Originated in Brussels, the brussels sprout is one of those vegetables that you do not really see people growing in their home gardens. However, the fact that this vegetable is extremely rich in nutrients is now making more and more people thinking about growing in in their homes.
The plant is a member of Gemmifera group and belongs remotely to the cabbage family. It has around 4 cm wide leaves that look like a small cabbage. The scientific name for brussels sprout is Brassica oleracea. Unlike other cabbage-like veggies, brussels sprouts are not very easy to grow and this explains why its gardening is not a thing for kitchen gardeners as such.
The plant requires considerable time to harvest and is a cool season crop, often ready for harvest in fall and early days of winters. A frost or two can enrich the vegetable’s flavor but you must be careful about exposing it to the frosts.
If you can plant them at the right time and take care of the plantation, there is no such hurdle that explains why anyone cannot grow brussels sprout on their own. Below is all that you need to know to begin your own crop of this nutrient-rich and flavorsome vegetable.
Different Varieties Of Brussels Sprouts
Some of the most common brussels sprouts varieties are as follows:
Churchill:A quickly maturing type that grows easily in a wide range of climates.
Falstaff: A variety that is Red-purplish in color and retains its color even after it has been cooked.
Diablo:A heavy producer that grows in limited regions.
Jade Cross: A high-yielding variety that is resistant to most diseases and can easily grow even in hotter regions.
Long Island Improved:A hybrid heirloom that takes up a little space in gardens and grows only in regions where summers are quite cool.
Brussels Sprouts Harvest Time
As we already told you, brussels sprouts needs a very long time before they are ready for harvest. Hence, we suggest that you plant this cool season vegetable around 4 months before the first expected date for fall frost. In this way, you can harvest the crop in fall or winter easily. The exact harvest time for the plant depends on where you live and when you sow the plant’s seeds.
If you live somewhere extremely cold with temperature remaining in negative for most part of the season, you should start sowing the seeds in early or mid-summers and let the plants grow through fall before you can harvest them in the start of harsh winter.
However, if the winter is not too harsh at your side of the world, you can start seeding the plant in later summers and let the plants mature and get ready for harvest not before it is the end of winters with no more than two or three frosts enriching the sprouts.
The sprouts grow from their bottom and go up the stalk. You should harvest from the bottom when each sprout is around 1 inch wide. You can also pull up the full stalk and then hang it indoors for drying purposes.
Water And Light Requirements For Brussels Sprouts
Sprouts require around 16 gallons of water each week. You can either water the crop on alternate days or simply shallow water each day.
As for the light needed, the plant grows best when has a good exposure to sunlight at least for 4-5 hours a day. However, it can grow in shade too. Just make sure to mulch the soil so that the moisture is retained.
Method For Growing Brussels Sprouts
Here is how you can grow sprouts on your own:
Prepare raised beds and work down several inches to ensure that aged compost and manure has reached a few inches deep in the soil.
Ensure your preparation for stalking that is needed for the plants later as they can attain up to 3 feet of height.
Take nursery grown seeds or the ones you grew indoor and sow them about half an inch deep in the soil.
If you are directly sowing the seeds, you should keep a distance of 3 inches between them. Make sure you later thin them as they grow 6 inches tall, ensuring around 12-20 inches between each growth.
However, if you are transplanting the seedlings, sow them 24 inches apart so you do not have to worry about thinning them later.
Water well once the transplant is done and make sure to consistently supply water to the crop.
Common Pests And Diseases
Almost all the common vegetable pests and diseases that affect other plants can disturb your sprouts too. To name of a few, the most common pests and diseases for sprouts crop include the following:
Aphids
Cabbage Loopers
Black Rot
Mildew
Clubroot
Cabbage Worms
White Mold
Remedies And Care Tips For Brussels Sprouts Crop
A little bit of extra attention and care goes a long way when it comes to brussels sprouts gardening. Make sure you follow the plant care tips as follows to get a better yield of healthy and nutritious sprouts each season:
It is better to try growing the seeds indoors and then transplanting them (or take seedlings from nurseries) instead of sowing the fresh seeds in garden.
Make sure you thin out the plants in a way that they are around 25 inches apart with their height being 6 inches.
Choose a fertilizer that is experts recommended with high amounts of nitrogen and use it after you have thinned the crop too. Use it every 4 weeks.
Mulch the soil so that the needed moisture is locked in despite dry and harsh winters.
If you can, expose the fully grown sprouts crop to at least two frosts for an enriched taste.
Keep the plants well-watered. Do not skip on watering even during rains.
Try using row covers so that the plants are well protected against the pests. Pests are at their worst when you plant the sprouts. Make sure they do not affect the crop from the very beginning.
