Growing Brussel Sprouts
Some Helpful Tips for Growing Brussel Sprouts
Growing Brussel sprouts is an excellent way to have them fresh whenever you're hungry for them (as long as they are in season). This is a plant that grows slowly, has a long harvest season, and is a hardy plant to grow. In areas where the winters are mild or the sprouts are covered with snow to insulate them, they may overwinter.
You will want to plant or transplant your sprouts in the late spring to the middle of summer. This is roughly the same time that you might be planting cabbage that is long-season, as well. The two plants are related. If growing by seed, it should be sown in an area that is protected, and in flats, about five weeks before you'll be ready to transplant. You can transplant your seedlings to your garden when you have the time and space to do so. Make sure you allow at least ninety days before your area will receive its first frost. If you want to harvest in the summer, then plant a heat-resistant and early variety in the very early part of spring. Sprouts that mature in very hot weather or drought will probably be more bitter-tasting. Planting in the fall works best for most areas of the United States.
Space your growing Brussel sprouts about two to three feet apart. Cover each seed with about a quarter to a half-inch of soil, and be ready to transplant them when the seedlings are roughly three inches tall.
Brussels sprouts are taken care of in basically the same way as broccoli, cabbage and cole crops. Use nitrogen fertilizer when your plants are about a foot tall, and be sure to water enough to keep these busily growing plants nourished. Your crop will fail if your soil is not moist enough. Watch for insect infestations, too. Cultivate seedlings only shallowly to prevent possible damage to the roots.
Professional growers at garden centers and nurseries often remove the leaves of the growing Brussels sprouts to move the harvest date up, but you don't need to do this in your home garden. Some growers think that the sprouts may develop better if the lowest six to eight leaves are pulled from the plant. Always leave a few large and healthy upper leaves on the plant, to help continue feeding it. When you get to a point where you are about three weeks from harvesting your sprouts, top off the plants by removing the growing point, to speed up the rest of the development on the stem part that is lowest.
Continue to maintain your growing Brussel sprouts so that they mature properly. Watch for signs of disease or insects and make sure the soil remains moist. When you are ready to harvest, note that the little buds or sprouts will form heads that are an inch or two in diameter. You can cut or pick them off the stem when they become about an inch across and firm to the touch. Watch the growing Brussel sprouts closely, because the lower sprouts will mature first. Remove the lowest leaves if you haven't already done so, and be sure to harvest the sprouts before the leaves turn yellow.