Do you feel that seed catalogs have lied to you with promises of easy to grow Brussels Sprouts? Have you planted them but grown nothing but leaves which left your family devoid of Brussels Sprouts around the holidays? Well, I’m laying down a challenge for hapless Brussels Sprout gardeners to grow this vegetable one last time before throwing in the towel and telling you all the information I found about how to grow Brussels Sprouts!
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I grew up in the county of Lincolnshire and along with it’s famous sausages, Lincolnshire is known in the British Isles for growing brassicas, in particular Brussels sprouts. I have a confession however, I have failed to grow Brussels sprouts for years. Why am I telling you this? To let you know that you are not alone and there are many gardeners out there who cannot grow Brussels sprouts.
In fact here’s a few ways of how I failed to grow them, do they sound familiar?:
- Plants grew but no sprouts form.
- Died at the transplanting stage.
- Killed the seedlings with dampening off.
- I even killed the established Brussels Sprouts from the previous grower on my allotment back in 2010/2011 with an aphid infestation!
2018 is going to change all that! This will be the year I grow the best Brussels Sprouts!
This post is compiled from all of the data I have been researching so I can overcome my Brussels sprouts failures and to help other gardeners who have not been able to successfully grow them, actually grow a crop of Brussels sprouts! Are you up for a challenge?
What Are Brussels Sprouts?
Photo Credit: Keenan Loo on Unsplash
Brussels sprouts are part of the Brassica oleracea family which also includes crops like kale, cabbage, broccoli, calabrese and cabbages. The plant forms mini cabbage heads along the plant stalk above a leaf join on the stem.
In temperate climate areas, Brussels sprouts can be left in the ground over winter allowing fresh Brussels sprouts all the way through to spring! Most gardeners agree that Brussels sprouts are best harvested after a frost, making them taste better.
If you live in Southern states, Brussels sprouts may not taste as good as those grown in states that receive winter frost. Warm climates tend towards having open, floppy or leafy sprouts rather than the small tight sprouts you see at the store.
How To Grow Brussels Sprouts
Photo Credit: Jeremy Bishop on Unsplash
Brussels sprouts grow well in a sunny location that is protected from strong winds. They like at least 6 hours of sunlight a day to grow well. Brussels sprouts are shallow rooted which means they can be toppled over by strong wind.
If you have hot summers which reach 90°F and above your Brussels sprouts will appreciate shade cloth
Soil for Brussels Sprouts
Just with any organic garden, getting your soil right is going to help your plants grow their best. Brussels sprouts like a firm soil around them that is deeply cultivated to encourage lots of strong roots which help support the sturdy stems.
The soil for Brussels sprouts needs to be at a pH of 6.5 to 7 (slightly acidic to neutral, you can check your soil before you plant with an inexpensive soil test kit
Many people make the mistake of adding lots of high nitrogen fertilizers to the bed for growing Brussels sprouts and this will only produce lots of leaf growth, not the sprouts. Brussels spouts will perform much better with mulching and adding good quality, organic compost to the soil when transplanting the seedlings.
Compost and mulch will help to feed your soil and plants whilst retaining moisture
Sowing Seeds
There are many varieties of Brussels sprouts available for your home garden and some popular varieties include:
- Catskills (Heirloom)
- Long Island (Heirloom)
- Red Rubine (Heirloom)
- Dimitri Hybrid (Hybrid)
- Brody F1 (Hybrid)
- Churchill (Hybrid)
- Diablo (Hybrid)
Plant breeding has developed uniform sizes, disease resistant and varieties which mature earlier allowing many more gardeners to grow Brussels sprouts or by planning the days to maturity, you can extend your harvest meaning you can have Brussels sprouts for longer.
Brussels sprouts are a winter vegetable but they take a long time to mature; up to 110 days! You want to be starting your seeds in early spring in a nursery bed, in a seed starter tray
If sowing in a nursery bed or direct into the growing space, sow the Brussels sprouts seeds thinly 1/2 inch deep ensuring 3 inches of space between seedlings. When the plants are about 5 inches high transplant to their final growing positions 30 inches apart. Tread down the soil around your transplants to firm the soil up to help provide the support your plants will need as they grow.
If you live in a colder area with a short growing season, consider starting your seeds in late winter indoors for a summer harvest. Harden off the plants and transplant outside when the plants are 5 inches tall. Use a cloche or a hoop house
Container Planting
Surprisingly, Brussels sprouts perform quite well in a container on a sheltered patio. Choose a light colored 5 gallon container and plant one plant in each container. The light color helps to reduce the soil inside from becoming too warm. Keep the soil moist and mulch the top of the container. Be sure to add well rotted compost into the container at planting to provide the nutrients the plant will need to grow.
Companion Plants for Brussels Sprouts
Brussels spouts can have great success by being planted with or near the following plants:
- Dwarf or bush beans
- Beets or beetroot
- Celery
- Rhubarb
- Cucumbers
- Onions
- Flowers like marigolds to deter pests or nasturtium to act as a sacrificial plant for caterpillars and cabbage white butterflies.
- Aromatic herbs such as sage, dill, chamomile and lavender.
