[surbie100]

To my very novice eyes, these look sick. They are in a sopping wet bed and have lost most of their leaves...

Is there anything I should/could do to make them happier?   

[snowdrops]

Might they have succumbed to club root? If so not a lot

[surbie100]

I don't think so - I had swedes and caulis in the same bed and they were perfect, if small because of late sowing.

I thought they might be drowning (the bed is very swampy), but as I haven't grown them before I wondered whether there was something else that I might have missed.

There's some new growth at the top, but all the bottom leaves down the stem are going yellow and coming off.

[Cake Lady]

Years ago, when I first attempted to grow purple sprouting and I didn't know about protecting the plants from caterpillars...  Mine got completely decimated.  As they were planted amongst other bits in my back garden I didn't really notice the stalks so left them and come feb/march they'd sprouted new leaves similar to yours at the top and I did get a crop of purple sprouting.  I've not grown since as I knew I couldn't protect them so I've no idea whether that crop was poor or good.

Whether that was just beginners luck or a complete freak of nature I don't know, but maybe worth persevering to see if you still get a crop?

[BabbyAnn]

I didn't think the broccoli looked that bad - you have to remember it is winter so growth slows down, and we've had very little sunlight - hopefully they'll pick up proper in spring.  Also, how saturated is your soil at the moment (my plot is just teetering on to bog level) so roots may be "drowning" and yellow leaves are usually a signal.

[snowdrops]

I don't think so - I had swedes and caulis in the same bed and they were perfect, if small because of late sowing.

I thought they might be drowning (the bed is very swampy), but as I haven't grown them before I wondered whether there was something else that I might have missed.

There's some new growth at the top, but all the bottom leaves down the stem are going yellow and coming off.

Ah that's probably the cause then as Babby Ann suggests as well.Not a lot you can do then

[surbie100]

Ah well, I'll leave it in for a bit and see if they perk up at all then.

Thanks for your comments - I used 7mm x 7mm butterfly netting on the whole bed, and was still picking small cabbage white caterpillars off them in autumn.

Perhaps they are just doomed...

[New shoot]

I think they are OK as well.  Not brilliant, but as others have said, wet soil won't be helping and they don't really do a lot over the depths of winter.

You will be eating the fresh growth anyway when it comes, so I would leave them alone and see what happens.  They are not doomed, just sulking a bit