Also receive the 蜜桃恋人 Daily newsletter including gardening tips, weather, astronomical events, and more.
Planting, Growing, and Harvesting Brussels Sprouts
Learn how to grow brussels sprouts, a cool-weather crop that is planted in early spring or mid- to late summer for a crop that matures in the fall. These nutritious vegetables taste even better after a few light frosts! Here鈥檚 how to plant, grow, and harvest brussels sprouts in your garden.
About Brussels Sprouts
Named for Brussels, Belgium, where they were first cultivated in the 16th century, brussels sprouts are a vegetable that is commonly seen in the grocery store, but not-as-commonly seen in the home garden. This is probably because they aren鈥檛 the easiest vegetable to grow! They require a fairly long growing season (80鈥100 days to harvest) and are a cool-season crop, meaning that they produce best when grown for a fall or early winter harvest. The sprouts improve in flavor after a light frost or two.
As long as you plant them at the right time, keep them cool and well watered during the heat of summer, and protect them from pests, brussels sprouts are a rewarding vegetable crop to grow鈥攁n accomplishment!
Brussels sprouts are a cultivar (cultivated variety) of wild cabbage, Brassica oleracea, which is the same plant species that cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, kohlrabi, and a number of other popular food crops stem from. Over generations and generations, this versatile plant has been bred in different ways to highlight its different features鈥攆lowers, leaves, buds, stem, and root鈥攖o provide us with a wide variety of foods! Brussels sprouts form as buds along the main stem of the plant, just above each leaf axil.
Growing
- Thin young plants to 12 to 24 inches apart when they reach 6 inches tall.
- Fertilize with a nitrogen-rich product after thinning. Repeat every 3 to 4 weeks.
- Mulch to retain moisture and keep the soil temperature cool through summer.
- If growing during hot weather, be sure to keep the plants well watered. Inconsistent moisture can lead to subpar sprout development. Brussels sprouts should receive about 1 to 1陆 inches of water per square foot per week.
- Consider using row covers to protect young plants from pests. Brussels sprouts are usually planted outdoors right when pests are at their worst!
- Do not disturb the soil around the plants; roots are shallow and susceptible to damage.
- Brussels sprout plants usually reach heights of 2 to 3 feet, so plan accordingly; they may require staking.
- Remove yellowing leaves at the bottom of the plant to allow for more sunlight on the stalk and to focus plant energy on healthy growth.
- To encourage the sprouts to mature faster, cut off the top leaves 3 to 4 weeks before harvest.
- Note: If you intend to harvest sprouts into winter, leave the top leaves of the plant intact; they provide protection from snow. Also, cover plants with 10 to 12 inches of mulch.
Harvesting
- Sprouts mature from the bottom of the stalk upwards. Harvest sprouts from the bottom when they reach about 1 inch in diameter.
- If desired, after a moderate frost, pull up the entire stalk, roots and all. (Remove leaves first.) Then hang stalk upside down in a cool, dry basement or garage or barn.
- Store stalks (no roots) for about 1 month in a root cellar or basement.
How to Store Brussels Sprouts
- Do not wash the sprouts before storing them, only right before use.
- Keep fresh-picked sprouts in a plastic bag for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Cooking Notes
We prefer roasting sprouts鈥攖hey have a lovely carmelized flavor!
Catherine Boeckmann
ADVERTISEMENT
HI, I live in Northern California in the Sierra Nevadas in the Tahoe National Forest area at about 2000 ft. elevation. I planted a dozen brussel sprouts as starts that I bought back in late Sept/ early Oct. 2016 and they have been slow to get going through the very rainy, cold winter season. I fed the soil with Borax (Boron) which I diluted a tablespoon of the powder with a gallon of water when I first planted them. I mixed dried chicken manure with the soil and covered the soil around them with straw. Some of the plants leaves have turned red or yellow at the bottom of the stalks and then about half of them just started to bolt and flower before they had a chance to get tall enough to start growing sprouts. What could I have done wrong or what could I have done or do differently? Please help.