For best results, Brussels sprouts should not be grown near the following plants:
- Pole beans
- Tomatoes
- Peppers and chili peppers
- Eggplant or aubergine
- Strawberries
- Mustard greens
Supporting Growth
As mentioned above, Brussels sprouts need some support to prevent them from toppling over. Brussels sprouts appreciate being earthed up. this is where you use a hoe
Wooden stakes driven into the ground and tied to the stems can help support tall Brussels sprouts which is especially important if growing in a windy location.
Growing Care
Remove yellowing leaves from plants and provide plenty of mulch around the base of the plants. The soil needs to be kept evenly moist.
A light feeding with worm tea or liquid fertilizer can help give your plants a boost during the growing season.
What’s Wrong With My Brussels Sprouts?
Brussels sprouts are susceptible to a few pests and diseases. Many can be solved with crop rotation and encouraging diversity in the garden.
Clubroot
Characterized by wilting plants and tuberous lumps on the roots of those plants. It is caused by spores in the soil which thrive in acidic conditions. Liming the ground can reduce the incidence of the disease.
Do not compost the roots with signs of clubroot as this can spread the spores further around your garden instead, burn these or place them in municipal waste streams.
Boron Deficiency
Brussels sprouts need more boron than most other vegetables. Signs of a deficiency include hollow stems and small buds. If your Brussels sprouts plants have shown these symptoms, you can add boron to the soil by dissolving 1 level tablespoon of borax in 5 quarts of water and sprinkling it evenly over 50 square feet of bed.
Do not add more than this and do not use if the plants do not exhibit these symptoms. Instead, add a dressing of rock phosphate
Cabbage Root Fly
The worms of the cabbage root fly can kill a plant and are found burrowing in the stem. Plants show a blueish tint to the leaves with yellow edges.
The fly itself looks very much like a house fly and lays eggs in the soil near the stem of brassica plants. You can prevent it doing so by making a barrier or collar with a piece of cardboard or felt laid flat on the soil with a blob of petroleum jelly spread on the collar. These collars are typically 5 inch squares.
Downy Mildew
Seen as mold spots on leaves in wet and humid climates or when overhead watering is used. Avoid watering from overhead and getting leaves wet. Remove affected leaves and burn them or place in municipal waste.
The spores which proliferate the disease are airborne and soil borne. Provide air circulation around plants by keeping weeds in check and be mindful of plant spacing when transplanting.
Cut Worm
Brown maggot looking beasties which will eat young plants at ground level. A raised collar can be made with an empty seed packet opened at both ends and placed over the plants to protect them. A ring of wood ash is said to also keep them at bay.
Cabbage White Butterflies
Photo Credit: Timo Vijn on Unsplash
The larvae of the Cabbage White butterfly can destroy plants rapidly. Sacrificial companion plants like nasturtiums can help draw these critters away from your Brussels sprouts. Pick off any that you find on your plants (chickens love them if you happen to have them). You can also try a natural bug spray.
Aphids
Encouraging ladybirds (ladybugs) and green lacewings into the garden will help keep these pests in check. You can also spray aphids off the plant using a spray attachment to a garden hose or a natural bug spray.
Birds
Pigeons in particular seem to love Brussels sprouts transplants in spring. Protect your your plants using a chicken wire cloche
Sprouts Not Forming
Removing leaves can help force the plant into producing sprouts. If you have small sprouts you can top the plant by pruning the very top of the plant off. This is worth a try if your growing season is nearly at the end to product larger sprouts to harvest after the first frosts.
Harvesting Brussels Sprouts
Brussels sprouts are ready to harvest when the sprout heads are firm and about 1 to 2 inches in diameter. To harvest them, twist until they break away from the plant.
As you remove the lower sprouts, remove yellowing leaves to help encourage the plant to continue to grow and more leaves and sprouts.
Sprouts can be blanched and frozen for future use.
The Brussels Sprout Growing Challenge
To document how I’m growing these noble vegetables, I threw down the gauntlet on YouTube to 2 fellow gardeners who’s family’s have been devoid of homegrown Brussels sprouts for a huge number of years:
I will confess I hate Brussels sprouts but my family love them which is why I’m growing them! The rules are simple for the Brussels sprouts growing challenge if you want to join in: you must grow Brussels Sprouts from seed, no seed starters are allowed!
Luckily, both fellow YouTubers were up for the challenge and you can see their responses in the videos below if you want to see them:
William Coleman’s Garden and Allotments:
A Little Dirt Never Hurt:
In actual fact we have gardeners around the US and around the world joining in and already there’s plenty of banter and friendly rivalry going on in the gardening and homesteading community!
To keep everything fair, we enlisted the support from some other YouTubers as judges and you can meet them in this video as well as seeing my USMC Veteran husband helping me get motivated for the challenge!
You can follow this growing challenge along on YouTube or social media by using #justonebrusselssprout.
Brussels sprouts can be finnickity to grow and you are certainly not alone if you have struggled to grow them. Remember that Brussels sprouts much prefer cooler temperatures to thrive. Start your plants in early spring to give them the long growing season they need. Be sure to use compost when transplanting your plants and to mulch the bed to retain moisture and firm them in well. Check your plants regularly to remove yellowing leaves and check for signs of pests and diseases.
Will you be growing Brussels sprouts this year? Let me know in the comments!
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