Growing Brussels sprouts: tips on planting in the garden

Brussels sprouts are one of the many variations of vegetable cabbage. Here's how to successfully grow Brussels sprouts at home.

The Brussels sprouts (Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera), also called Brussels cabbage, is a typical winter vegetable. Cooking with Brussels sprouts is no longer just grandmother's thing. Many hobby gardeners and cooks swear by the nutrient-rich vegetable cabbage. Brussels sprouts are a popular vegetable not only because they are low in calories, but also because of their high protein and fiber content. Its sweet and slightly nutty taste make it indispensable in healthy kitchens! However, if you want to grow Brussels sprouts yourself, you have to be patient. We'll tell you how to plant Brussels sprouts, how to properly care for them and what to consider when choosing the variety.

Planting Brussels sprouts: location and timing

The Brussels sprouts are very eating vegetables. To ensure high yields, the soil should be loosened up deeply and enriched with humus. This can also happen in the previous year, as the nutrients are replenished over a long period of time. The Brussels sprouts prefer loamy soils with a neutral pH value, but also thrive easily outside of these conditions.

The right time to plant Brussels sprouts is from mid-April to late May. The sowing can be done directly in the bed. However, it is advisable to grow Brussels sprouts seedlings on planting plates in early spring. Make sure that you keep a distance of at least 50 cm between the Brussels sprouts plants when planting. In the course of the year the perennials can grow very expansively.

Note: Brussels sprouts belong to the cruciferous family (cabbage family, Brassicaceaen). The crop rotation in your bed should not contain any other cabbage vegetables for at least 3 years, so that the transmission of species-specific diseases (Carbonic hernia i.a.) can be avoided.

Growing Brussels sprouts: proper care

Like all cabbage vegetables, Brussels sprouts need an adequate supply of nutrients to produce a good harvest. It is important to water and fertilize the Brussels sprouts at the right time.

Water and fertilize Brussels sprouts

In general, Brussels sprouts like it moist. After planting the Brussels sprouts, however, you should first water sparingly or not at all so that the small seedlings develop deeper roots. After the first week or two, you should water your Brussels sprouts regularly. Here, too, it is important to avoid waterlogging. Ideally, you should water your Brussels sprouts several times a day in small amounts of water.

The Brussels sprouts need fertilizer for an abundant harvest. The Brussels sprouts florets begin to grow in midsummer and a moderate amount of fertilizer should be applied now at the latest. Signs of nitrogen deficiency can be yellow and slightly withered leaves. In the case of acute deficiency symptoms, fertilization should be carried out promptly using liquid mineral fertilizers or plant manure. In general, a good amount of a primarily organic slow-release fertilizer should already be worked into the soil when planting. Our Plantura Organic tomato fertilizer is such a slow release fertilizer and contains all the important nutrients that Brussels sprouts need.

Attention: Do not overfertilize your Brussels sprouts! Excessive amounts of nitrogen cause the florets to soften and the winter hardiness to disappear. Over-fertilization is particularly problematic when mineral fertilizers are improperly applied. Long-term organic fertilizers, in particular, decompose slowly and do not pose this risk.

Care for Brussels sprouts

It takes some time for the Brussels sprouts to reach their full size. The perennials only reach their final size in midsummer. Until then, the bed between the individual Brussels sprouts is unshaded and weeds have an easy time of it. Regularly chop weeds into your Brussels sprouts patch to avoid too much competition for nutrients and water!

Tip: The “Brussels sprouts stripping” is said to help improve the growth of florets. Here, the main shoot is shortened so that the energy is increasingly converted into the Brussels sprouts florets. However, sharpening should only be used for early-ripening varieties, otherwise it is rather disadvantageous and could lead to increased frost damage, as the florets grow excessively!

An overview of Brussels sprouts cultivation and care:

• Loosen the bed deeply; enrich with compost (possibly already in the previous year)
• Note crop rotation!
• Sow Brussels sprouts in spring; Plant seedlings by the end of May at the latest
• Plant spacing at least 50 cm
• Only water a little at first to stimulate root growth; thereafter regularly
• Re-fertilize from the beginning of the rose formation (beginning of July)

Propagate Brussels sprouts yourself or buy Brussels sprouts?

The Brussels sprouts can be sown directly in the bed. However, this is only recommended if spring promises even and warm temperatures. When sowing directly in the bed, the distance should be smaller than with Brussels sprouts (here approx. 50 cm), so that any non-germs can be compensated. If the conditions are good enough for an excessive number of Brussels sprouts to sprout, the little plants can be isolated in the bed. Do not place the seeds deeper than 2 cm. A bag of Brussels sprouts seeds is available for less than one euro.

The safer way to successfully grow Brussels sprouts is to bring out seedlings in early spring. The alternative to self-grown seedlings are Brussels sprouts from well-stocked specialist shops or online from a specialist mail order company. A planting plate with 10 to 12 seedlings is available from € 2.50. Place the Brussels sprouts in the bed between the middle of April and the end of May to guarantee optimal growth.

Brussels sprouts: a small selection

The variety of Brussels sprouts is not comparable to their relatives, but it is still important to choose the right Brussels sprouts for our latitudes. We have put together a small selection of the most suitable varieties for you:

Planting Brussels sprouts: early varieties

• choice: Can be harvested from September; sweet and spicy in taste
• Groninger: Traditional variety; Harvest from November
• Rosella: Round oval florets; very fast-growing and precocious

Planting Brussels sprouts: late varieties

• Roodnerf: Hardy; should be sown early as it is a rather late variety; strong in taste; light purple florets
• Sanda: Late ripening variety of Brussels sprouts; tolerant of drought and frost; light green florets
• Igor (F1 variety): Very productive; high nutritional values; slightly purple; medium late variety

Brussels sprouts: harvest and freeze

The Brussels sprouts harvest can be grown for several months. If you have fertilized properly, the florets will even last into the next spring. We'll tell you how you can harvest your Brussels sprouts and make them durable.

Harvest Brussels sprouts

When harvesting, you can either carefully break the Brussels sprouts florets out of the leaf axils or cut them off with a knife. Always harvest the largest and most ripe florets first. In good conditions, you can feed on your Brussels sprouts all winter long.

Tip: Some Brussels sprouts form a savoy-like approach at the end of the main shoot. This can also be used as such!

Freeze and store Brussels sprouts

If you want some of your harvest beyond the season, consider freezing the Brussels sprouts. To do this, first remove the outer, dark leaves of the florets. Then scratch these a few millimeters deep and blanch them for 2 to 3 minutes in boiling salted water. Then pour the blanched Brussels sprouts into a colander and rinse them off with cold water. This will keep the florets crisp. When the Brussels sprouts are completely cold they can be frozen.

As already mentioned, Brussels sprouts can be harvested well into winter if the conditions are good. You can find out which vegetables are still suitable for winter in our article on Growing winter vegetables.