Brussels Sprouts are a traditional winter vegetable and the plants can stay outside all winter.
sprouts in snow
To grow Brussels Sprouts:
- sow seed from the middle of April in a seedbed
- plant out the young plants six weeks later. Some gardeners choose to buy young plants in from a garden centre rather than sow their own seed.
The Brussels Sprout plants prefer soil to be:
- dug in autumn
- firmed well down before the seedlings are transplanted
- fertile – compost or well rotted farm yard manure can be mixed in when dug in autumn
- not acid – add lime if necessary
Planting out seedlings:
- plant so lowest leaves are just above surface
- firm in well
- leave about 60-80cm (2-2.5ft) between plants
- water well after planting
- cover with protective netting against insects & birds
Looking after Brussel Sprouts:
- keep weeds down by hoeing regularly
- keep birds off
enviromesh-over-brassica
- watch out for cabbage whites and aphids
caterpillars-on-sprout
- stake the plants if they are blowing in the wind
staking-sprouts
Harvest Brussels Sprouts:
- when the lowest buttons are the size of a walnut
big-sprouts-below
- pick about a third of the sprouts at the base of the stem
- pick the next third in about 2 weeks time when they have grown
brussels-sprout-stalk
- the top third of the stem are picked last
- the sprout tops can be broken off & eaten as greens around Christmas time
sprout-top
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Pingback by No Brussels Sprouts!!! - Ezybuy Bargain-Net (France) — July 21, 2010 @ 2:24 pm
great video! hope he is now a sprout lover!!
Comment by TopVeg — July 21, 2010 @ 9:54 pm
I have grown sprouts for many years with great success. However this year I have grown Bradford Darkmar for the first time. These are a mid to late season sprout ideal for Christmas but I have noticed that the lower sprouts are already blown (opening). Have you any idea why this should be happening? And can I save the rest of the crop?
Thank you.
Comment by Colin — October 13, 2010 @ 8:19 pm
Hello Colin
Sometimes the sprouts at the very bottom of the stalk do not develop into tight buds, but blow out into loose leaves. This is not unusual at all, & may vary with variety. We have not grown Bradford Darkmar so are not familiar with its habits. It is best to remove the loose sprouts. We have tidied ours up and have also removed any yellow leaves at the bottom of the stalk. There is an article on picking sprouts at http://topveg.com/2009/03/how-to-pick-brussels-sprouts/
I hope you find that this years crop will be as successful as your past ones!
Best wishes
TopVeg
Comment by TopVeg — October 13, 2010 @ 9:59 pm