Sometimes young brussels sprout plants will bolt if they are exposed to cold temperatures over a few weeks, such as below 40F. To avoid this, you can select slow-bolting types, or plant when the weather is warmer. You might also have your soil tested to see if it has too little, or too much, of a needed nutrient. Hope this helps!
I planted my brussel sprouts seeds in September of last year (ideal planting time for my area per the low desert planting guide). The plants sprouted within 4 days and grew throughout the winter (we had a wet but mild winter). It's been 5 1/2 months, the leaves are green and hearty, however, there is still no stalk growing. Given the length of time it's been, do you think there is a chance we will get sprouts this spring? It's going to be getting hot here soon (up in the 80s this week). :-)
This is a puzzle, Suzanne. Do you mean there is no stalk? Or there are no sprouts on the stem? Brussels sprouts like鈥攏o, love鈥攔ich, composted soil that contains aged cow manure. While we can not be certain that’s what has stunted the plants鈥 growth, soil is the source of many problems. Spread some compost/manure soil mix around, and scratch the soil a bit to 鈥渙pen鈥 it (be careful not to disrupt roots). Then water as needed to soak the soil mix so it will soak into the ground.
While these plants prefer cooler conditions, we grow them here in New Hampshire through some pretty hot spells, so you may be ok. Let us know how it goes.
I stubbornly planted my brussel sprouts this past May (in Portland, Oregon) where I should have planted them in February. As such, of the two plants I grew from seed, one survived. Said plant grew very slowly and resiliently through Summer, then Fall and on through this Winter. It is now a modest 6" tall, never produced more than a few leaves and has more life than ever, with the cold upon us.
My question is: Is my plant going to produce sprouts this year, even though I started it last year?
I’m not sure if your plant will produce sprouts. It has certainly been a trouper, though! The shorter days may have something to do with its very slow growth. Perhaps it might perk up toward springtime, provided that temperatures do not dip much below 20F in the meantime, and other environmental conditions are optimum. Normal planting time for fall/winter harvest in your area is about August, for November through January harvest, depending on cultivar, timing, etc. Keep an eye out for signs of bolting (which can happen in late winter for summer-planted sprouts).
This my first year growing brussel sprouts, my plants are about 4 feet high with lots of little sprouts on them. I saw a video that said to trim the bottom big leaves off, which I did. Now I just don't know when I can harvest them. Also I heard they will come up again next year is that true.
You can harvest the brussels sprouts when they are between 1 and 2 inches in diameter and still firm - do not wait until leaves yellow. The sprouts on the lower part of the plant will mature first. Brussels sprouts are biennials, meaning that they will flower and set seed the next year and then the plants will die. Most gardeners treat this crop as an annual, unless they are saving seed the second year.
Brussels sprouts
after the plants get growing and the sprouts start to develop I have been told to remove the leaves so the sprouts will develop, is this true? I have tried to grow these before with no luck, The sprouts start to develop but never look like store bought, no small heads, just leaves....
The sprouts will grow on their own, without leaf removal, but for larger sprouts, it helps to remove some of the leaves. When a leaf below a sprout begins to turn yellow, you can remove it to give the sprout more room to grow, as well as exposing it to more sunlight. It also helps the plant to focus its energy on developing the sprout rather than maintaining a decaying leaf. Trim the leaf back to about 1 inch from the main stem.
Some gardeners do this earlier on, when the lower sprouts are just begin to develop, or when they are about half the size that they’d like them to be. Often, one would work on the lower third of the plant first, then as the middle third of sprouts develop to the proper size, those leaves would be trimmed as well. One should leave the top third or so leaves on the plant, so that it can make food for itself.
If plants form sprouts that are loose, not compact, it might be due to high temperatures at the time the heads develop (temperatures should be below 75F or so). Next time, time your crop so that it starts to form heads during cooler weather of autumn. Keep up with the fertilizer/compost, too, and keep soil evenly moist. Mulch will help.
