Kitchen Garden Forum

With all the reports of the growers having a bumper harvest of good sized sprouts this year I am feeling pig sick with my pathetic looking specimens. The plants are healthy looking, a good size full of small sprouts about the size of a large marble. They are just not filling out for some reason. I have tried them and they taste good. The variety is Wellington I have grown for several years now and always had a good crop. They are not short of water. Any ideas what the problem is?

Beryl.

Mine are pathetic too Beryl. I have sprouts of a good size but the plants look like miniatures the stalk is so short. I'd be lucky to get 10 off them! I'm not that keen on them so only grew a couple of plants so fortunately just enough for mother-in-law's Xmas dinner.

Westi

I wonder if the growers are feeding theirs with Botox Westi.

I shall miss my sprouts, I adore them and object to having to buy.

Beryl.

mine are shocking this year, never grew taller than about a foot, and no sprouts whatsoever. they have just sat there sulking since the summer.

Oh dear, commiserations Retropants.

Beryl.

thanks Beryl, my dad will miss them most !

If it is not lack of water, it sounds like lack of nutrients to me, Beryl and RP. If it is not too late and too cold, maybe a sprinkling and hoeing in of some Growmore might still get them to grow?

I can't believe my ground is lacking nutrients with the amount of rotted compost that goes in each year, but it is worth a try Monika, nothing to loose. I have some chicken pellets which will do.

Thanks
Beryl.

Mine are puny too. I thought it was because I transplanted them a bit late. The plants look OK and they are well manured, so I wondered if they were just a bit behind and will catch up later - probably too late for Christmas dinner. There are plenty of other veg ready, so we won't starve and it might make a nice change not to have sprouts.

Mine are fairly small too. The ones that survived that is!! Devastated when i found most of my plants died from club root. Major problem now got to go for club root resistant varieties next year.

I've got club root on my plot as well leeshaun01! Don't necessarily grow resistant varieties but plant what appeals from the blurb in the seed catalogues, when big & healthy & I lime big time!

Unfortunately can see the progression of the club root from the back of the plot toward the front, lost every brassica right at the back but I'm sure when I eventually I harvest my sad sprouts (about 2 beds lower), I'll see it has progressed so with you on that decision!

Westi