Planting Brussel Sprouts, Harvesting Brussel Sprouts, Tips for Growing Brussel Sprouts

The best tips for planting Brussel sprouts in home vegetable gardens.

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Learn how easy it is to plant, care for, and harvest Brussel sprouts in your backyard garden!

This tasty fall and winter vegetable is a part of the Mustard plant family, also known as brassicas.

Planting Brussels sprouts originated in Belgium, near the town of Brussels, from where it derived its name.

The sprouts resemble miniature cabbages and are produced in the axils of the leaves around the plants' stems.

When planting Brussels sprouts, the green vegetable's taste is much improved by the plants being exposed to light frost.

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Planting Brussel sprouts, like most of its cabbage relatives, is best in enriched, deeply dug soil that remains reasonably moist.

The soil type may be from light sandy loam to heavy clay-loam.

However, the garden bed should be well-draining.

Vegetable Gardening Tips for Growing Brussel Sprouts

For Northern gardens, where late spring frost is to be expected, seeds may be sown from early April to late May indoors.

Prepare a seedbed in a greenhouse, hotbed, or other location where the temperature can be maintained at 50 degrees at night and the bed is exposed to full sun during the day.

Planting Brussels sprouts seedlings in the garden takes place about 6 weeks after seeding.

In colder regions, planting Brussels sprouts should be accomplished by the end of June because around 130 days of growing time is needed before harvesting.

Caring for Brussel Sprouts Plants

Harvesting Brussel Sprouts

Sprouts should be gathered as they become large enough for use.

Each picking of sprouts should be made from all the plants.

Harvest a few of the lowermost sprouts from each plant.

The lower ones are picked first because they become tough if left too long before harvesting.

With late crops of Brussels sprouts, cut off the lower leaves as the sprouts develop.

If little time is left before a severe frost is expected, development of the sprouts can be hurried along by removing the terminal bud from the stalk where the sprout grows.

Tips for Harvesting Brussel Sprouts in Northern Climates

A final tip for Northern gardeners planting Brussels sprouts is to stake snowbound sprouts.

Sprouts can remain in the garden through the wintertime for harvest as needed in moderate climates.

However, in the North, the plants may be buried under a blanket of snow.

By sticking 4 to 5 foot high stakes on either side of the plants in the fall, you can spot the sprouts easier after the first few snowfalls.

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Planting Brussel Sprouts to Vegetable Gardening

Planting Brussel Sprouts to Planting a Vegetable Garden

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