How to grow Brussels Sprouts

Brassica oleracea

A tall, hardy brassica that forms small, tight buds (sprouts) along a thick stem. Raised from seed in spring, it is picked from autumn through winter, and frost makes the sprouts sweeter.

Quick facts

Type	Vegetable
Family	Brassicaceae
Light	Full sun
Soil pH	6.5–7.5
Frost	tolerates light frost
Soil for sowing	from 5 °C
Germination	10 days
Seedlings ready	35 days
Sowing to harvest	130 days
Where it grows	Greenhouse, Open ground, At home

When to plant

Sow for seedlings about 6 weeks before planting out.

It tolerates light frost: plant out in open ground about three weeks before your last spring frost.

In an unheated greenhouse everything moves about three weeks earlier.

The first harvest comes about 130 days after the shoots appear.

Frost dates · When to plant

Care

Greenhouse

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Seedlings	every 3 days	15…21 °C	—
Growth	every 4 days	4…29 °C	nitrogen, 21 days into the stage
Harvest	every 5 days	—	—

Open ground

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Seedlings	every 3 days	15…21 °C	—
Growth	every 7 days	4…29 °C	nitrogen, 21 days into the stage
Harvest	every 10 days	—	—

At home

Stage	Watering	Temperature	Feeding
Seedlings	every 3 days	15…21 °C	—

Growing notes

Light

Needs full sun, at least 6 hours of direct light a day, ideally 8–10.

Soil

Fertile, firm, well-drained soil with plenty of compost or well-rotted manure, pH 6.5–7.5; liming acid soil helps keep clubroot away.

Care

Plant out 4–6-week-old seedlings 45–60 cm apart. Water young plants regularly; established plants need water only in dry spells. Feed nitrogen 2–4 weeks after planting out, but do not overdo it, as too much nitrogen gives loose sprouts. Earth up or stake the stems in late summer. Pick the lowest sprouts first, when they are walnut-sized and firm.

Pests and diseases of Brussels Sprouts

Sources

Figures checked against these sources.