You may want something to cover your plants with in the event of a sudden hard frost (anything around or below 25F/-4C). In fact, always wait for a dash of cold before you harvest Brussels sprouts in thes fall garden. The flavor of your sprouts will be enhanced by some cold weather. We go, go, go with summer heat until the last possible minute and then, to borrow from Oscar Wilde, we collapse into fall.ĭon’t worry too much about frost! Brussels sprouts actually do quite well in cool weather – they can even take some light frost. In my zone 6 garden in southwest Missouri (USA), that’s usually the end of September or first part of October.

Plant out your Brussels sprouts seedlings when the harshest part of summer has passed.

Don’t be so protective that you keep them in all fall, though! Pot up once or twice, if needed to in order to keep the area around the roots loose and roomy.

Keep them indoors as long as you reasonably can after the first set of true leaves have emerged.

So, I will start my Brussels sprouts seeds no later than the end of August or first week of September. In my climate, we usually get our first frost around the middle of October. Starting the seed indoors protects your seedlings from the last of summer’s heat.

Start the seeds indoors 6-10 weeks beforethe first expected frost date for your climate.

If you live in a climate where summer comes early, don’t despair of growing your own Brussels sprouts! This year, try planting them in your fall garden instead of your spring garden. As long as your seed stock is good – in other words, don’t by cheap seed for Brussels sprouts – fall is a great time to plant them. If you struggle to get sprouts to mature and/or not be bitter, try them in the fall garden. So, I think that’s what I’m going to try this year.” I always try to plant them in the spring, but I think that they would do better in the fall. However, Alicia also provides the solution when she notes: For whatever reason, I never get good sprouts.”īrussels Sprouts can be tricky if you live in areas with really really hot summers. “This is one crop I have never been successful with. Once the summer matures and it gets really hot (anything over 75F/24C), Brussels sprouts development can be stunted. Brassicas grow and fruit much better in cool weather.

Timing: With a cool-season loving brassicas like Brussels Sprouts that take 100 days to mature from seed, it’s desirable to get as much growth on your plant as you can while it’s cool.

Also, I can time when I put out my seedlings to miss the large hatches of the worst bugs in my garden. A seedling is much stronger than an emerging seed and bad bugs are opportunistic (lazy). Typically, if you’re putting out a robust seedling (baby plant), as opposed to planting seed directly in the garden, the bad bugs will be less likely to destroy it entirely.

Missing the Bad Bugs: For vigilant gardeners, success often lies in fooling the bad bugs as often as you can.

I don’t have to wait for the nurseries to start carrying the vegetable plants I want since I’m growing them myself! My brassicas (the vegetable family to which Brussels sprouts belong) would be forgotten entirely if it weren’t for the fact that they were already up and growing indoors. By April, I’ve mentally moved on to tomatoes and peppers.

Get a Head Start: Starting seeds indoors early gives you a head start on your garden in general.I start most of my veggie plants indoors every year for several reasons. Brussels sprouts and kale are very similar, botanically speaking, so their seed saving methods are similar.

See our recommended reading list below to learn How to Save Kale Seed. If seed prices go up, learning to save your own seed can be useful to control costs in your garden. Hot weather also makes the sprouts taste bitter and unpalatable. Very hot summers will usually stress or damage your Brussels sprouts plants. However, if you live in a mild summer climate, you might be able to grow your Brussels sprouts over two years to harvest seed the second year. Why don’t we grow them over two years? Usually because we’re primarily interested in the harvest of the sprouts. The second year they will produce small yellow flowers, and then seeds. The plants are actually biennials, which means they’ll grow for two years in their native climate. Includes troubleshooting for warmer climates.Īre Brussels Sprouts an Annual or Perennial?īrussels sprouts are usually grown as annuals, which means that they go from seed to harvest in one year. Tutorial will teach you how to grow, harvest and cook with Brussels sprouts.

Grow your own low carb veggies in the garden with Brussels sprouts! This

Brussel sprout seedlings falling over