Brassicas
Brussels sprouts
Brassica oleracea var. gemmifera
Timings for your region
Suggested: Moderate · Explained in the glossary
Start indoorsmid March – late April
Plantingmid May – mid June
Harvestearly October – late January
Practical tip
Occupies the bed nearly all year. Pick from the bottom up and wait for frost — before that the sprouts taste distinctly harsher.
Origin & history
Brussels sprouts are the youngest of the cabbages: they were selected in the area around Brussels and are documented there from the 18th century — hence the English name and the botanical gemmifera, “bud-bearing”. They reached Germany in the 19th century. The sprouts are axillary buds: one sits in every leaf axil along the stem, which is why a tall, well-leafed plant automatically yields more.
Varieties
Early varieties are ready from October, late ones stand into January and are markedly hardier — so for the classic harvest after the first frost, definitely pick a late variety. F1 hybrids set very uniform, firm sprouts along the whole stem; open-pollinated varieties such as “Groninger” or “Hilds Ideal” ripen from the bottom upwards and can be picked over many weeks. Red-leaved varieties look good but yield less.
Care
Brussels sprouts want firm ground — on freshly deep-dug, loose soil the tall plants topple over and the sprouts stay loose and open. Plant deep, earth up later, and add a stake in windy spots. Stop nitrogen-heavy feeding from August, otherwise the sprouts turn soft and cope badly with frost; keep snapping off the yellowing lower leaves. If you want all the sprouts at once, cut out the growing tip at the end of September — for picking right through the winter it is better left on.
What can go wrong
Loose, open sprouts instead of firm buttons are almost always the result of soil that is too loose, too much nitrogen, or an early variety planted too early. Mealy cabbage aphid sits as a grey coating in the shoot tips and between the sprouts — break out affected tips, wash the rest off with a hard jet of water, and netting from planting day largely keeps it away in the first place. As with all brassicas: at least four years before the same bed is used again, and clear the old stumps in spring rather than leaving them standing.
Harvest, storage & kitchen
Twist the sprouts off the stem only shortly before cooking — they keep better on the stalk than in the fridge; in a long hard frost you can lift the whole plant and heel it in somewhere cool but frost-free. The tuft of leaves at the top is edible and cooked like kale. In the kitchen, do not boil them to death: halved and roasted in the oven they taste far milder than boiled soft.
All timings are guide values for the given climate, not a guarantee. Weather, aspect and variety all have a say.