it grows in pebbles where i come from, hardly any soil and rather dry air.  I would imagine that it doesn't like too much moisture or humidity.

    Sorry that you have not had any replies to this. I think it must be quite a difficult one to grow outside of its natural habitat. 
    I too know pebbly beaches where it grows happily in virtually nothing but stones, sand and cold and salty North Sea air.

    Perhaps it was too warm under the cloche?  

    This article seems to think it likes the UK climate, which I think of as tending to be on the cool side.

    https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-grow-sea-kale/ 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Hogroast2Hogroast2 Posts: 55
    Thank you for this. If it comes back, then I'll leave the cloche alone and try and find another way to keep the snails off.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Try reproducing a shingly East Anglian beach  ;)

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Purple OrangePurple Orange Posts: 19
    Are these any help
    https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/4710/Crambe-maritima/Details

    https://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/grow-plants/how-to-grow-flowering-sea-kale/

    Sounds like they are susceptible to snails and slugs (damn things!!)



  • Hogroast2Hogroast2 Posts: 55
    Thank you for this - very helpful. If it comes back, then I'll leave the cloche alone and try and find another way to keep the snails off.
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