Brussels sprouts are one of the last vegetables harvested in early winter, which brings a successful end to the gardening year. If you plant at the right time and use vigorous varieties, growing Brussels sprouts is easy. This guide includes a description of Brussels sprout varieties and tips for growing this cabbage family crop in your organic garden.
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Family: |
Brassicaceae |
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Growing zones: |
N/A |
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Growing season(s): |
cool weather |
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Spacing: |
18 inches |
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Start indoors
or direct sow: |
start indoors or purchase transplants |
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Indoor sowing date |
6 weeks before
transplant |
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Soil temperature: |
N/A Fall planting: N/A Sun needs: 6+ hours Water needs: high |
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Fall planting: |
10 weeks before average first frost |
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Harvest category |
quick burst |
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Preparation Tip: |
Grocery-store Brussels sprouts were grown in regions unlikely to have
been touched by frost. When you let your mature Brussels sprouts go through a
few frosts, you’ll taste the difference. |
Snapshot | Homegrown Brussels sprouts are much sweeter and more flavorful than their supermarket counterparts. The biggest challenge to growing them is knowing when to plant them. They require a long growing season—three to four months after transplant—but they don’t enjoy heat. For cold-weather climates with milder summers, plant in late spring and harvest after frost. For warmer weather climates, delay your planting until mid- to late summer, at least three months prior to your first frost. |
Starting | Brussels sprouts can be direct sown into the garden, but opt for transplants if it’s your first time growing them, and plant them 18 inches apart. They love a well-drained, sandy loam soil with ample amounts of compost to sustain them throughout the season. Protect them from wind, if possible, by growing them near taller plants, or mound up soil around the stalks to give them a secure base. |
Growing | Mulch the plants well to conserve moisture, and keep them watered, particularly in the hot, dry conditions of summer. Because they thrive in rich, fertile soil, Brussels sprouts benefit from supplemental doses of liquid fertilizer such as fish or kelp emulsion a few times throughout the season. |
Harvesting and Storing | Harvest Brussels sprouts from the bottom of the stalk to the top when they are about the size of a Ping- Pong ball, before the sprouts start to open. Waiting to harvest them until after a few light frosts sweetens the flavor. Twist the sprouts off and place them in the refrigerator without washing them (water will shorten their storage life). |
Common Problem | Because Brussels sprouts grow so slowly, many gardeners wonder if they’ll ever get a harvest. Be patient, and if hard frosts begin to arrive, cover the plants with a floating row cover to give them more time. If you still fail to harvest, adjust the timing of your planting next season and focus on high soil fertility at the growing location. |
References
Bradley, Fern Marshall, Barbara W. Ellis, and Deborah Martin. The Organic Gardener’s Handbook of Natural Pest and Disease Control. New York: Rodale, Inc., 2009.
Bradley, Fern Marshall, Barbara W. Ellis, and Ellen Phillips. Rodale’s Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening. New York: Rodale, Inc., 2009.
Bradley, Fern Marshall, and Jane Courtier. Vegetable Gardening. White Plains, NY: Toucan Books, 2006.
Cool Springs Press. Gardening Complete. Minneapolis: Cool Springs Press, 2018.
Damrosch, Barbara. The Garden Primer . New York: Workman Publishing, Inc., 2008.
Harrington, J. F. “Soil Temperature Conditions for Vegetable Seed Germination.” University of California at Davis. Accessed October 18, 2019.
https://extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/default/files/documents/12281/soiltemps.pdf .
McCrate, Colin, and Brad Halm. High-Yield Vegetable Gardening . North Adams, MA: Storey Publishing, 2015.
Reich, Lee. Weedless Gardening . New York: Workman Publishing Co., Inc., 2001.
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange (blog). “The Major Plant Families in a Vegetable Garden.” Accessed October 22, 2019. http://www.southernexposure.com/the-major-plant-families-in-a-vegetable-garden-ezp-190.html .
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