Brussels Sprouts: Love 'Em, Don't Leave 'Em

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

If there is one tricky thing about growing Brussels sprouts, it’s knowing when to plant them in your area. They are a long-season vegetable requiring at least 90 days to mature. For gardeners with a fairly short growing season like mine, there’s little guesswork involved: You plant roughly three months before the first fall frost.

Gardeners in warm, long-season climates need to be more careful so as not to expose their sprouts to too much heat at the beginning or end of the plant’s life cycle. Most guidebooks recommend that Southern planters direct sow from mid-October to late December for a spring harvest, but it’s always a good idea to check with local extension agents in your area to confirm the best time.

Given the long season required by Brussels sprouts, Northern gardeners will have best results starting with transplants, set out in early summer. Seeds can be started indoors or in a cold frame roughly a month before the last spring frost.

While there are many different varieties available, most fall into two categories: “dwarf” and “tall.” Northern gardeners have more luck with dwarf varieties that mature in less than 100 days, such as the purple variety ‘Falstaff,’ while gardeners with longer growing seasons may wish to try the taller varieties that take longer to mature, such as ‘Rowena,’ which may not be ready to harvest for up to 195 days.

Like broccoli, Brussels sprouts should be planted 18 to 24 inches apart. They will benefit from a generous layer of mulch which will help keep the roots comfortably moist and cool during the dog days of summer. I’ve found that mine do not require any supplemental fertilizing during the growing season, but you may wish to treat yours to a gulp or two of liquid fish emulsion or another organic soil booster.

Get Ready to Harvest

After about 50 days, you will notice small round sprouts emerging where each leaf joins the stalk, first at the bottom of the plant’s “trunk” and moving upwards over time. You can begin harvesting them as soon as the sprouts reach the size of a marble, but the most flavorful harvests are left for later in the season after the first frost has come and infused your sprouts with a natural sweetness that most commercially grown versions will never know.

If you want to speed up or increase the size of your sprouts, you can “top off” your plant roughly a month before you expect your first hard freeze. To do this, use a sharp knife or scissors to remove the growing peak of the plant. This helps channel all the plant’s energy into maturing the remaining sprouts.

Although Brussels sprouts don’t grow much after the first freeze, they tolerate frosts well, so don’t worry when the thermometer dips into the low 20s. Some of sweetest sprouts I’ve ever eaten were harvested in the snow. Yet, all good things must come to an end, including the Brussels sprouts season. Once temperatures start to plummet below 20, you’ll want to bring whatever sprouts you have left inside, stalk and all. To do this, cut the stalk at its base with a hand saw, strip the leaves, and store it in a cool, dark area; the attached sprouts should hold up well for several weeks. Fresh, unwashed sprouts will keep in the refrigerator for about a week, and longer if you keep them on the stalk.

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print