care of sea kale seedlings?

I've had 3 of my sea kale seedlings germinate (big deal, they're not cheap and also come with very hard husks so it requires patience!). The first and biggest then went floppy and died over the course of a week, still with only its seed leaves at about an inch tall. I think it might have had too much sun but it didn't recover when I shaded it after it started flopping so not sure...

Has anyone successfully grown these from seed? Any advice on how I can keep the others alive please?! I'm really keen to get a little bed of seakale going!

 

Hi Sadowska,

Had 2 out of 4 germinate this season, I just took the husks off & planted the seed.

I kept them in the coldframe overnight but out during the day, repotted them about 10 days ago & have hardened them off. They are still very small, could take a while before they crop.

Got the seeds off the beach during the winter, they got the lot there, lying about on the ground.

 

when googling for how to look after the survivors, I found something about cutting off the husk - I'm going to try that for the last few seeds that are still sitting in a tub of vermiculite!

Very exciting when the seedlings finally emerge, after waiting for weeks...

 

I grew a clump of sea kale some years ago from seed I picked up on the beach.
As Ziggy said, cut off the coating, I'm sure its something to do with dispersal, probably makes the seed float.

I've got seedlings coming up around my plant, its a very tough plant, likes to grow in rubble and hates being looked after too well.

 

That gives me something to look forward to Pete



Mine are still tiny, about 2/3 months old now. I can pick the leaves from the coast when I go fishing, they are a little bitter unblanched, bit like a kale.

But its the roots i'm growing it for, you can't dig them from the wild anymore.

 

What do you do with the roots Ziggy?

On second thoughts, do we really want to know:D

I've had it growing for years but not found anything worth eating yet off it.

Bloody expensive flower pots BTW.

 

:D, grabbed them off a woman down the tip, and the flower pots.

In time it produces a girt root full of sugars, very good energy food, can be eaten raw or cooked.

You could try forcing it next year pete, the Victorians liked the blanched shoots so much, the plant nearly went the way of the oyster

 

Well, I've often thought of using the flower buds in April a bit like purple sprouting.
Never thought of blanching it.
But it might in time kill it, and it does hide a rubble pile.

 

So how do you treat the baby seedlings (want to avoid another flop)- watering, sun/shade etc? Mine are in small pots with general purpose plus some sand and gravel.

Btw went to dig out the remaining seeds to break their husks and was v overexcited to find one of them has a shoot about to appear above the surface! Just one to go then!

 

Just keep them outside, and let them take what the weather throws at them.Full sun is ideal.
Keep watered and plant out as soon as you can.

As I said, I think they do best on poor soil, and dont need fertilizing or over watering.