[hubballi]

I just don't understand this. I grow Kale from seed (curly and Italian) they come up ok. Get bigger. I pot them on healthy and they just get smaller and smaller to almost microscopic or stay the same size for MONTHS. I kid you not. I use good compost and keep them at the right waterings etc. I just don't understand why this strange phenomena happens. Also, they go papery at the ends (white) and whither, thin and whispy to a pathetic dead plant.

I can't think of anything else I can do to grow these things 

[Bing]

did you harden up the soil after planting out? seems there is air bubble next to roots, which lead to their death eventually.

[ilan]

Do you grow on an allotment if so you may have a bad one

[yorkiegal]

my curly kale was doing really well and i'd already harvested some young leaves from it. then it seemed to stop growing a couple of weeks ago. no idea why.

[hubballi]

I grow in my own garden but these are in pots of new compost. Last year I planted out some Italian kale in the border and they romped away until the cabbage maggot got them 

[compostqueen]

Good grief don't you ever stop moaning. No wonder your veg curl up and die. They've lost the will to live 

[mumofstig]

too wet/not enough nutrients in the compost in the pot.

[hubballi]

Good grief don't you ever stop moaning. No wonder your veg curl up and die. They've lost the will to live 

I thought the whole point of this forum was to get help with issues ? Some here are clearly hostile

[mumofstig]

I don't think they're hostile per se, just really fed up with everything going wrong for you 

[ilan]

You need to grow in the ground in a good soil and give a feed or two  compost in pots dries out to quickly and looses its nutrients within a week or two I think you need to get the basics right then the plants will grow good well drained soil with a bit of sun and warmth

[Judd]

Hubballi,
Please don't take this the wrong way but reading your posts just makes my day!
I just love the doom and gloom that oozes from the screen,if it wasn't for bad luck you'd have no luck at all.

[hubballi]

Thanks Jud. It's nice to know I make someone happy. As for luck, I don't believe in bad or good.

As for planting in soil, next year I will give it a go when I have restructured my garden with more raised beds. The reason I grow in pots is to keep control of pests. I all the gardening books I have, they encourage even the smallest garden can grow in containers. I must say that my courgettes planted in the soil are doing very well so there must be something in it.

[mobilekat]

I have tried Kale in both pots and the ground for the last couple of years and have found the ones in the ground always seem to do better.
I think its due to a number of things, but also that whatever compost I use is never as stable to their toes as soil, and we all know how much brassicas like a good firm place to live.
Even with them staked I think compost in pots moves too much, so they wobble about and sulk.
Where as the soils treads down better and gives then the stable footing they love.
And I have found you can still get club foot in a pot of brand new compost!
I was threatening to buy some of the posh supports that you see in flower beds, but concluded that if they are happy in the soil that where they can be!

[hubballi]

Still as small as my initial post. I have had them in the ground in the past and I had the same results. Bonsai !

I did a search on this post (hubballi Teeny) and it came up with nothing. The search on this site doesn't work properly. It happens quite a lot for me.

[DD.]

There's absolutely no reason why it should not work for you and yet it does for others. I've found this with no problems.

Search>Advanced Search> Seach For "Teeny" By User "Hubballi".

There it is.

It is not the forum's fault.